Looking Into Yamagishi Ryokan

I've been working my way through inns that could make good side-trip stops for my hotel staycations, like a series, with no limit on the area.

This time I looked into Yamagishi Ryokan in Kawaguchiko Onsen. I have a driver's license but don't actually drive, so what caught my eye was that it's within walking distance of the station.

Yamagishi Ryokan Seems to Be a Hot Spring Inn You Can Walk to From Kawaguchiko Station

It's a hot spring inn in the Kawaguchiko Onsen area of Fujikawaguchiko Town, Yamanashi Prefecture. According to the official website, there are 59 guest rooms in total, with a capacity of 300 guests. Apparently that breaks down into 56 Japanese-style rooms, 2 single rooms, and 1 barrier-free twin room.

Here's a summary of the basic info, as far as I could confirm it on the official website.

• Check-in / check-out: From 15:00 / until 10:00, it seems
• Walking access: It looks like it's listed as an 8-minute walk from Kawaguchiko Station
• Shuttle: Apparently there's a free shuttle from Kawaguchiko Station. The instructions say to call the inn once you arrive at the station
• Express bus: About 1 hour 40 minutes from Busta Shinjuku, or about 2 hours from the Tekko Building near Tokyo Station, to reach Kawaguchiko
• By car: Listed as 3 km (about 5 minutes) from Kawaguchiko IC on the Chuo Expressway
• Parking: There's a free outdoor lot with space for 40 cars, and it seems there's also a paid EV charging stand and a large-vehicle lot
• Reservations: Besides online booking on the official website, they also seem to accept reservations by phone and through the inquiry page
• Room rates: Not listed on the top page or the guest room page, so it looks like you have to check the plan list in the booking system

Here's the official website: Yamagishi Ryokan Official Website

Komorin

An 8-minute walk from the station, and even a free shuttle on top of that? As someone who never drives, that felt like a really reassuring setup.

A “Lake-Top Bath” Overlooking Lake Kawaguchi, and Open-Air Baths With Rotating Gender Schedules

The inn's signature feature does seem to be the “lake-top bath” (an observation hot spring). The official website explains that you can look out over the nature around Lake Kawaguchi during the day and enjoy the night view after dark.

There appear to be four baths: two large public baths, the “Lake-top Bath” and the “Cloud-top Bath”, plus two open-air baths, the “Lake Kawaguchi Panoramic Open-air Bath” and the “Japanese Garden Open-air Bath”. The men's and women's baths rotate, so apparently you can try all of them during your stay.

• Water type: Calcium-sodium sulfate/chloride spring (hypotonic alkaline spring), it seems
• Benefits: Listed as including nerve pain, muscle pain, joint pain, frozen shoulder, sensitivity to cold, recovery from fatigue, and general health promotion
• Bathing hours: From check-in to check-out, apparently. However, the baths can't be used for one hour starting at midnight because of cleaning
• Private baths: I couldn't find any mention on the official website

It also doesn't say “open 24 hours”, so if you're a night owl who wants a late soak, keep that cleaning window in mind.

They also have a day-trip hot spring option, with a bathing fee of ¥1,500. A bath towel rental is ¥300 and a face towel is ¥200, and it seems an additional bathing tax of ¥150 per adult applies. I couldn't confirm the reception hours or closing days on the hot spring page, so if you're thinking of going, it's probably best to ask them beforehand.

Guest Rooms and Meals, From an Indoor Person's Perspective

The room types seem to include a lake-side Japanese-style room, a standard 11-tatami Japanese-style room, a Western-feel Japanese room, a Japanese-modern special room of 20 tatami mats, and a universal room. The amenities include a TV, phone, electric kettle, tea set, fridge, toilet with a bidet function, and hair dryer, so it gave me the impression that the basics are covered if you're mostly staying in your room. I couldn't confirm the size or view details for each room type on the official website.

For meals, the top page lists plans like these.

• Beef shabu-shabu: Apparently there's a 90-minute all-you-can-eat plan
• Beef sukiyaki: This one is also a 90-minute all-you-can-eat plan, it seems
• Beef steak kaiseki set: It looks like there's a kaiseki-style plan as well

Inside the inn there are a shop, vending machines, and a banquet hall. The souvenir corner apparently carries things like Koshu Inden (traditional deerskin crafts), crystal, Koshu wine, and houtou noodles. Hours are 15:00 to 21:00 in the evening and 7:00 to 10:00 in the morning. Being able to pick out Yamanashi specialties without leaving the inn might be a nice perk for an indoor person like me.

Rakuten Mobile Signal Conditions

I checked this facility's location (the Kawaguchiko Onsen area) with the official “my Area Coverage Simulation”. The overall rating came up as “C”.

Conditions could vary by spot, so your experience might differ inside the building, in your room, or around the baths. If you plan to use your phone a lot while traveling, it's a good idea to check beforehand.

If you're curious about conditions at your own destination, you can check with Rakuten Mobile's official “my Area Coverage Simulation”. I think it's reassuring to give it a try before you book.

Komorin

The signal got a C rating, but if I think of this as an inn for relaxing with hot springs and good food, a stay where I just put my phone away might not be so bad.

Wrapping Up

To sum it up, my impression of Yamagishi Ryokan is that it's a hot spring inn where you can enjoy a “lake-top bath” overlooking Lake Kawaguchi and open-air baths, and that's easy to reach from Kawaguchiko Station on foot or by free shuttle.

Since you can get to Kawaguchiko by express bus, it seems easy to plan a trip even without a car. They also mention day-trip bathing, so it looked easy to consider either an overnight stay or a day visit.

On the other hand, the Rakuten Mobile signal got an overall rating of “C” from the official tool. I couldn't confirm the room rates or the day-trip bathing reception hours on the official website, so if you're interested, please check through the booking system or by contacting them.

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Related Links

• Official Site