Fufu Kawaguchiko

“A very special stay with gorgeous views of Mt Fuji”

My husband and I had the pleasure of visiting Fufu at the end of a very busy 2 week trip to Japan and it was the perfect end to our experience. We arrived exhausted and overstimulated and left feeling pampered and relaxed. The property is gorgeous, the location is wonderful and the service is excep… more

My husband and I had the pleasure of visiting Fufu at the end of a very busy 2 week trip to Japan and it was the perfect end to our experience. We arrived exhausted and overstimulated and left feeling pampered and relaxed. The property is gorgeous, the location is wonderful and the service is exceptional. We stayed in Room 407, which was spacious and beautifully appointed with a remarkable view of Mt Fuji, a private onsen and sauna. The activities offered made our time there so enjoyable (don’t miss the kimono museum next door to the hotel) and the meals were remarkably delicious and plentiful. But what really made our stay memorable was the incredibly warm and attentive staff- from Nabil (who efficiently helped coordinate all our pre-arrival activities), to Aurelia (who checked us in and sang my husband a very special Happy Birthday song), Mai (our friendly restaurant server), and Maidori (our Zen yoga instructor). Special thanks to our massage therapist Naomi who provided the most wonderful in-room massages and Kawaguchi who went out of his way to help us plan our complicated departure transportation plan. We loved bike riding the lake and canoeing in the shadow of Mt Fuji as well as soaking in our private onsen.

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“A calm oasis at the bottom of Mt Fuji”

Fufu feels calm and peaceful once you enter, you have no idea how many people actually stay there as it’s so quiet and private. Staff were all welcoming and friendly. The decor is very soothing and cosy. We stayed in a Tokiwagi Premium Suite which was one of the largest rooms. With 2 teenagers it … more

Fufu feels calm and peaceful once you enter, you have no idea how many people actually stay there as it’s so quiet and private. Staff were all welcoming and friendly. The decor is very soothing and cosy. We stayed in a Tokiwagi Premium Suite which was one of the largest rooms. With 2 teenagers it was a bit tight and the double beds are definitely on the small side by western standards but to the hotel’s credit they put an extra bed in without us even asking for it. If money is no object I’d get two rooms if you have older kids ☺️ Our suite came with its own onsen which was lovely. We had Japanese breakfast the first day and western the second, both excellent. Dinner both nights was outstanding and also entirely different (we thought they’d struggle to come up with a completely different tasting menu two nights in a row but we clearly underestimated the chef!!). Our older son and us parents very much appreciated all the amazing good. Our 11 year old is a fussy eater but it was no issue getting him some plain food for both breakfast and dinner. The hotel has plenty of electric bikes, we got those one of the afternoons and cycled around the lake, it was a real highlight for us. Thank you to everyone in Fufu Kawaguchiko for a lovely and peaceful couple of days!

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“Good but not a 5 value for money”

I would have loved to give this hotel a 5, but it’s not. Pros: great views of the mountain and nature, great dinner, great onsen in the room. Beautiful design overall as well. I would like to highlight Nabil’s service at the restaurant, most friendly and understanding. Cons: I understand this is… more

I would have loved to give this hotel a 5, but it’s not. Pros: great views of the mountain and nature, great dinner, great onsen in the room. Beautiful design overall as well. I would like to highlight Nabil’s service at the restaurant, most friendly and understanding. Cons: I understand this is a Japanese hotel in Japan, and there are some issues with the language barrier. But if the hotel attracts foreign guests and charges this amount of money, you would expect this issue would be handled. Unfortunately, a lot of time we felt lost and misunderstood. Any kind of deviation from what is caused a huge amount of delays and confusion (eg substituting breakfast items). There was no personalised approach whatsoever and every time we arrived back at the hotel in our car, the staff thought that we’d just arrived. The list can go on..

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“A mixed experience”

We stayed in the hotel's best room with our 7-year-old son, and we have truly mixed feelings about the experience. The setting and the room: simply outstanding The hotel's architecture is thoughtfully designed: an intimate lobby, small private cabins for garden evenings, and a Japanese gastronomi… more

We stayed in the hotel's best room with our 7-year-old son, and we have truly mixed feelings about the experience. The setting and the room: simply outstanding The hotel's architecture is thoughtfully designed: an intimate lobby, small private cabins for garden evenings, and a Japanese gastronomic restaurant. But the room is undoubtedly the highlight. A direct, unobstructed view of Mount Fuji, floor-to-ceiling windows framed by the surrounding forest — it's absolutely breathtaking. The space is perfectly appointed, spotlessly clean, with excellent bedding. We were lucky enough to fully enjoy it, and it will remain a lasting memory. The food: a real disappointment This is where things fell short. Menus are prepared in advance with no real alternative — if a dish doesn't suit you, you're simply out of luck. For a family with a young child, the cuisine proved particularly unsuitable: fish, fried fish... even at breakfast. We ultimately skipped the included breakfast, despite having already paid for it in full. The following morning, our son was hungry from 8am until check-out at 11am, with absolutely nothing available on-site — not even a snack. Going out to grab something at a convenience store wasn't straightforward either: the electric bikes provided by the hotel are for adults only, making any outing with a child genuinely difficult. The Private Garden evening: a letdown We had booked the cabin at 9pm for the Private Garden experience. Unfortunately, the staff were unable to set up the projector properly — we lost 40 minutes trying, and eventually headed back to our room without being able to enjoy the experience at all. The toasted marshmallows that had been mentioned were also nowhere to be found, which was a real disappointment for our son. The canoe trip: a highlight The canoe ride on the lake was a genuine success, and our son loved every minute of it. A little short for our taste, but the scenery is stunning. The only downside: the price feels steep for what it is — ¥25,700 for 2 adults and 1 child. In summary: Fufu Kawaguchiko is an exceptional hotel for couples seeking tranquility and refined Japanese aesthetics, with a view of Mount Fuji that is worth the stay in itself. However, for families with young children, the experience leaves much to be desired: inflexible dining, little accommodation for younger guests, and a few promises that went unfulfilled during our stay. We don't regret going — but we would think twice before returning as a family.

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