Hitsuki Club is a beautiful resort hotel with rooms housed in cottages with each having a stunning view of Mt. Fuji. The resort is located in Shizuoka prefecture, inside the Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park's Asagiri Highland, which is 700m above sea level so Mt. Fuji appears very close to you. The owner of this hotel is a doctor so the focus is on the wellness of the mind and body together with mother nature. Breakfast and dinner is included and you can expect fresh local ingredients cooked with spring water everyday.
There are actually 2 locations owned by the same owner: Hitsuki Club and Seiyoen, which is a 10min drive northwards deeper into the woods. Each facility has limited guest capacity so it is not crowded and you can enjoy nature or take photos without so many people, which is perfect for bridal wedding shoots. I will focus on Hitsuki Club as the rooms there are housed in independent cottages with own private bath and toilet in each unit. The rooms at Seiyoen are in a large 200-year old renovated guesthouse, but you have to share bath and toilets with other people. There is also no view of Mt. Fuji but you can take a 10min walk up the mountain to see it. Rates are different between the two places.
Above video taken at the outdoor Noh Stage, which is the centre of Hitsuki Club.
Room Types
There are 2 residential cottages at Hitsuki Club and each cottage is divided into 3 independent units. Each unit can accommodate up to 2 persons and all of them have a clear view of Mt. Fuji. There is another trailer-cottage combo for family of 3-4 but it does not have the Mt. Fuji view. You can however take a 1-min walk to the Noh stage to see it.
All rooms at Hitsuki Club are fully equipped with air-con/heater, hot water, electric kettle, mini fridge, and hair dryer. The hotel also provides disposable slippers, towels, hangers, mugs, cups, toothpaste, toothbrush, hand soap, body wash, shampoo and conditioner.
Facilities
They have a general function cottage that you can use to conduct seminars or workshops. There are yoga mats there so it can be used as a yoga studio too with a killer Mt. Fuji view. Massage service is available but advance booking is required.
Activities
- Guided Morning Walk (free) If you stay at Seiyoen, you can catch sunrise with Mt. Fuji after walking up the mountain for about 10min. This area is within the national park that is closed to public so there is only you, other guests and your guide! Walk further down and you can collect spring water directly from the origin! Rain boots are provided by hotel so you won't get wet.
- Herbal Water Making (¥3000 per pax, min. 4 persons to run) This is a very cool activity where you will go into the wild woods behind Seiyoen to collect ingredients to make your very own herbal water to bring home! They can be used as home aroma sprays.
Nearby Attractions
- Shiraito Falls This beautiful waterfall is formed by thin steams of water flowing down from porous larva rocks, thus earning its name "Shiraito", meaning white threads. This waterfall is located within a 10min drive from Hitsuki Club. Alternatively, you can get down at the highway bus stop while on your way to the hotel. To continue traveling to Hitsuki Club, catch a cab at the taxi terminal opposite the bus stop.
- Lake Tanuki This gorgeous man-made lake is where you can see Diamond Fuji, which occurs only twice a year where the sun will be on top of the mountain and both reflected on the lake to form a sparkling diamond. But the scenery is still beautiful without the diamond! You can walk one round around the lake within 60 min. This lake is just a 10min walk from Hitsuki Club.
- Jimba Falls Jimba falls is not as impressive as Shiraito Falls but you can collect your bottle full of spring water easily through the pipes there. Jimba Falls is within a 10 min walk from Seiyoen.
- Makai no Farm This farm is located close to Hitsuki Club, within a 10min drive away. It is not an actual farm but one built specially for tourists to interact with farm animals. It is very big and has lots of animals for you to see, pat and feed.
- Asagiri Highland Paragliding This is a 20-30min drive northwards from Hitsuki Club where you can find roaming cattle and do paragliding with Mt. Fuji right in front of you.
Getting there
If you don't have a car, the best way to get to Hitsuki Club is via a highway bus from Tokyo Station. You can either buy tickets from the Loppi machine at Lawson convenient stores (unfortunately in Japanese only) or buy directly from the bus terminal at Tokyo Station. The nearest bus stop to Hitsuki Club is Kyukamura Fuji 休暇村富士, located right next to Lake Tanuki, and is a 20min walk away. Only one bus runs per day: 10am from Tokyo Station. The return journey is the same, only one bus that leaves on 10.20am from Kyukamura Fuji. The bus ride will take approximately 3.5 hrs, stopping at some places along the way. If you carr a lot of luggage, it is recommended that you get down at Shiraito Falls bus stop, which is one stop before Kyukamura Fuji. There is a taxi terminal opposite the bus stop where you can get a cab to go up for around ¥1,800. It will take around 10min to reach the hotel. If you cannot travel within that time, another method is to take a highway bus that has more frequent runs to Fujinomiya station, then transfer to a local bus.
Rates
A night's stay at Hitsuki Club costs ¥16,000 per pax for 2 persons in a cottage (i.e. ¥32,000 for 2 persons). If you stay alone, it will be more expensive at ¥21,000. Breakfast and dinner are included. All prices are without tax and accurate up to Mar 2016, please refer to their website for updates. If you don't have a car but have 3-4 people, you can ask if the hotel can provide transportation to places for an additional fee. Everything is highly customisable so please email them to enquire first and book the activities in advance. Enjoy your stay there!
