Kawaguchiko country cottage Ban

We stayed one night with two others and found the place really inhospitable. It presents itself as a welcoming traditional country cottage, but felt to us like a greedy corporate hotel. They kept messaging to persuade us to prepay for dinner and breakfast, claiming there were “not other restaurants in the near vicinity,” which simply wasn’t true. They described the food as traditional home cooking, but it wasn’t. There was no water in the room or complimentary tea or coffee either. We rented bikes on our first night and waited 45 minutes, almost until dark. Nearly everything cost extra, and the services felt sub par. The walk up to the place involved very large hills, which we hadn’t been told about in advance. Shuttle times were inconvenient too. Check-in is at 3pm, but the first shuttle from the station isn’t until 3.15.

We wish we’d booked a longer stay. The rooms are huge and I haven’t been more comfortable anywhere in Japan. There’s a beautiful kitchen, and cooking our own food in the private bbq area was so much fun. Dinner and breakfast were delicious, and the staff were super helpful. The view was amazing too, and luggage transfer was affordable.

The Fuji view and having a private outdoor tub and tent sauna right by the room were the highlights. You can also arrange a private BBQ setup for an extra ¥4k, and there are shuttles if you don't have a car, bikes to rent on site, and cooking equipment and utensils. The food looked decent, though I didn't try it, and the prices were competitive. There were some drawbacks. Getting from the nearest parking area to cottage G9 meant climbing about 4 flights of stairs, and you can't see Fuji from inside the outdoor bath. The upper floor's ceiling was so low that it was really only suitable for sleeping on futons. The toilet wasn't good quality, and it wasn't Toto. A light on the bedroom fire detector blinked constantly and was incredibly annoying when I was trying to sleep. There was just one pillow, and no indoor slippers or yukata. Filling the outdoor bath takes about 40 minutes, the TV has no apps or YouTube, and I wouldn't recommend staying here without a car. I booked in Dec 2025.

The view was beautiful, and we had perfect weather to see Fujisan. It was majestic. This was our first time here and our first stay in a cottage or cabin, and it turned out amazing. The staff were prompt and polite. Thanks for a wonderful experience.