Kosaku — Restaurant in Yamanakako

I visited Kosaku Yamanakako (甲州ほうとう小作 山中湖店) on a quiet weekday afternoon. There weren’t many people, so I could take my time to look at the menu and enjoy the meal in a relaxed atmosphere.

The main specialty here is “houtou” – a local Yamanashi noodle stew. The menu has several variations, including:

Pumpkin Houtou (Kabocha Houtou): The classic version, with thick, flat noodles in a miso-based broth, lots of pumpkin, root vegetables, and mushrooms.

Pork Houtou: Similar to the pumpkin houtou but with pork slices added.

Chanko Houtou: A richer variety with more types of meat and vegetables, inspired by sumo wrestler hot pots.

Mushroom Houtou: For those who like mushrooms, this one is loaded with different kinds.

Spicy Kalbi Houtou: A spicy option with beef.

Tempura Rice Bowls (Tendon): Shrimp and vegetable tempura served over rice.

Set Courses: There are set meals that include houtou, sashimi, pickles, and dessert.

I ordered the pumpkin houtou. The portion was large, and the noodles were chewy and satisfying. The soup was hot and filled with vegetables, making it a very hearty meal. The taste was mild and comforting, not too salty or strong. It’s a good choice if you want something filling, especially on a cold day.

The restaurant interior is traditional, with both tatami and table seating. Since it was quiet, the staff were attentive and the service was quick. The atmosphere was peaceful, and I could see Mt. Fuji from the area around the restaurant.

Prices are reasonable for the amount of food you get. Most houtou dishes are around ¥1,400–¥2,100, and the set courses are a bit more.

If you’re in the Yamanakako area and want to try a local dish in a calm setting, this is a good place to stop by. The food is simple but satisfying, and the experience...

We drove by the restaurant during lunch and saw huge lines waiting for lunch. Parking lot was completely packed. My wife said she wanted eat there so we went to Mt. Fuji and came back around 4:30pm and there was no long lines and no wait to get in the restaurant.

I ordered the tempura plate that had one piece of onago (eel) and one piece of tempura ebi (shrimp). My kids ordered the same dish but both pieces were shrimp. My wife and mother in law ordered the Mt. Fuji area style noodle dish.

Prices were around the 1200 - 1500 Japanese yen price each.

The food started to come to our table. My dish was so huge and the eel and shrimp pieces were massive sizes with a lot of rice. My two boys were the same size.

The food for my wife and mother in law came to the table last. The cast iron dish was so huge and filled with amazing vegetables and Mt. Fuji style noodles.

We started to eat and WOW the food was amazingly super delicious. All dishes were delicious.

Eel right now is very expensive but the restaurant gave massive size eel piece that was really delicious in taste. The shrimps were also huge and totally cooked just right.

The restaurant gives you your monies worth and much more. It is a great deal for what you get.

We all could not finish our dishes because the portions were so huge.

I highly recommend going to...

They take names and pax writing to queue at entrance .

Queue was super fast I waited 15mins before I get in.

The restaurant is like a big canteen hall inside . Staffs are mostly elderly Japanese so they do not speak English . Service is slightly slow , I tried to raise my hand to get alert to put order but it seems not a proper way to do in Japan . 🥴

Food is ok . We were starving as this is our first meal in Mount Fuji area . I ordered the mix tempura which is 1 fish & 1 prawn . U can see how HUGE is the fish and prawn.

They offer free parking behind and infront of the restaurant . When queueing outside there’s some bench and u can directly see mt. Fuji in front of u . U can take a walk at the black sand area behind the...