Oshino Kogen Hotel

This hidden gem of an inn is located in a wooded area about a mile from Oshino Hakkai. It has traditional ryokan rooms with tatami mat floors, traditional low tables and ground chairs so it feels like you have stepped into a Time Machine and emerged in feudal Japan hundreds of years ago. There are onsen on-site, one for men and the other for women that are accessible for a refreshing and relaxing soak. Breakfast was served in a common dining area and was generously composed of both western fare (scrambled eggs, ham, garden salad, and yogurt) and traditional Japanese ryokan style - regional thick-noodle soup, grilled salmon steak, tofu hotpot,small dishes of assorted pickled roots and vegetables, and rice. It was a feast for the pallets and the eyes. Proprietor did not speak English, but we were able to converse decently well using Apple iPhone’s built in translate feature (make sure to download the Japanese language pack before you arrive in Japan -you can also use google translate), and she was friendly and charming and eager to help and engage with me as hospitable host. The location is a bit of a walk from the bustling tourist hotspot that is Oshino Hakkai. One can walk through back alleys of the town and across a bridge and through some back wooded paths to reach the hotel (about 1 mile hike, or walk to the nearest intersection about 300 yards away (past the river aquarium) and take one of the city busses that travel through Oshino Hakkai on toward Lake Kawaguchi and Fujiyoshida using Bus Stop #123 - Sakana Koen. Tip: walk to Oshino Hakkai early in the morning before sunrise and capture the reflection of Mt. Fuji on the pools of spring water which are still as glass in the morning and act like mirrors for the golden hour of sunrise. See Mt. Fuji turn from red to orange, to golden before turning to white (if there is snow on the mountain - in the winter time). Bonus, the tourist crowds are non existent before 9am and after about 4:30pm each day so you can have Oshino Hakkai to yourself (during golden hour - at least in the Winter to March time frame). Overall, this Ryokan can’t be beet for value of experience at such an affordable price. It’s a little farther from the main tourist attraction, but if you can walk a mile to and from, this is the best deal in town and truly relaxing. I definitely plan to come here again and bring friends/family with me. I give this my highest recommendation.