Our trip to Mt. Fuji started out easy and ended perfectly, but got a little rocky in the middle. We efficiently took the Shinkansan from Tokyo Station to Odawara Station. Most people visiting Mt. Fuji, often for day trips from Tokyo, go first to Odawara and then take a local train and/ or bus(es) to Hakone. From there, using the one or two day "Hakone free pass", one can visit the Mt. Fuji region and that's what I thought we were doing. Luckily before hopping on the Hakone train, we double checked with the information booth who looked at our ryokan location near one of the Five Lakes at the base of Mt. Fuji and gave us a different route, involving 2 local trains, a bus and a 2 1/2 hour route in the opposite direction from Hakone! (This was before we discovered how to use our Hyperdia app). Anyway, all's well that ends well, and despite the "twilight zone" of deserted train stations where absolutely no one spoke English and one girl practically jumped the tracks to try to help us since we looked so lost, we arrived at the Lake Kawaguckiko and our wonderful ryokan, Fujikawaguchiko Onsen Konaso for the most delicious experience.
Was it worth it? Yes. Yes. Yes. And if it was the right time of year, it would be worth it to stay another night and spend time hiking up or around Mt. Fuji! But we were ready for some relaxation after our transcontinental trip, jet lag and 5 grueling days in Tokyo (preceded by 3 days of Hurricane Matthew preparation right before we left), plus it was too late in the season to hike Mt. Fuji so we heard.
Spoiler alert...huge run-on sentence coming up...Aside from having a tatami bamboo mat room, with a porch that had a private volcano-water-fed hot tub, with a direct view of Mt. Fuji, we had our own "geisha butler" who made us tea and fed us a multi-course, over the top, delicious dinner in our room, while we wore kimonos, sitting on the floor at a low table in chairs without legs, following an hour of bathing in the ryokan's volcano-water-fed onsen, also with a direct view of Mt. Fuji. Whew! Did I forget to mention that sometimes people never see Mt. Fuji during an entire visit because of clouds and mist, and except for a few misty clouds at the base, we saw it the whole time we were there, including under a full moon!!! The traditional keiseki dinner consisted of at least 10 courses that included something raw, steamed, boiled, grilled, sweet, pickled, vinegared, meat, vegetables, fish etc. and took a few hours to eat and left us feeling quite full despite small bites of some things. The multi-colored small plates and hot pots were decorated with fresh leaves and flowers and the presentation and taste of everything was fantastic and left us giddy with happiness.
The spa made me giddy with happiness too. Of course, the spas are segregated by gender, you're naked and there could be other guests present, but you enter the baths from a changing area, with only a small washcloth, but not a towel. You go to an open shower area with small stools and buckets under each shower nozzle and many bath products to choose from, where you wash before entering the many hot, bubbling bathtubs. After bathing in the hot baths, you wash off, wash your hair, and attempt to dry off with your washcloth. LOL. The changing room has towels, combs and hair dryers and many lotions and cleansers to sample. Goat's milk lotion and a pomegranate/egg facial peel were my favorite, but they also had Sheishado grooming products as if they were ordinary. We did this twice the first day, including after dinner. When we returned to our room at night, the low table and chairs had been set aside and two padded mats had been set out, with sheets and a huge duvet comforter. Not as comfortable as a real bed, but a unique experience.
The next morning we bathed on our porch watching the sunrise before heading to the breakfast area where we had a delicious 100 course Japanese buffet breakfast. The staff was very helpful and gave us a written instructions for a better travel plan to Kyoto (so we didn't waste time and backtrack) and gave us a ride to the station. The instructions were given in English and in Japanese so we could ask for help which is very important. Luckily, seats were available on the bus (reservations may be required so think about this in season) and we began a 1 1/2 hour ride to the nearest Shinkansan station where we then got reserved seats (free with your JR pass, if available) on the next train to wonderful Kyoto.
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