Kouan Guesthouse at Lake Moyosu — Hotel in Minobu

I stayed at Kouan Hostel for 1 night at 30-31st January 2024. If you're a foreigner just like me and want to visit this place, here's what I did;

Reserve a room via email listed on the website. There's no form whatsoever, so It's just an informal email stating your intention and when you are planning to stay. From there, you will get a reply in more detail regarding what you need to do next. You can write the email in English. The payment is done at check-in, cash or credit card is acceptable.

Take bus from Shinjuku 4F Expressway Bus station to Kawaguchiko station. Tip: Buy the ticket 1 or 2 days (recommended) beforehand since Kawaguchiko is a tourist hotspot, and you'll unlikely get the early bus (7am-ish) if you buy the ticket on the day. Shinjuku to Kawaguchiko is around 2 hours, then another hour for kawaguchiko to motosuko. So yeah, really recommended to go catch the earliest bus. I'd also recommend to buy the return ticket now If you already have a general idea when you'll get back from kawaguchiko to shinjuku the next day.

Once you arrive at kawaguchiko station, buy a 2-days bus sightseeing pass. This will pay off since 1 way kawaguchiko-motosuko is almost the price of the pass. Plus, it's valid for 2 days, so if you are planning to stay one night, you can use it tomorrow to come back to kawaguchiko.

Wait for the blue-line bus, motosuko is the last stop for the blue-line bus before circling back to kawaguchiko station.

Once you arrive at the motosuko bus stop, you can either; walk, rent a bicycle, or ask the hostel staff to pick you up by a car. I'd recommend the last option since this is quite common, even they will ask you if you need to be picked up at the motosu bus station or not.

5.a. If you decide to go with them, you'll need to go to the souvenir shop near the bus stop (there are two, look for the one with 湖仙荘 in the name). Inside, you'll find a lovely obaa-san, just tell her that you are intending to go to kouan and have reserve the hostel and you came here by bus so you need them to pick you up (use googl translate if you can't speek proper Japanese like I did). She'll understand right away, and she will call the Kouan staff to tell them to pick you up. Btw, this obaa-san is very lovely. When I went back the next day, she greeted me and gifted me this nice postcard while accompanied me waiting for the bus 🥹

They will come pick you up by car, and there you go, you've arrived. Just complete the check-in process, and you're good to go!

The staffs are really helpful and nice, the place is quiet and has a great view of Fuji-san (I was lucky it was very clearly visible).

Upon check-in you'll be asked if you bring towel or not, if not they will lend you body and head towel for bath. The bath is sento style (google it). You're also already free to go to the camping ground without paying anything extra more.

If you opt for dinner and/or breakfast, the dinner will be served at 6pm. It's a full course dinner 💪

And yes, there are a lot of Yuru Camp, so help yourself while you're there.

P.S. you can ask them to give you a ride back to the motosuko bus stop the next day, but please be mindful and not be in a hurry since they might be busy with something else 🙏. Check the bus timetable and plan...

So far, as a Yuru Camp fan, this has been the star of my whole trip to Japan. Staying here was a privilege and an amazing experience for me. Overall, it's just: Book through email Arrive through the Iitomi-Motosuko Bus Line Check-in, have your details written (they have English on the check-in sheet so no worries!) Relax and take in the beauty of Mt. Fuji

LOCATION: The way I got to the hotel was through the Iitomi-Motosuko Local Bus Line (a very local bus line that's rarely talked about in English when travelling to Motosuko, just search "飯富本栖湖線" for the timetable and fare (it's in Japanese though)) which goes from Frespo Minobu (where Selva, Aoi's part time job, is located) to Lake Motosu. The "bus" actually is a gray van, but you'll know that's the "bus" if it's got green text on the side saying Motosuko on it. The bus passes by Hadakajima Station and Shimobe Onsen Station too! The location itself is arguably the best view of Mt. Fuji in the whole of Japan, even included in back of the 1000 yen bill and the holy grail for Yuru Camp fans. It's also got tons of Yuru Camp merch + a notebook where you can write on if you're a fan! They also have a cozy reading area with a massage chair and a kotatsu. They have the complete Yuru Camp manga set along with the guidebooks, Vol. 13.5, and the first anthology book!

SERVICE: The staff there are super kind and friendly... I gave them a print of a Yuru Camp drawing I made and they placed it on the front desk... if you ever see a drawing of Nade and Rin there's that's me! But going back, they are very friendly and will go out of their way to help you. They are also English-friendly and use Google Translate to help you understand better. The food served was also great! Houtou, Yamanashi's specialty, was served along with tons of other food. I suggest taking the breakfast + dinner set as there's not much restaurants nearby except for the cafe in the lodge.

ROOM: The tatami room itself was small but cozy, it has a futon, sink, kettle, kotatsu, heater, and a TV. The staff said I got the lucky room because of the incredible view of Mt. Fuji towering from the window. Just be wary of weevils though and close the windows as much as possible to prevent them from getting in.

CAMPSITE: There were a lot of people at the campsite and lots of smoke going around, so I had to go back to the lodge. The whole place gets crowded at noon time but it gets less crowded in the afternoon. This was during March 16. Off season really still is the best when going here.

So far it rivals the view of Mt. Fuji I saw in Fujinomiya, but I think this is still the holy grail. I'll come back again one day! Thank you for the amazing stay and...

One of the coziest places I've ever had the privilege of staying in.

The reservation was straightforward, and the staff were all very accommodating and thoughtful, really helping us out with checking in and renting equipment for camping. The manga/kotatsu area was so relaxing, I could see myself staying there for hours. The rooms themselves were great. They really give you the full tatami room experience and your own kotatsu to go with it. There's a wide variety of merch for the Yuru Camp fans!

Being a big fan of Yuru Camp myself for a few years now, getting to see Mt. Fuji and Motosu Lake has been a major bucket list item for me, and I'm really glad to have spent my stay here. The next time I go to Japan, I hope to come back to this...