ゲストハウス富士乃蔵 — Hotel in Fujikawaguchiko

Pros: ▪ Great location - you cross the road after leaving train station and walk about 30 seconds to get there. Great spot to be based in Fujikawaguchiko for convenience of transport to main attractions and nearby lakes. ▪ Rooms are clean and spacious, Japanese style with floor futon. We added an extra layer of mat as there were extras in the cupboards, which we are glad we did as the single layers may not have been soft enough. Pillows are memory foam type ones, too high for me but they aren't cheap and nasty. ▪ The toilets and bathrooms are kept very clean. Toilets have heated toilet seats. Separate men and women bathrooms and toilets. Women's bathroom have 3 shower stalls (men's have 2), 3 sinks with big lit mirrors and hairdryer at each (1 in men's). Women's toilet has only 2 stalls. Separate clothes washing machine (¥200) and dryer in Women's bathroom, men's have 2 of each. ▪ There is a communal kitchenette with microwave, toaster oven and fridge. Electric kettle in the rooms. ▪ Good restaurant down stairs. Tasty tempura restaurant 5 mins walk away (called Ninja). ▪ Free WiFi. ▪ Friendly Staff. ▪ Warm, with aircon/heating in room. ▪ Free coffee at the restaurant. ▪ Now I saved the best feature for last - the showers. These are the most powerful showers I have ever had. So AMAZING! Plenty of hot water. The shower cubicles are immaculately clean (not surprised when they are water blasted every day). Standing under those jets was the highlight after a long day. (Apparently men's shower pressure isn't as phenomenal, but still very good.)

Cons: ▪ Need to pay to rent towels (¥100 per towel - so it's not expensive) ▪ Futons and pillows may be uncomfortable for some (see above on adding extra layers) ▪ Walls are very thin - can hear people next door talking quite easily which can be quite annoying if neighbours are noisy at night, also can hear road noise.

Tip: stay in Fujikawaguchiko at least 2 nights (preferably 3 or more) to allow enough time to see main attractions and visit nearby lakes and villages. Lots of hiking trails and other...

First things first, this guest house is situated just next to the Kawaguchiko Station🚂🚃 (bus and train - to and fro Shinjuku/Tokyo), which as a stone’s throw away. Yet, it doesn’t have the noise of the traffic (although it simmers down as the evening sun sets). The station provides the transportation services to all five lakes near Fujisan and in fact, Fujinokura is a walking distance away (500m+) from Lake Kawaguchi, which offers a great view of Fujisan and the nearby attractions.||||More importantly, the service of the guest house is fantastic. We arrived late for the check-in but was warmly welcomed by the receptionist. Just outside the guest room, there are wash-rooms (bathrooms and toilets), mini-oven, microwave, water cooler and refrigerator to meet our needs. The house-keeper was also very considerate (saw her drying up the walk-way from the spills of water as well as tidying up the used utensils (yes - light cooking using the microwave is allowed). Oh, it also has a dining hall with good and economical dishes (800yen for a roasted pork rice - Oiishi). Btw, it also serves breakfast albeit with bread, coffee and simple soup (with table number labeled to your room, meaning you don’t have to queue or wait) only.||||All in all, it’s value for money for those who seeks a good stay at Fujinokura to pay Fujisan...

Had an interesting time at this place. Was the very last stop on our 3 week trip and really just needed somewhere comfy and restful. This was our first experience in traditional style accommodation. My tired and sore body really struggled to get up and down off the floor for both seating and sleeping. Shared facilities were OK. I definitely compare this place to a dated hostel. Location is amazing and you are right in the middle of the town center, and an 8 min walk to the lake. This place is great for those who are ready for a shared facilities experience and are comfortable with stairs (particularly for men as bathrooms are downstairs) and are comfortable getting up and down off the floor. They also do not make the bed for you and you need to do this yourself. Staff were very helpful regarding bike rental, we took 2 electric bikes for the whole day and as it was such a busy week, they allowed us to organize ours the night before as they were all sold out on...