Kofu-no-yado Asafuji

A small lakeside onsen ryokan where all 13 rooms look out at Mount Fuji and Lake Kawaguchi

Kofu-no-yado Asafuji is a 13-room onsen ryokan in the Asagawa hot spring district on the south shore of Lake Kawaguchi. It sits in a fine lakeside spot, about a 3-minute walk from Lake Kawaguchi and about a 15-minute walk from the Mt. Fuji Panoramic Ropeway. Every room is a Japanese-style tatami room with a view of Mount Fuji and Lake Kawaguchi: the second and third floors have 10-tatami rooms (capacity 4, with 4 sets of futon bedding), while the top fourth floor has an 8-tatami room with a private bathroom (capacity 3). The whole family sleeps side by side on futons laid out on the tatami, so there is no worrying about a child rolling out of bed - a welcome point for families with small children. Every room has its own toilet and shower room, an air purifier and free Wi-Fi, and welcome sweets and tea are set out in the room.

An onsen with a spectacular view of Mount Fuji

Large windows in the communal bath frame Mount Fuji and Lake Kawaguchi, whose faces change with the seasons and the hour. The spring water is a natural calcium-sodium sulfate spring. Bathing hours are 3 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. and 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. the next morning. On the top floor there is also a view bath where Lake Kawaguchi, right in front of you, seems to run straight into the tub. There is no sauna and no day-use bathing. If you would rather not use the communal bath at certain times, choosing a room with a shower room, or the room with a private bathroom on the fourth floor, lets you bathe in your own room instead.

Japanese cuisine at the dining room, built on Yamanashi's seasonal produce

Dinner and breakfast are both served in the first-floor dining room, with Japanese cuisine that makes generous use of seasonal ingredients from local Yamanashi. A colorful lineup of seasonal dishes is led by sukiyaki (thinly sliced beef simmered at the table), and plans that include a boat-shaped sashimi platter are popular. Dinner can start at 6 p.m., 6:30 p.m. or 7 p.m., and breakfast at 7:30 a.m., 8 a.m. or 8:30 a.m. Food and drink may not be brought into the dining room, but you are free to bring them to your room, so children's snacks and drinks are best enjoyed there. Dinner cannot be prepared for guests arriving after 7 p.m., so allow some margin when planning your check-in time.

Staying here with children

When booking, children who have not yet started elementary school can be entered as "meals and futon bedding included," "meals only," "futon bedding only" or "neither meals nor futon bedding needed," a setup that makes it easy to stay even with a baby. The samue loungewear worn around the ryokan comes in children's sizes too. A free shuttle from Kawaguchiko Station (boarding point 10) is available if you contact the ryokan in advance, which is reassuring if you are traveling by train or bus. There is free parking for 13 cars, and humidifiers are available to borrow. Fuji-Q Highland is about 20 minutes away by bus, and the ryokan makes a handy base for family-friendly spots such as Oishi Park and the Music Forest Museum. With a Rakuten Travel rating of 4.67 out of 5 (448 reviews), it is a ryokan whose homely hospitality has been valued for many years.