Seminar Plaza Royal Fuji

Right next to a large supermarket, with unbeatable shopping for a room-only stay with children

Seminar Plaza Royal Fuji is a 20-room hotel next door to Kawaguchiko Shopping Center BEL, a large supermarket in the Kawaguchiko area. Sorting out food is surprisingly hard work on a room-only trip with children, but here you can pick up dinner, breakfast, children's snacks, drinks and even diapers in one trip to the supermarket next door. A 7-Eleven is also within a 5-minute walk. On top of that, there is one microwave on each of the third and fourth floors, so you can heat up prepared foods you have bought or baby food, which is a big plus with young children. The hotel is about 3 minutes by car from the Kawaguchiko IC on the Chuo Expressway, about 3 minutes by car from Fuji-Q Highland, and about 5 minutes by car from Kawaguchiko Station. Parking is free for 10 cars but must be reserved, so tell the hotel you are coming by car when you book.

An unobstructed Mount Fuji from the rooftop terrace

The property has long been used as a seminar plaza for training courses and group retreats, and its pride is the view of Mount Fuji from the rooftop terrace. You can take in the majestic, unobstructed mountain from the colors of dawn through to dusk. Mount Fuji is visible from some guest rooms as well, and the cheapest "as-is" discounted plan is priced that way because the room has no view. Along with the roomy Western-style and Japanese-Western rooms, there is also a 10-tatami Japanese-style tatami room on the town side for families who would rather stretch out on futons. Every room has a bath and toilet and comes with a TV, refrigerator, kettle, individual air conditioning and a safe. Basic amenities such as towels, bath towels, yukata and a toothbrush set are provided too.

The separate men's and women's communal baths use heated water and are open evenings only

The communal baths are separate for men and women, and which one is assigned to men and which to women changes depending on how many guests are staying. The hotel states plainly in its own information that the water is heated rather than onsen water, and the baths can be used in the evening only, with no morning bathing. Being able to get bath time with the children done in a roomy bath, instead of a cramped en-suite bathroom, really does make things easier. Guest reviews also mention flexible service, with one noting that they were allowed to use the bath even though the bathing hours had already passed. The Rakuten Travel rating is 3.0 out of 5 (13 reviews), a fairly small number of reviews, so it is safest to expect facilities on par with a business hotel.

How to plan a stay with children

Check-in starts a little late, running from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m., and checkout is at 10 a.m. If you will arrive after 10 p.m., you need to contact the hotel in advance. No meals are served and stays are room-only, so plan on the supermarket next door and the microwaves, or on the restaurants around Kawaguchiko Station. Rakuten plans have child rate categories for elementary school children, split into upper and lower grades, and for children under school age, where you choose whether meals and futon bedding are included. Payment is flexible: alongside credit cards, transit IC e-money, QUICPay and other methods are accepted. It is a practical, no-frills choice for families who want to keep lodging costs down and put everything into Fuji-Q Highland and sightseeing.