HOSHINOYA Fuji
HOSHINOYA Fuji
Japan's first glamping resort sits on a forested slope above Lake Kawaguchi, about two hours from Tokyo, with Mount Fuji framed in the window of every cabin.
HOSHINOYA Fuji calls its approach hillside glamping. There are no tents. Instead, 40 cabins are spread along a steep slope inside Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park, each shaped like the barrel of a telescope and ending in one wall of floor-to-ceiling glass pointed at the lake and the mountain.
What the stay is actually like
You check in at a reception area at the base of the hill, pick a backpack stocked with outdoor essentials, and ride up through the forest in one of the resort's SUVs. Inside, the cabins are white-toned and simple, with floor heating and a deep soaking tub in the bathroom.
In winter, each balcony gets a kotatsu, the low heated table Japanese families use at home, with a blanket that holds the warmth around your legs. Heavy coats are provided for walks in the forest. Sit out there with a hot drink and watch the snow on Fuji turn pink at sunrise.
Your days here
Fires burn on the Cloud Terrace from morning to night, and staff known as Glamping Masters show you how to split wood, build a fire, and brew coffee over it. You can canoe on the lake, cycle around it, or book acupuncture and moxibustion after a cold day outside.
The food draws on the area around the northern foot of Fuji: smoking, fermenting, and cooking over open flame, with miso, local vegetables, and wild game. The terrace hot-pot dinner, cooked at your own pace outside the cabin, ends with hoto noodles, a Yamanashi specialty. Meals aren't included in the room rate, and on-site dining needs to be reserved ahead.
Around New Year, the resort has run a Mt. Fuji Good Fortune Stay with a shrine visit, kakizome calligraphy, and a dondo-yaki fire ceremony. Seasonal programs change, so confirm before you go.
Getting there and when to go
It's about two hours from Tokyo by road or rail. If you're driving in winter, use winter tires (called studless tires in Japan) or carry chains, since roads can ice over.
The hillside means plenty of outdoor stairs and boardwalks, and the property isn't fully barrier-free, though SUV transfers between reception and the cabins are available on request. Winter is a strong choice: the leaves are down, the air is clear, and Fuji is more often in full view.
The property
