Fuji View Hotel

This article is based on a visit made on Thursday, 17 November 2016.

Previously on Sekai Ichi, I visited a few places around Lake Kawaguchi, to the north of Mount Fuji.  I capped off my adventure with an overnight stay at the Fuji View Hotel.

This was the scene when I returned to Kawaguchi-ko Station that evening.  Fujikyu runs special Thomas the Tank Engine-themed trains and buses as tie-ins to the Thomas Land world in Fuji-Q Highland.  Alas, I didn't ride the one seen here, but the hotel does offer a free shuttle bus to and from the station.

Fuji View Hotel has rooms with Western and Japanese style bedding.  Compared to hotels in the cities, the rooms here are much more spacious.  Room sizes start at 36m² (387 ft²), which includes the Japanese-style room I booked.  You can also book most types of rooms with a view of either Lake Kawaguchi or Mount Fuji.

I chose a view of Mt. Fuji, but unfortunately, my visions of waking up to Fuji-san went unfulfilled.  Why?  The morning fog was thick when I got up, at around 6:30, although it did start to lift in the coming hours.  In the meantime, I indulged in the hotel's hot spring baths.  For both men and women, there is an indoor bath and an outdoor bath.  The outdoor bath is situated in front of a small garden and secluded by a bamboo fence.  It wasn't much of a view, but it was peaceful and pleasant, with some of the leaves also having turned bright orange.

There were even more colours about the premises, such as this vivid red tree just outside the entrance.  I really wish I could have stayed longer, to take in the surroundings better, but I was in a hurry.  Case in point, I forgot to pack one of the souvenirs I bought.  A couple of days later, I received an e-mail from one of the hotel staff, in English no less, informing me that I had left it behind in my room.  We then went back-and-forth trying to set it right, and even though I ended up dropping the matter (I couldn't figure out how to send them the money for postage), it just goes to show the level of service they provide at Fuji View Hotel.

And... that's it.  I didn't take that many pictures at the hotel, so as an added bonus, here are some shots I took on the journey from the hotel.

As I rode on the hotel's shuttle bus to Kawaguchi-ko Station, the morning fog started to lift, until I finally got to see Mount Fuji!  It fits so perfectly right behind the station building!


This is one of the express trains used on the Fujikyu line, the Fujisan View Express.  For more information, read my Know Your Trains article on this line.  It would certainly be a stylish way to get to and from here, but instead I left by bus.  There are direct highway buses between Kawaguchi-ko and Mishima, where I was to board the first Shinkansen ride of my trip, but as before, I didn't book my seat ahead of time and couldn't get on.  Fortunately, I had a backup route planned out.  It was more involved and the timing was a little tighter, but it was nothing I couldn't handle.  I took a local bus from Kawaguchi-ko to Gotemba Station, then transfer to two trains to Mishima.  I've described this route on my "Introduction to: Fuji Five Lakes" article.


On its way south, the bus passed Lake Yamanaka (山中湖, Yamanaka-ko), the largest of the Fuji Five Lakes.  If you look off to the right, you can see a swan-boat paddling along the lake.

Mount Fuji continued to be visible as the bus circled around it.  Zooming in close, I could even see the switchbacks of one of the trails leading up its side.

The bus fell behind schedule, but still made it to Gotemba Station in time for me to make my train to Numazu, and my next train from there to Mishima.  I started using my Japan Rail Pass that day, which saved me a minute or two from not having to buy tickets.  I just had to show my pass to the gate attendants, and I was good to go!

I had also reserved tickets for my planned Shinkansen rides ahead of time, so I was able to board my trains without skipping a beat.  The JR Pass allows you to reserve tickets for free, even if you set the pass to activate for a later date.  I made sure to book a seat on the right side of the train for this ride.  That way, I could get one last look at Mount Fuji.  You can see it between Mishima and Shin-Fuji stations.

It's actually kind of hard to take a picture of a Shinkansen train, because they go by so fast.  It helps if they're parked or slowly taking off, as was this train at Hamamatsu Station.  This is a Series 700 train, introduced in 1999 and still in use on the Tokaido and Sanyo Shinkansen.  They are slowly being phased out these days, and are set to be withdrawn from service entirely in the 2019/20 fiscal year, in favour of its upgraded sibling, the Series N700.

Just past Hamamatsu Station, the train passes over this huge lake.  It is called Lake Hamana (浜名湖, Hamana-ko), and it used to be a landlocked freshwater lake, but an earthquake over 500 years ago exposed it to the sea.  Today, there is a theme park, Hamanako Pal-Pal (浜名湖パルパル, Hamanako Paruparu, not shown), on its eastern shore.

On the way to my next hotel, in Osaka, I made an afternoon stopover in Nagoya.  Why is that?  There was a train museum in the area that had captivated my interest: the SCMaglev and Railway Park.  Learn more about it soon, on Sekai Ichi!

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Fuji View Hotel

Address: 511 Katsuyama, Fujikawaguchiko-machi, Minamitsuru-gun, Yamanashi 〒401-0310

Access: The hotel offers a free shuttle bus service for staying guests, to and from Kawaguchi-ko Station.  Departures in either direction are hourly from 8:30 AM to 6:30 PM (9:30 AM to 5:30 PM from December to March).  At Kawaguchi-ko Station, the bus stops at platform #10.  Facing out from the station entrance, platform #10 is off to the right.

Alternately, from Kawaguchi-ko Station, take the Green Line Sightseeing Bus (G) to the "Shikishima-no-Matsu" (敷島の松) stop (17 minutes, ¥300).  The bus stop is right next to a road leading up to the hotel from the back.  These are more frequent than the hotel's shuttle bus, but do not operate as early or late.  Buses leave from Kawaguchi-ko Station for the hotel from 9:10 AM to 4:40 PM, and stop at the hotel on their way to the station from 10:30 AM to 6:00 PM.  (Departure times are based on May 2017 schedules and are subject to change.  For the current schedules, visit Fujikyu's website: (English).)

Website: (English) (Japanese)