Fufu Kawaguchiko

Beautiful property that provides some beautiful views of Mt Fuji. The facilities are fantastic. However, the communication is extremely lacking for English speaking. You usually don’t expect the Japanese to know English well, but this is a $1k USD per night property. At an average hotel, it is okay for lackluster English. However, it is inexcusable in my opinion for a property at this price point. There were several instances where there was miscommunication and lack of understanding from the staff. It caused us to miss our train on the outgoing day and caused us to be 35 minutes late to a bike tour we signed up for. It also caused a staff member to wait an unbelievable 1 hour 45 minutes to fill up our onsen bath in our room — ruining our ability to enjoy our private onsen on our last morning and also the staff couldn’t arrange for any breakfast options in the room. Those 3 big instances were enough to really frustrate and take away from our experience. Beautiful property, but I cannot recommend.

My partner and I stayed at Fufu Kawaguchiko during the autumn festival in November. And although we really wanted to love the hotel, it was brought down by the disappointing level of service. Room: this is the best feature of the property. All rooms have view of Mount Fuji. The layout has a cozy and home-like feel that will instantly comfort the guests. Dinner/breakfast: good/standard, but not a blown away experience. Presentation was well done. Service: This is where we encountered some problems. We checked in early and waited at the bar for check-in time/room to be ready. While we were enjoying our drinks, someone came to tell us our room is ready, then left us to finish our drinks. Afterwards, we went to the reception to retrieve our keys and were met with confusion. We were basically asked to check in again on the way up, which we reluctantly and confusingly complied. Afterwards they brought us to WRONG ROOM -Someone else’s room- and we walked right in. Imagine what a bad start that felt like. And while that was a major mistake, we initially were willing to let it go as we understand that errors can happen. The hotel also offered us 2 free drinks. However, there were one too many little mishaps after that, mostly in regard to service. Wrong order, wrong drink, forgotten items etc. For the price that we paid, those things should not have happened. Would have to think twice about returning.

The moment my wife and I walked up to the property tired from our journey to Kawaguchiko, the place felt very luxurious and exclusive. We were unable to reserve at a more popular ryokan nearby, but this one felt more unique and quiet. The place itself is more tucked away from the main road, so the bus stop is a short walk away. The room we reserved was very comfortable and had a private onsen just outside. Once it cleared up, we were able to see Mt. Fuji just outside our window. We had paid for breakfast at the property as well and were served with a very fancy variety of Japanese and western dishes. The restaurant was also oriented so that all the seats were facing the window with Mt. Fuji in the background. We left every morning feeling full and energized! The only complaint I would have is the surprising lack of English language skill from the staff. It was doable, but could be improved, especially if you had any special requests. Besides that, the staff were very polite and attentive. Would recommend this place for those looking for a more exclusive feeling to their ryokan experience with a view of Mt. Fuji.

The service, the room and the food that we’ve had here was beyond amazing. We made a mistake of not getting a taxi and opted for a bus ride instead. However, the staff came out to greet us as and took our luggages from us as we were struggling to push them. We were in such good hands for our breakfast and dinner. When we couldn’t finish our rice, they would pack them into onigiri for us to bring back to our room to snack later. The rooms were also spectacular, with amazing views of Mount Fuji, waking up every day with that view was such a treat. Fantastic experience, would definitely visit again!

Could be the best hotel to stay in KawaguchiKo. The view of Mount Fuji from the Lobby and the room on the 4th floor (top floor) is spectacular. The service is very meticulous executed with Japanese perfection. The food both breakfast and dinner by master chef Ryuichi is at the Michelin star level, well presented and tastes very good.