Julian Life Goes on

The kitchen at Life Goes On is great for making meals, and the spacious rooms have really comfortable tatami beds. Neko is such a sweet host. The price is about as good as you could hope for. If the sky’s clear, ask about a stargazing tour.

We had a spacious, clean room with tatami floors and futons, and the bathroom and showers were high quality. It was easy to make daytime meals in the shared kitchen. My boyfriend and I really enjoyed our stay at Life Goes On. Neko made us feel very welcome, and his neighbours were friendly and welcoming too. The clouds meant we couldn’t do a night sky tour, but we still had a great time and enjoyed the nearby caves and fantastic viewpoints of Fuji.

If you want a break from Tokyo, this was a lovely way to enjoy the countryside and get some fresh air. Even if you’re not very into astronomy, the scenery and photos with the stars are great. I’d really like to do this trip again. We went in spring, and I’d love to see the stars in winter or summer, when they’re apparently especially gorgeous. The views during cherry blossom season or when the leaves change must be lovely too. The night we went out was freezing, so dress warmly. Our guide drove us to a small mountain, then we walked a short way to watch the stars. He knew a lot about the stars and planets and easily showed me Mars with a laser pointer. He also brought a telescope, binoculars, and a great camera, which helped us get some fantastic shots. The next day we hiked up a small, tree-covered mountain near Mount Fuji. It was beautiful with the snow, though the climb was a bit difficult, so good hiking boots would help. From the top, we got a wonderful view of magnificent Mt. Fuji on the other side of the mountain. We took the train from Tokyo station to Saiko, about three hours away. After getting out of the city, we spent one night at a hotel that looked new, clean, and comfortable. The owner, who was also our tour guide, clearly loved stargazing. He had a wide selection of telescopes, tripods, and a planetarium. We watched the stars on the night we arrived, slept comfortably on futons in a traditional Japanese tatami room, then hiked the next day. Futons worked fine for me, though they may not suit everyone.

The neighborhood is very quiet, and sometimes you might spot a group of deer outside. Bikes are available to rent, and you can hire drivers from the staff. It’s a two-minute walk to either bus stop, one for Kawaguchiko and one for the Saiko Sightseeing Line. The ride from Kawaguchiko Station takes about 30 minutes, but the last bus leaves quite early. There’s a coffee machine, and the basement bathroom is roomy with a bathtub. The door itself doesn’t lock, only the door to the sink area outside it does. Wi-Fi has no password, but you need to reconnect every hour. The heater gives off a strong, unpleasant oily smell, and I found an insect on the floor near the door. The streetlights are dim and it gets almost pitch black, so bring a flashlight. There’s no heating in the basement toilet, which gets extremely cold at night.