Last updated on January 8, 2024
I finally went got to see Mount Fuji fully!
I lived in Nagoya for four years and went to Tokyo 4-5 times by Shinkansen. Yet. I never got to see Fuji before this trip.
Once I decided to go to South Korea with a friend on this trip, I knew that I would go to Japan as well. I chat with my friend M and her son, O, occasionally, and hadn’t seen them for over 5 years. The last time I saw them was in Richmond Hills, Michigan, but they returned to Japan about a year ago to Utsunomiya, a few hours from Tokyo. O’s in school so they could only come for a long weekend. That left me with two free nights.
A Ryokan stay in Kawaguchiko
I did a lot of research on where to stay before settling on Lake Kawaguchiko. After an overnight flight from Ho Chi Minh City, I arrived at Narita around 9am. I took a bus directly from the airport to Kawaguchiko station, arriving around 13:30. Since check-in wasn’t until 14h, I waited at the train station, enjoying the view of Mount Fuji.
While so was at the information center calling the Hotel, the first shuttle came. It was full by the time I got to the stop so I had to wait for three next shuttle. It was about 15h by the time I got to the hotel.
Wakakusa no Yado Maruei
I chose this Maruie hotel because it advertised views in all rooms. It’s a traditional ryokan with multifunctional space and tatami mats.
I was hoping for a view of Fuji but had a view of the lake and alps. Not bad though…
A Dinner Feast
I booked the hotel using a combination of points and cash, and the booking was for two. When I checked in, the receptionist was sure to ask me if I wanted to have two dinners and two breakfasts. I declined and he asked me if I was sure, because I couldn’t get any refund by only having one 😅
One dinner (omakase) was more than enough for me. It was served by a Japanese lady wearing traditional wear. She served my dinner and cleared the dishes when I was done. She spoke some English so we made some small talk.
After dinner. A man game and set up my futon in place of the table. While we didn’t speak the sms language he made small talk in Japanese and with mining. He seemed very jovial.
I had booked the private onset for 20:30 for 40 mins. I enjoyed the hot water before bed. While the private onset had Fuji views, I obviously couldn’t enjoy them at night.
Breakfast was similarly plentiful
The next morning. I went up to try to see the sunrise from the rooftop observation point but Fuji was covered in clouds. I hoped that she should show herself later that day.
Sightseeing in Kawaguchiko
That first evening, I only had time for the boat cruise. It’s touristy but I enjoyed the opportunity to see Fuji from the water.
The next day. I took a taxi and climbed up to Chureito pagoda. Fuji was playing hide and seek with us.
To return, I caught the train back to the Kawaguchiko station. I had bought an R coupon which gave me access to all the sightseeing buses for my 2-day visit. The green line went past my hotel but most of the closer sights, that I had time for, were on the red and blue lines. With only 24 hours, the ?? wasn’t really worth it for me
Back at the station, I walked about 15 min to get the cable car up to the view point. I didn’t spend much time there since Fuji continued to hide. It’s possible to walk and hike around but I wanted to do some more sightseeing.
Back at the nearest stop, #9, I took the red bus to the end of the line, the Natural Living Centre. There was some lovely fruit for sale but many of them were quite pricey. I ended up buying 4 persimmon for a reasonable price of 300 yen.
From the living center, I walked a few stops before catching the bus to the Itchiku Kubota Art Museum. I didn’t visit the museum but had read that it was a beautiful spot and building. I enjoyed the beautiful fall colors of the Japanese maple trees.
By then, it was time to head back to the hotel to grab my bags for my 15:35 train to Tokyo.
At the hotel, I asked the front desk to call a taxi for me, but none were available. After some discussion amongst several employees, the receptionist came with his phone and a translation that no taxi was available so the hotel would send me in their taxi (shuttle). (The staff were adept at using google translate to communicate with thy foreign customers).
I only had about 24 hours so my time went by really quickly, but I would do it all over again!
A Delightfully Bizarre Design Hotel
I love staying in boutique or individual hotels over chains. So when I found BnA wall, I was excited to stay there. Each room is uniquely designed in collaboration with an artist and part of the proceeds from every stay goes to the artist.
My room was a bit strange, having been designed like a bathroom. When I sent my sister pictures, she asked me if it was of a bathroom before she noticed the bed 😂
When I checked in, I was greeted with a welcome drink of ginger beer. Since it was a Friday night, the bar was open and serving alcohol, but I don’t drink alcohol. It was 8pm by the time I got up to my room. I called my sister and settled in for the evening.
I like that there was a kettle in the room. Also, there were amenities needed at the check-in desk in individual packages. The hotel presented as a more environmentally friendly choice since guests would only take what they need.
I enjoyed tea, a sandwich and a couple of persimmons.
Morning Set
When I lived in Nagoya, I used to go for breakfast at Hoshino or Komeda Coffee before work and read my book. When a friend living in Tokyo suggested we meet at Komeda Coffee at Ichikawa station, I was game. I had my old time favorite of a cafe an lait with a half slice of buttered toast and a hard boiled egg. Also, keeping the tradition, my friend and I ordered a second breakfast, this time with tea. Before I knew it, it was 11:30 and time for me to head to the APA Kuramae Kita to meet M and O!
Around Asakusa
Since O was about 2 last time I saw him, he only knew me from video calls. He was shy at first but quickly warmed up to talking about flags and countries. He knows the flags of all the countries in my he world! Another favorite game of his is to list all the countries in the world from A to Z as a game with other people.
We mostly spent our ~ 3 days together around Asakusa. We went to the Asakusa temple, Tokyo tree Christmas market, and for a harbour cruise to Odaiba.
Funny enough, we didn’t have much Japanese food. We let O choose the restaurants since there wasn’t much to entertain him and M and I were chatting a lot, catching up.
I ate at Saizeriya (Japanese Italian fast foodies chain), Hoshino, an Indian restaurant at Tokyo Tree and a Thai restaurant at Aquacity Odaiba. I didn’t really mind because when it comes to Japanese food, I really only like soups, sashimi/sushi, grilled meats or rice with something on top, like fish, chicken, or tonkatsu. Okonomiyaki, takoyaki and other things like that in batter are not my favorite. When I lived in Japan, I was also pescatarian and didn’t like soupy things so I rarely had ramen. It’s only after my recent trip to Vietnam that I’ve started having brothy dishes but I didn’t get to have any ramen this time. We saw quite a few ramen places with long lines around Tokyo!
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