Forest Resort Lake Yamanaka Shuzanso — Hotel in Yamanakako

I glanced through the other reviews before I decided to write a review, in case I missed something. People clearly had a different experience than I did. ||The best thing I can say about this hotel is that the dinner was outstanding. There was a lot of food, too much in fact, including succulent beef, an entire fish on a stick (not appealing to look at, but tasty), plus a variety of other distinctly Japanese dishes. So, if you stay at this hotel, come to dinner hungry. ||As for Mt. Fuji: If the weather is pristine, then indeed you can see Mt. Fuji from the 3rd floor via a tiny little "observatory room." If the weather isn't perfect, you'll see bits of the mountain as clouds slowly drift by. ||The room is very standard Japanese, meaning: tatami mat floor (fake tatami, real would be impossible to maintain), green-tea colored walls, futons that you must lay out yourself, a small flat-screen TV (you won't be able to get anything except local channels), and a separate toilet room and bath, plus a tiny sitting room with a view of whatever is available (we were on the first floor and could see some trees and a walkway). Note: if you are used to sleeping on a bed, you will not wake up feeling well rested. I have lived in Japan for 29 years and I originally slept on a futon, but unless you are used to doing so, you will not have a restful experience, so it's best to be exhausted when you go to sleep. ||The "sento" (public bath) is very small and nothing to write home about. Yes, the water is hot and it feels good, but the entire room is small, and at full capacity, 10 people can use it, except -- it would be extremely uncomfortable with that many people in it. ||The location of the hotel: If you have a car, you'll be sitting pretty, whizzing around hither and on. If you do not, and you make the mistake of walking from the hotel to cross the main road so you can get a better (possibly) view of Mt. Fuji and surrounding nature areas, you risk your life. I repeat: you risk your life. Traffic is coming from both directions and you do not really have the proper amount of time to gauge the traffic coming from both sides. We were lucky we didn't get killed. There is no crosswalk, no signs, no nothing. You have been warned. ||Yes, the staff will pick you up from the station or bus stop, or wherever the agreed upon place is, and take you back. However, despite what some other reviews have said, I did not find the staff to be remotely friendly. Not at all. And I can speak fair Japanese. ||The hotel seemed short-staffed, certainly at the front desk. And of the three "front desk men" that I encountered, not one of them smiled the entire time, except once, when I realized that one of them actually understood what I was saying in English when I spoke to my partner. Otherwise, they were very business-like, which is fine for a corporate meeting, but not for a hotel. ||Likewise, the staff at the restaurant, except for the two foreign men who were working there, was not friendly. They did their jobs perfunctorily, but they don't seem to understand the value of a smile or an authentically friendly greeting. ||The breakfast was also very Japanese, and so do not come expecting anything Western. They managed to provide a tiny triangle of canned mango and a thimble full of yogurt with a whisper of plum sauce, and that was your "fruit" for breakfast. ||The last thing to note: We were given about ¥6,000 worth of coupons (in ¥1000 increments) to be used to purchase something from the hotel "shop" or at nearby restaurants. When I went to purchase a box of cookies from the hotel shop (there was no staff there, it's just an extension of the lobby area), the same man who picked us up and brought us to the hotel told me in a fairly unfriendly fashion that I couldn't use the coupon he just gave us, because if the amount of the item was less than ¥1000, he couldn't give me any change. He didn't do the Japanese thing where they apologize for it; he just told me bluntly "it can't be used." (All in Japanese; I understood it.) Also, instead of suggesting that I buy something that might equal ¥1000, that was the end of the conversation. It was cold, unfriendly and rude. My partner is Japanese and felt the same.||If the staff had been friendlier, and if the walk from the hotel to the opposite side of the street hadn't been 10 steps from death, I'd recommend this place more highly. ||So, yes to the food, yes to the view of Mt. Fuji (on a clear day), no to walking around freely (except in BACK of the hotel, where there was plenty of beautiful foliage), and no to the futons and to the rudeness of the staff. I really hope they will reconsider how they treat customers in...

I glanced through the other reviews before I decided to write a review, in case I missed something. People clearly had a different experience than I did. ||The best thing I can say about this hotel is that the dinner was outstanding. There was a lot of food, too much in fact, including succulent beef, an entire fish on a stick (not appealing to look at, but tasty), plus a variety of other distinctly Japanese dishes. So, if you stay at this hotel, come to dinner hungry. ||As for Mt. Fuji: If the weather is pristine, then indeed you can see Mt. Fuji from the 3rd floor via a tiny little "observatory room." If the weather isn't perfect, you'll see bits of the mountain as clouds slowly drift by. ||The room is very standard Japanese, meaning: tatami mat floor (fake tatami, real would be impossible to maintain), green-tea colored walls, futons that you must lay out yourself, a small flat-screen TV (you won't be able to get anything except local channels), and a separate toilet room and bath, plus a tiny sitting room with a view of whatever is available (we were on the first floor and could see some trees and a walkway). Note: if you are used to sleeping on a bed, you will not wake up feeling well rested. I have lived in Japan for 29 years and I originally slept on a futon, but unless you are used to doing so, you will not have a restful experience, so it's best to be exhausted when you go to sleep. ||The "sento" (public bath) is very small and nothing to write home about. Yes, the water is hot and it feels good, but the entire room is small, and at full capacity, 10 people can use it, except -- it would be extremely uncomfortable with that many people in it. ||The location of the hotel: If you have a car, you'll be sitting pretty, whizzing around hither and on. If you do not, and you make the mistake of walking from the hotel to cross the main road so you can get a better (possibly) view of Mt. Fuji and surrounding nature areas, you risk your life. I repeat: you risk your life. Traffic is coming from both directions and you do not really have the proper amount of time to gauge the traffic coming from both sides. We were lucky we didn't get killed. There is no crosswalk, no signs, no nothing. You have been warned. ||Yes, the staff will pick you up from the station or bus stop, or wherever the agreed upon place is, and take you back. However, despite what some other reviews have said, I did not find the staff to be remotely friendly. Not at all. And I can speak fair Japanese. ||The hotel seemed short-staffed, certainly at the front desk. And of the three "front desk men" that I encountered, not one of them smiled the entire time, except once, when I realized that one of them actually understood what I was saying in English when I spoke to my partner. Otherwise, they were very business-like, which is fine for a corporate meeting, but not for a hotel. ||Likewise, the staff at the restaurant, except for the two foreign men who were working there, was not friendly. They did their jobs perfunctorily, but they don't seem to understand the value of a smile or an authentically friendly greeting. ||The breakfast was also very Japanese, and so do not come expecting anything Western. They managed to provide a tiny triangle of canned mango and a thimble full of yogurt with a whisper of plum sauce, and that was your "fruit" for breakfast. ||The last thing to note: We were given about ¥6,000 worth of coupons (in ¥1000 increments) to be used to purchase something from the hotel "shop" or at nearby restaurants. When I went to purchase a box of cookies from the hotel shop (there was no staff there, it's just an extension of the lobby area), the same man who picked us up and brought us to the hotel told me in a fairly unfriendly fashion that I couldn't use the coupon he just gave us, because if the amount of the item was less than ¥1000, he couldn't give me any change. He didn't do the Japanese thing where they apologize for it; he just told me bluntly "it can't be used." (All in Japanese; I understood it.) Also, instead of suggesting that I buy something that might equal ¥1000, that was the end of the conversation. It was cold, unfriendly and rude. My partner is Japanese and felt the same.||If the staff had been friendlier, and if the walk from the hotel to the opposite side of the street hadn't been 10 steps from death, I'd recommend this place more highly. ||So, yes to the food, yes to the view of Mt. Fuji (on a clear day), no to walking around freely (except in BACK of the hotel, where there was plenty of beautiful foliage), and no to the futons and to the rudeness of the staff. I really hope they will reconsider how they treat customers in...

I strongly recommend the travellers who want to see a diamond Fuji in February. This location is brilliant. The most impressive thing is the hotel service. I came to the hotel by public transportation (bus from Shinjuku st.). So, I asked the hotel to pick me up at the nearby bus stop (i.e., the Yamanaka Asahigaoka bus terminal). The hotel's staff came to pick me at the bus stop and took me to where I can see Mt.Fuji around the lake (like a tour guide). The staff used translator application to communicate with me in English (of course, he can select the other languages as well). The staff kept explaining about Yamanaka lake a where I can see Mt.Fuji clearly and famous location for taking photos at this lake. On the way back to the station, the staff took me to the other way around Yamanaka lake to see swans and took me photos. This is very lovely service. A free coffee service is provided at the lobby and vending machine for the other drink, like a welcome drink. ||||This hotel is a Japanese style, called Ryokan, with Futon and tatami. I can see some part of Mt. Fuji from inside my room. The room has private toilet and bath room. In addition, the hotel also provide onsen (Japanese hot spa) that can see the garden outside. The location is good for relaxing and taking a rest. The hotel surround with a forest. You can hear birds singing. On the top floor of the hotel, you can see Mt.Fuji and Diamond Fuji with your naked eyes. ||||Near by the hotel, there are French and Italy restaurants, but they are closed on the day I stayed. So, I totally recommend the travellers to reserve the hotel breakfast and dinner. It is worth doing so because you can see Mt. Fuji at the dining room in the morning. In addition, the breakfast and dinner are also good as Japanese ryokan-style. There is no convenience store near by. The travellers who has no private car should prepare other snacks or food. However, hotel sells some snack for souvenir at the lobby, such as wine,...