Odakyu Lake Yamanaka Forest Cottage — Attraction in Yamanakako

It was my first time there. Very clean and nice. Here’s where the issue starts. We reserved the cabin. Got the price and confirmation email. We knew there was some additions like the number of dogs with us. But there were a lot of extra things attached. The bill became almost double in price. Super sticker shock. But as he was explaining, the penalty fees if the sheets get dirty or a dog pees on a bed and such was SHOCKING to say the least. I truly think that list should be on the site when reserving the place. Some dogs are dogs. If they’re really worried about this, then state it on their site to bring a sheet to cover the bed if your dog has wetting issues. Or provide them. Anyways, I’ve got tons of camping gear but it stated that each cabin has a bbq grill. Great. However there was no wire rack in the grill. So I went to the office we’re they told me I have to buy one. If I’d known that, I would’ve brought my grill. They let me use a flat pan for free but it’s not the same. What’s the point of having a nice Weber grill if you can’t use it properly. Sad. Bring a camp table to place your bbq items on. There is no place to put anything. The kitchen was Fantastic. The gas heaters worked great. Got nice and cozy inside. The fire pit was nice and a great height. Overall the experience was nice but those price points not being upfront was a...

There was a male staff that spoke English and was very helpful. Thank you.

There were very strict rules on noise control (no music in the room, can not drive in / out after 9 pm), however, there was no one to keep the rules. My experience was there were a group of Japanese campers having very loud conversations and playing music from evening to night. I tried to contact the office but there was no staff after 6 pm, the post-office-time phone line didn't work either.

I was staying at the lakeside cottage (which was supposed to be the best room on the campsite?)

The view and the vibe of the house were nice, but the facilities of the room were considered basic. The tatami and pillow were a joke. Also, one has to check in after 3 pm and check out at 10 am is a bit demanding, considering during the 19hr one got to stay in the room, one has to make their bed, do the dishes and trash, make the bed again and return everything to the office on time - I almost got charged for checking out 20min late.

I mean I am fine to follow all the rules but I hope the post-office line worked. (Oh and the (onsen)bath was not available without further explanation which was...

There was no English review on TA so we took a chance. They have a separate website but it's all in Japanese. Our friend who spoke Japanese helped us with the booking. When we got here, the receptionist was able to speak some English so we got settled in quickly. Our cabin was lovely. It was clean, spacious and equipped with everything you needed. You were able to rent bikes, tents, sleeping bags, canoes and buy BBQ supplies on site. We took the bikes and went to the nearest grocery store and bought food for three days. This is not the most convenient place if you don't have a car. We took the bus from Shinjuku and then walked for 30 minutes to get here. If you want to get away from the city and get in some nature, this is a great place. We paid around average $100 per night including our food expenses and...