After moving to Tokyo, I’ve been in a long distance relationship to my long time boyfriend, Justin. We’ve always been lucky to be together through high school and college. I decided to move to Tokyo to further myself, learn Japanese, and be independent. I didn’t think of how hard long distance would be on us. It’s been pretty lonely at times. I work odd hours and the time difference between Hawaii and Japan plus our own working schedules cut into our time to facetime and make time for each other. In all honesty it flat out sucks. But we continue to text everyday and I’m counting down the days until we can see each other again.
In December, I planned a trip to Kawaguchiko near Mt. Fuji with Justin. Kawaguchiko is one of the Fuji Five Lakes where you can view Mt. Fuji from afar. In my opinion, its a way better view than going to the Fuji Fifth Station that most tourists go to. I found a beautiful hotel and although spend basically half my paycheck on it, it was worth the money to spend with my best friend for a night.
Day 1:
We left for Shinjuku Bus Station early in the morning to catch a 9 or 10 AM bus to Kawaguchiko. It can be easily accessed for a day trip, but I highly recommend going for at least one night so you can enjoy the view of Mt. Fuji and relax for a while. There are two ways to get there by public transport - 1. by trains or 2. by highway bus. The highway bus is a bit cheaper, only 1,950 yen each way! Its super easy and you just get off two hours later with views of the mountain! I didn’t do much research of the area so we wandered around to the lake nearby the station. You can walk 15 minutes to the lake shore but you cannot see a view of Mt. Fuji unless you go a little further to the northern shores or farther from the station. We realized this when we walked there, so we ended up eating lunch at a local shop. The Fuji area is known for “houtou” which is a noodle soup with vegetables like pumpkin, mushrooms, and sometimes pork. After lunch, we walked back to the station and to the shuttle area where we caught the hotel bus to our lovely place!
I booked a stay at La Vista Kawaguchiko after reading some great reviews about it. I wanted to splurge on something fun and romantic for a night since Justin came to visit. La Vista is a 3-star hotel that offers a view of Fuji from the balcony of each room. Our room came with a private outdoor onsen and included two meals (dinner & breakfast) for one night. The hotel itself has a public onsen area, private onsen areas for first come first served, free ramen at night, free snacks and juice in the day, free ice pops near the onsen, coffee and tea in the room, and a free shuttle from Kawaguchiko Station. One night was about $400 USD but for two people including meals, the price wasn’t horrible…just a little hurtful to my wallet.
The views from the hotel were spectacular. After dropping off our bags, we walked down to the lake to watch the sunset and enjoy the views of the mountain. The lake was serene and empty. We took some pics and enjoyed each others company as the sun went down. The restaurant at the hotel only served at either 5:30 PM or 8 PM. We decided to go for 8 PM but had some time to kill. We ended up falling asleep before dinner…luckily we woke up in time.
Our dinner was a course meal served with some champagne to accompany it. Some of the most memorable dishes were the mushroom pasta, snapper in a clear broth, and of course my favorite, the steak which was marbled and so soft. We were so full after dinner we couldn’t stuff the free ramen into our stomachs. But if you ever stay at La Vista, remember to leave room for it!
Day 2:
The next day, we woke up for the sunrise, fell back asleep, and woke back up to get the last of breakfast. The meal included in our plan was a buffet breakfast with a mixture of Japanese and Western style breakfast dishes. By then it was almost time to go so we packed up, checked out and then caught the last shuttle to Kawaguchiko Station.
After getting to Kawaguchiko, we decided to go to the Chureito Pagoda, something I heard was popular in the area. We caught the train to Shimo-Yoshida Station a couple stops away. The Pagoda is located about 15 minutes away walking and then another 20-30 minutes up to the viewpoint area. If you’re looking for some spots to visit, this is a great place to exercise and get a good view. Its especially pretty during Sakura season if you’re lucky enough to travel during that time.
To end the day, we went back to Kawaguchiko, and ate at one of the most famous restaurants in the area called Houtou Fudou. We bought our bus tickets back to Tokyo last minute from the ticket machine and returned to the city! All in all, a relaxing time for the both of us. Can’t wait for our next adventure together!
Costs:
Bus - 1,950 yen one way : https://highway-buses.jp/course/kawaguchiko.php
La Vista Kawaguchiko Hotel - 43,000 yen for two : https://www.hotespa.net/hotels/kawaguchiko/
Spending - 5,000 yen
Total - 49,950 yen (around $450 USD)
