It was worth the early morning alarm call. Peeking out from above the skyline was the natural wonder everyone talks about when visiting Japan.
Mount Fuji is one of the country’s three sacred peaks and has been a pilgrimage site for centuries, with people flocking to climb to the summit.
Famous for its snow top, it’s equally impressive without and is just one of the highlights of visiting Fujikawaguchiko, a popular resort town in Yamansahi Prefecture and on the shores of stunning Lake Kawaguchiko.
And it proved to be the perfect backdrop to an equally impressive breakfast with skillet at the Hanz Outdoor Resort, high above the town and accessible in 90 minutes to 2 hours from Tokyo by train or bus.
It’s an adventure in itself, with a beautifully set out selection of local meat, fish, vegetables and fruit and the idea being able to choose from the home cured delicacies to cook on an individual stove and eat slowly while drinking in the views.
The former site of a hot springs retreat is now home to tranquil luxury ensconced in a forest of Japanese red pines.
Waiting to greet the guests are butlers, Taro and Jiro, a pair of gentle goats who like nothing better than enjoying the shrieks of delight from visitors and the love and affection which follows!
And they are there to encourage slowness and an appreciation of the surroundings, which are part of the Kominka restoration project, where historic homes mainly from the Hokuriku region have been carefully dismantled and transported to Kawaguchiko to be used for the resort accommodation.
The result is a spectacular set of buildings including Itakura Kyodokan, an early Meiji farmhouse, whose chumon-zukuri design is distinctive to Japan’s snow country, complete with a thatched roof and commanding timber framework which reveals an age old craft, where intricate joints are assembled without nails.
Nostalgia meets modern in the perfectly restored 100 year plus old house which is now known as the “residence” and boasts five spacious bedrooms, a shower room with views of the forest, a irori (Japanese hearth), hot tub and a private terrace.
Honkan (main building) is the hub of Hanz, including the reception area and where food and drink is served and a public bath featuring a hot spring is housed. One nice touch is a shelf full of free toiletries to use during the visit.
Villas have been built in an old-fashioned Japanese row house style and are warm and snug with sleeping bags for those who want to embrace the outdoors or comfy beds, a heating stove, mini bathroom and a luxury Jacuzzi. A separate outdoor covered dining area comes with a barbecue and grill to allow guests to cook their own dinner, including tasty meat or vegetarian hot pots.
The idea is to embrace the natural surroundings and water is drawn from a well filtered by Mt Fuji and accommodation is also in the heart of the forest in huge dome tents which come with an adjoining private heated bathroom and an outdoor kitchen, where guests can pick from a huge range of ingredients for a barbecue at night with coals from a fire pit and hot breakfast sandwiches washed down with Japan’s famous drip coffee using the finest beans.
One lovely quirk of the resort is all the unusual paintings and ceramic and glass sculptures which are dotted around, including the cutest model birds placed strategically inside the villas and dining areas to signify the outdoor culture.
Friendly staff are on hand to teach how to light the fire pit, chop wood or stoke up the barrel shaped forest sauna. Activities ranging from star gazing to low mountain hiking and canoeing are available too and it’s adventure all the way.
Mt Fuji is best seen in the cooler dry months, as hot weather and rain can bring fog, mist and clouds which blanket the peak. Only fully visible of 30% of the year, the 3,776 metre mountain can be climbed between July and September, but the Fujisan World Heritage Centre is a great place to start to learn the history of the magnificent beast.
A cycling tour using electric bikes and with or without a guide, is the perfect way to explore the area, which also boasts five lakes, including the largest, Kawaguchi and Motosu, famous for featuring on the 1,000 yen bill.
With eight shrines and plenty of parks to visit too, the area is wonderful for exploring. When the weather is spot on, a three minute cable car ride up the panoramic ropeway gives sweeping views of Mt Fuji and social media fans flock to the Lawson Fujikawaguchiko Town Hall store to capture the iconic picture where it looks as though the mountain is sitting on top of the shop.
Nature at its best, embracing the outdoors of the Hanz Outdoor Resort and admiring the beauty of majestic Mt Fuji!
The Details
Hanz Outdoor Resort Kawaguchiko, 3283-1 Katsuyama, Fujikawaguchiko Town, Minamitsuru District, Yamanshi Prefecture, Japan.
Tel: +81-555-72-8282
Website: www.hanz-odr.com
Email: info@gy-hanz.com
The resort can be reached by Highway Bus (two hours) or train (90 minutes) with a pickup service available to and from the resort. Transport can be booked before arriving in Japan and an excellent planner app is www.omio.co.uk, which helps organise multi-modal trips.
Flights to Japan are available from all over the UK and I travelled via Frankfurt from Edinburgh Airport where Airport Parking and Hotels (APH.com) offers a wide range of parking and overnight hotel stays at all major UK airports. www.aph.com/edinburgh-airport. Comfort before the flight is available at the Turkish Airlines Lounge operated by Plaza Premium Group Edinburgh.
Lonely Planet has brought out new fabulous guides including the 15th version of the Tokyo book, third edition of Experience Japan, 19th version of the Japan guide, 11th edition of Pocket Tokyo and a fabulous Love Japan coffee table book. For more details, check out www.shop.lonelyplanet.com.
Type of Hotel: 4-Star villa resort and multi-tiered forest glamping located in the northern foothills of Mount Fuji in Fujikawaguchiko.
Number of Rooms: 36 including domed tents, villas and a guest house.
Price Band: Prices start from ¥32,000 / £157 per Pao, sleeping two people per night on a room only basis. Breakfast: ¥2,500 / £12 pp.
Prices from ¥86,570 / £424 per Villa sleeping up to four people per night on a room only basis. Breakfast: ¥2,500 / £12 pp.
Prices from ¥350,000 / £1,715 for five bedrooms in the Guest House sleeping 10 people per night. Breakfast: ¥2,500 Yen / £12 pp. And a standard BBQ is priced from ¥6,600 / £32 pp.
Activities cost from ¥5,940 yen/ £27.50 / per person cycling trip with bikes for four hours.
Insider Tip: Choose the covered outdoor breakfast bar to enjoy a divine self-cooked breakfast while enjoying a brilliant view of Mt Fuji.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10/10
Author Bio:
Rebecca Hay is an experienced travel writer and member of The British Guild of Travel Writers. Follow her adventures with her family on Twitter and Instagram @emojiadventurer and on Facebook via EmojiAdventurers2.
Photographs courtesy of Hanz Outdoor Resort Kawaguchiko
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