Hotel Route Inn Fujichuokoen Higashi

Getting around Fuji by public transport was difficult, so it worked better if you’re driving. The room had a bad odor at first, though it got better. I felt good about the front desk service: they were really friendly and willing to help, including helping me with the bus and figuring out how to charge my IC card.

We couldn’t rest properly, and had to change our travel plans the next day because the room smell was so bad. My wife, our son, and I couldn’t sleep at all. We turned off the air conditioner and left the window open for about 30 minutes, but the odor stayed. I told the front desk, and they could only give us odor-removal spray. I asked to change rooms, but no other Double Bed rooms were available, so we somehow had to sleep there. The bathroom was clean, though the bath curtain had fungus marks all over it. Breakfast was good.

The room smelled awful and gave me a headache. There was also a slipper left under the chair, probably from a previous guest. We asked for an extra pillow for our kid, but they don’t provide extra pillows. Be careful with the body shampoo, it’s really harsh and strong and could hurt your eyes. Don’t use it on kids. The front desk ladies were very nice, and breakfast was good.

The rooms were clean, and I enjoyed the world breakfast. The hot springs were a treat, and the staff were friendly and outgoing when we had requests. I’ll definitely use this hotel again on a future trip to Japan.