I Looked into Wakakusa no Yado Maruei

I'm still researching campsites, day-trip hot springs, and inns on my own, focusing on places that seem easy to reach without a car.

This time I looked into “Wakakusa no Yado Maruei,” an inn on the shore of Lake Kawaguchi. I have a driver's license but hardly ever drive, so the fact that they offer a pickup from the station was enough to catch my attention. I read through the official website carefully, thinking of it as a candidate for a day when I want to take a little hotel-staycation detour.

What Is Wakakusa no Yado Maruei Like?

It's a hot spring inn on the shore of Lake Kawaguchi in Fujikawaguchiko, Yamanashi Prefecture. Based on what I could find on the official website (https://www.maruei55.com), I put together the basics.

• Check-in / check-out: apparently 15:00 / 11:00 from October 1, 2026 (14:00 check-in before that)
• Rooms: 46 rooms with a capacity of 220 guests. However, it seems the numbers in the room page breakdown don't quite add up
• Rates: I couldn't find accommodation rates on the official website, so it seems you check the plan list on a booking site
• Reservations: apparently made through an external booking system linked from the official website. Phone hours were listed, but it didn't seem to say whether you can book by phone
• Parking: free, with space for 100 cars, all outdoors
• Inside the building: completely non-smoking (including e-cigarettes)

Komorin

I was a little surprised that the rates aren't on the official website. Maybe it's an inn where you're expected to compare prices on booking sites.

Two Open-Air Baths on the Top Floor: “Fuji no Yu” and “Mizuumi no Yu”

The baths seemed to be the big draw here. There are two open-air baths on the top floor: “Fuji no Yu” looks right out at Mt. Fuji, while “Mizuumi no Yu” looks down over Lake Kawaguchi. Bathing hours are listed as 15:00 to 22:00 and 6:00 to 10:00.

There are also two large public baths, “Gouso Alps no Yu” and “Wakakusa no Yu.” The former has a hot spring herbal bath, a steam sauna, and a high-temperature sauna, and apparently the latter has a mist sauna. The open-air baths and the large public baths switch between men and women, so it seems you can enjoy four different baths during a one-night stay. There's also a drinking station with Mt. Fuji natural water inside the large bath area.

• Water type: a sulfate/chloride hot spring. Details about the source didn't seem to be on the official website
• Large public bath hours: apparently 15:00 to 24:00 and 5:00 to 10:00
• Private viewing bath “Fuyo no Yu”: a private bath with a view of Mt. Fuji, 1,650 yen (tax included) for 30 minutes per group, up to 4 people. It's available only on the day of your stay, on a first-come basis, and no advance or phone reservations, which is worth knowing
• Bath-only visits: not allowed
• Guests with tattoos (including stickers): can't use the large public baths or open-air baths
• Guests wearing diapers: can't use the large public baths or open-air baths, and it sounds like they're directed to the in-room bath or the paid private bath

Rooms and Time Inside the Inn, from an Indoor Person's View

There seem to be many room types, including Japanese-style rooms on the lake side (10 and 8 tatami mats), Japanese-style bedroom rooms, and Japanese-style rooms with an open-air bath (Mt. Fuji side or lake side). Apparently there are also universal-design Japanese-Western rooms with a viewing bath, and a special floor called “Nonohana-tei,” limited to 5 rooms per day, with 12-mat Japanese-style rooms that have an open-air bath and a sunken kotatsu.

One thing to keep in mind is that the open-air baths and viewing baths in the guest rooms are not hot springs. They use heated Mt. Fuji natural water, and guests fill the bath themselves. In Nonohana-tei, the indoor bath apparently has Mt. Fuji lava rock laid on the bathtub floor. It was noted that children aged 12 and under can't use it.

Dinner is served in your room or in a private dining room, and it's a kaiseki meal using seasonal seafood and local country flavors. However, you can't choose where to eat or make requests, and apparently they don't accommodate food allergies. If you have allergies, it seems best to check carefully beforehand.

The shared spaces in the building gave me the impression of being well equipped.

• A lobby, the Cosmos salon, and the lounge “Kohan no Mai”
• The tea room “Jikei-an” and the picture book room “Otenkiya”
• A Mt. Fuji observation deck on the roof (apparently with a 360-degree panorama)
• The souvenir shop “Suzuran”

There are four banquet halls and event spaces, “Fujizakura,” “Reiho,” “Tenku,” and “Kotoriza,” so it may be an inn that also expects group stays. On the accessibility side, it seems there's an entrance ramp, a wheelchair-accessible shared restroom, and wheelchair rentals (2 available, reservation required).

Getting There from Kawaguchiko Station, Seen by a Paper Driver

By car, it's about 3 km, or 10 minutes, from the Kawaguchiko IC on the Chuo Expressway. For someone like me who rarely drives, the train and bus information is more interesting.

• Train and bus: about 10 minutes by retro bus from Fujikyu's Kawaguchiko Station, or about 7 minutes by taxi
• Pickup (arrival): there's a shuttle from Kawaguchiko Station, running from 15:00 with the last one at 17:00, and you apparently need to call after arriving at the station. It seems you can't be picked up before 15:00 or request a specific time
• Drop-off (departure): listed as starting at 8:00 in the morning, with the last one at 11:00
• Day-trip plan: no shuttle service

Also, the access page has a different note saying “14:00 to 19:00, call after arriving at the station,” which doesn't match the 15:00 to 17:00 information. The frequency, the fare, and whether a reservation is needed weren't clear either. If you plan to use it, it seems safest to check with the inn right before your trip.

They also seem to offer a day-trip plan: room rest only, no meals, from 9,790 yen per person on weekdays and from 14,850 yen on days before holidays (tax included, bathing tax of 150 yen separate, for 2 or more adults). Apparently it's only available on certain days, but I couldn't confirm the specific dates.

Komorin

If it's around 10 minutes from the station by bus or taxi, even someone like me who doesn't drive could get there. Since the shuttle requires a phone call after you reach the station, I'd want to check the timing beforehand if I used it.

Rakuten Mobile Signal Conditions

I entered this inn's location (Fujikawaguchiko) into Rakuten Mobile's official “my Area Connectivity Simulation,” and the overall rating came out as “C.”

The rating was “C.” The tool's result is only a rough guide, but if you're thinking of watching videos or doing remote work at the inn, it seems wise to check ahead of time.

If you're curious about signal conditions, try checking your own destination with Rakuten Mobile's official connectivity simulation.

Komorin

Honestly, a C rating is a little disappointing. But if I think of it as an inn for enjoying the baths and the scenery, it could also be a good chance to step away from my phone.

Wrapping Up

To sum it up, my impression of Wakakusa no Yado Maruei is that it's a hot spring inn on the shore of Lake Kawaguchi where you can look out at Mt. Fuji and the lake from the top-floor open-air baths, “Fuji no Yu” and “Mizuumi no Yu.”

Since there's a shuttle and a bus from Kawaguchiko Station, it looks easy to reach without a car. On the other hand, there were some things worth knowing in advance: the open-air baths in the guest rooms aren't hot springs, you can't choose your meal setup or get allergy accommodations, and bath-only visits aren't allowed. The rates aren't listed on the official website and the shuttle times were inconsistent, so I think it's reassuring to check before booking. As for Rakuten Mobile, the official tool's rating was “C.”

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Related Links

• Official Site