Villa Kisetsufu

Mount Fuji in front of every room, at a four-story inn on the shore of Lake Yamanaka

Villa Kisetsufu is a small four-story inn with 7 rooms, standing on the lakeshore in Yamanaka, Yamanakako-mura. Its greatest pride is the setting: every room looks straight out at the majestic Mount Fuji. Lake Yamanaka spreads out in front of you, and Mount Fuji rises behind you - a superb location where you can take in the famous peak without leaving your room. Access is easy, about 5 minutes by car from Fujiyoshida Station, Gotemba Station and the Yamanakako Interchange on the Higashi-Fuji Goko Road, which makes it a handy base for lakeside walks and other activities. With only 7 rooms, the atmosphere is calm and homey, well suited to gazing at Mount Fuji at your own pace and easing away everyday tiredness.

Western-style rooms, Japanese-style tatami rooms and a Japanese-Western room for 6. Rooms the whole family can share

The guest rooms are on the third and fourth floors, and along with Western-style rooms and Japanese-style tatami rooms there is a Japanese-Western room for up to 6 guests. In a Japanese-style tatami room or the Japanese-Western room you can lay out futons side by side and all sleep together, so you can rest with a young child without worrying about them rolling off a bed. Because Mount Fuji is visible from every room, you can wake up, open the window and find the famous peak right there - a luxury of a morning. Rooms come with a TV, refrigerator, electric hot-water kettle, tea set, individually controlled air conditioning and, in some rooms, a toilet with a bidet function. The entire building is non-smoking, with smoking allowed only outside. Note that the Rakuten Travel review rating is not high, so this is a place to choose for the Mount Fuji view and the homey hospitality rather than for the newness of the facilities.

Seasonal Japanese set meals in the spacious second-floor dining room

Meals are served in the spacious dining room on the second floor, as Japanese set meals that draw on seasonal ingredients. For children there are rate categories for elementary school children, both upper and lower grades, and for children under school age, and you can choose plans such as meals with futon bedding or meals only, according to the number and ages of your party - so booking can flex to fit your family. If you would like a meal for a child under school age, the inn will discuss this with you separately. Bookings that include dinner must be made by 9 a.m. on the day, and if you have booked dinner and will arrive after 5 p.m. you need to let the inn know, as dinner starts at 6 p.m. - the kind of attentive handling you would expect from a family-run inn. As for the bath, when there are few guests staying the inn may let you use one of the bathrooms as a private-hire bath, which is a welcome touch for families with young children.

Wakasagi fishing in winter, Lake Yamanaka right in front. How to stay here with children

The domed boat run by Marine House momo, 30 seconds on foot from the inn, offers winter-only wakasagi (pond smelt) fishing, a Lake Yamanaka specialty. Fishing from inside the warm domed boat is easy for even young children to try, and tasting the wakasagi they have caught makes a lasting family memory. On Lake Yamanaka right in front, summer brings water play, cycling and lakeside strolls, making this a base for Fuji Five Lakes activities all year round. Check-in is at 3 p.m., with last check-in at 9 p.m., and checkout is at 10 a.m. Relax in a room with a Mount Fuji view, enjoy the Japanese set meals and go wakasagi fishing together: this lakeside inn is just right for families who put the view first.