I Looked Into Yamanakako Onsen Beni-Fuji no Yu

Not just campsites but day-trip hot springs and lodging facilities too — I keep digging into any "place I might be able to go to," one after another. Detours like "let's skip camping today and do a hot spring hotel instead" are treated as an important genre on this blog as well.

This time I looked into Yamanakako Onsen Beni-Fuji no Yu. What got me started was learning that there's an outdoor bath where you can see Mt. Fuji dyed red by the morning sun — called "Beni-Fuji" — on winter mornings, and I wanted to at least see photos of it. Since I don't drive, I'll need to figure out transportation separately, but for now I decided to research the facility itself.

The Short Version

The main highlights seem to be an outdoor bath where you can apparently see "Beni-Fuji" on winter mornings, and an alkaline simple hot spring described as a "beauty bath."
The Rakuten Mobile signal came back with a C rating, so if you're planning to rely on your connection there, it might be worth checking in advance.

I've summarized the details below.

About the Outdoor Bath with a View of "Beni-Fuji" and the Beauty Bath

This is apparently a day-trip hot spring facility located on the shore of Lake Yamanaka, with two types of outdoor baths — a cypress bath and a stone bath — each separated by gender. Both apparently let you soak while gazing at Mt. Fuji, and it's especially known as a spot where you can see "Beni-Fuji," Mt. Fuji dyed red by the morning sun, on winter mornings. I'm not great at waking up early, so it seems like it'll take a bit of effort on my part to actually see this view.

The water quality is an alkaline simple hot spring, with a pH of around 10.3, which is quite high. According to the official website, it's described as "an extremely rare, high-quality alkaline simple hot spring even by global standards" and a "beauty bath / skin-beautifying bath," which might catch the attention of anyone curious about that smooth, silky feeling after bathing. The indoor large bath area apparently includes a full-body soaking tub, jet bath, bubble bath, reclining bath, and a lukewarm bath drawn directly from the source, along with both a dry sauna and a mist sauna.

Komorin

A pH of 10.3 stuck in my mind even though I don't know much about hot springs. I guess I won't know what it actually feels like on my skin until I go.

How to Spend Time Indoors, as an Indoor-Leaning Person

The facilities beyond the baths also seem well-equipped. On the second floor, there's a large hall of roughly 250 tatami mats in size, which apparently functions as a big dining and rest area with tatami seating, counter seats, and table seats. That said, bringing in outside food and drink is apparently prohibited, so it seems like you're meant to use the facility's own dining area. The menu apparently includes Yamanashi specialties like hoto noodles, Shingen soft-serve ice cream, ginger pork set meals, and pork stamina rice bowls — plenty of options to relax with after a bath, it seems.

There's also apparently a newly added corner called the "Beni Terrace" where you can view Mt. Fuji, as well as a refresh room equipped with massage chairs. That doesn't matter much to me since I don't drive, but the parking lot is fairly large, with space for around 220 regular cars and 4 large vehicles. There's also apparently a baby room, which gives the impression that it's a comfortable place for families as well.

For anyone wanting to loosen up their body, relaxation options like body care, oil lymphatic massage, and mugwort steaming are also apparently available. Same-day reservations seem to be possible, but booking in advance via LINE is apparently recommended. Since the time and price seem to vary by menu with several tiers, anyone interested might want to check the official website for the latest details before visiting.

Hours: apparently 11:00 AM–7:00 PM on weekdays (last entry 6:15 PM), and 11:00 AM–8:00 PM on weekends and holidays (last entry 7:15 PM)
Closed days: apparently closed every Monday and Tuesday (some general search listings mention only Tuesday, but the official website text itself seems to state both Monday and Tuesday)
Admission: apparently 900 yen for adults, 700 yen for middle/high school students, 350 yen for elementary schoolers, and free for preschoolers (these amounts appear to include the bathing tax)
Discount tickets: a regular 11-ticket booklet for 9,000 yen and a weekday-only 14-ticket booklet for 9,800 yen seem to be available, though there appear to be conditions such as not being usable on weekends, holidays, or during busy periods
No reservation appears to be needed for regular admission

The official website also clearly states things like: outside food and drink are prohibited, admission fees apply even if you don't use the baths, and mixed-gender bathing isn't allowed for elementary schoolers and up (preschoolers may accompany a guardian). It also apparently states that guests with tattoos will be refused entry, so anyone this applies to might want to confirm in advance.

Komorin

A 250-tatami-mat hall sounds pretty spacious. Eating hoto noodles while slowly taking in the view of Mt. Fuji sounds pretty close to my ideal way of spending time.

Rakuten Mobile Signal Conditions

When I checked this facility's location using the official "My Area Connectivity Simulation" tool, the overall rating came back as "C." I actually ran the tool myself to check this, so I'm sharing it as is.

It might be partly due to the characteristics of the Yamanakako area, but the rating came out a bit on the modest side. Apparently the facility has free Wi-Fi available throughout, so if you want to make sure you stay connected, it might be worth checking on the facility's Wi-Fi as well.

Komorin

Since the result came back as a C rating, I'll just note it down as is. Confirming that there's in-house Wi-Fi feels like a good thing to have checked ahead of time.

See Rakuten Mobile Details

Wrapping Up

To sum it up again, Yamanakako Onsen Beni-Fuji no Yu left me with the impression of being a day-trip hot spring facility featuring an outdoor bath where you can view "Beni-Fuji" on winter mornings, along with a pH 10.3 alkaline simple hot spring. With a large hall, a dining area, and relaxation menus all available, it's a facility worth researching not just for the bath itself, but as a place to spend a whole relaxing day.

On the other hand, the Rakuten Mobile signal came back with a C rating, so if you're heading out expecting to rely on your connection, it seems like a good idea to prepare in advance. Anyone curious can check for themselves using Rakuten Mobile's official tool, so if you're planning a visit, it might be worth taking a look.

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