Breakfast at Shohokaku Shogetsu was served in the dining room which affords a wonderful view of Mt Fuji in clear weather.  Unfortunately Mt Fuji was still hidden behind clouds the next morning. Breakfast was Japanese buffet with decent variety.

Mt Fuji behind the clouds – view from dining room of Shohukaku Shogetsu

After breakfast, we checked-out of the ryokan and took the Omni bus to its last stop 22 and walked to the Maple Tunnel.  It was a fairly long walk, about 15-20 mins, but the resultant view which welcomed us was worth it.

Maple Tunnel, Kawaguchiko

Maple Tunnel, Kawaguchiko

We doubled back to the bus stop to take the bus back to our ryokan.  After a walk by the lake, we picked up our bags from the ryokan and took the bus back to the train station.  From the train station we walked about 15 mins to Sanrokuen where we had made reservations for lunch.

Morning view outside our ryokan, Kawaguchiko

Sanrokuen is a restaurant where you cook your own food over an irori, a sunken hearth used traditionally for heating and cooking.  We chose this restaurant as it looked interesting and there didn’t seem to be many other good restaurants in Kawaguchiko based on reviews on TA. Sanrokuen was basically a BBQ restaurant. They had several sets to choose from. Sets with beef are generally more expensive. The food were all skewered and you cooked it over the irori. Great to have this meal during winter as you sit around an open fire. It was generally a fun experience but taste of food was just average. Come here for the experience but don’t expect great food. One plus was that there was an English menu and the staff understand English so no communication issue. If you want to eat here, do make reservations so that you don’t have to wait.

Lunch @ Sanrokuen, Kawaguchiko

After lunch we went back to the train station.  We had plans to go to Sagamiko for the winter illumination.  Our train ticket entitled us to ride the regular train or even the Fujisan Express. But we took the Fuji Tozan Densha, Fujikyu Railway’s sightseeing train which required us to top up a fee of JPY200 per pax for this train.

The Fuji Tozan Densha is a special train with the counters, seats, and the interior made mostly of wood. Along the way the train made 2 photostops.    No seat reservations so we could sit on any seat we liked.  There were 2 cabins and each had a different deco.  One of them even had a toddler playpen!   Definitely a more enjoyable ride compared to the usual train ride.  It is worth the JPY200 more per person if you have the time.

Fuji Tozan Densha, Fujikyu Railway’s sightseeing train

At Otsuki station, our ticket could have entitled us to the Limited Express Trains back to Shinjuku. However we wanted to go to Sagamiko to see the winter illumination. So we took the local train. At Sagamiko station, we were a little too early so we went to a cafe next to the station for a coffee break.

We took a bus from outside the train station to Sagamiko Resort Pleasure Forest which is actually a small theme park with amusement park rides. During the winter season, it is lit up with millions of lights.  2015/2016 is the 7th year in a row that the illumination is taking place.  It also claims to be using the largest number of lights in the entire Kanto region (over five million LED lamps).  The park is open from 5-9.30pm in the evenings during winter illumination which is happeing from 1 Nov till first week of April.  We got there just before 5pm.  After we got our tickets, it was just as the park opened.  It was only 5pm, but sun had set and the sky was dark already.

Sagamiko Illumillion, Sagamiko Resort Pleasure Forest

Tunnel of Lights, Sagamiko Illumillion

The whole place featured a wide range of colours, accompanying music, and light constructions that take advantage of the fountains and lush greenery of the park. This winter’s theme is ‘Great Britain’, so there was an illuminated replica of Buckingham Palace, the London bus etc. We did not take any amusement park rides which included Ferris wheel and train ride etc.  There is extra cost if you want to take the rides.  The rides are more for kids, I feel.

Sagamiko Illumillion 2016 – Great Britain Theme

We spent about 1.5 hours at Sagamiko Resort Pleasure Forest before we took the bus back to the train station to catch our train back to Shinjuku.  They allowed us to continue the usage of our train pass and we did not have to pay for the train ride back to Tokyo.

Upon arrival in Shinjuku, we grabbed bentos, drinks and snacks from the station for our dinner. Then we took a 5mins walk to our hotel, Sunroute Plaza Shinjuku.

I must say that I was disappointed with this hotel.  I picked this hotel as I wanted to check out Shinjuku and this hotel seems convenient. It had a nice lobby but rooms are basic. Similar to the room quality of Toyoko Inn, however, it is double the price of Toyoko Inn hotels, probably because of the location. The room seems clean but our bathroom had a foul smell, vaguely like a public toilet. This is the first time I encountered such foul smelling hotel toilet in the many hotels I have stayed in Japan. I am not even comparing it to luxury hotels that I have stayed in Tokyo.  I just cannot stand the foul smell toilet. The only saving grace for me for this hotel is its location. It is close to Shinjuku station and lots of shopping and eating places.  Unlikely for me to stay here again.   It would have been a decent stay if not for the toilet smell.

Next up: Shopping in Tokyo & our Flight home!

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I stayed at the Shangri La Tokyo at Tokyo station for 5 nights during the first part of my trip.  I chose this hotel because it is located near my office. It is also conveniently located at Tokyo Station. So it is extremely convenient as I needed to make a day trip to Nagoya for meetings and needed to take the Shinkansen. There are lots of eating places and shopping located at Tokyo Station.  The service at the Shangri La was excellent. I was always greeted with a smile whenever I encounter a service staff. And most importantly, they all speak good English which makes communication a breeze. This is so rare in Japan.

My room was a corner room on level 33. It was beautiful and had a large window opposite the bed and gave a view as far as Tokyo Skytree. There was also a large window next to the bath tub which allowed one to soak in the tub and admire the city view at the same time. The bathroom was huge, especially the shower area. The room was equipped with a nespresso machine too. My king size bed was especially comfortable. I slept well from the first night.

King Room @ The Shangri La Tokyo

After several days of meetings and then shopping and eating in Tokyo on Saturday. We headed off to Kawaguchiko on Sunday morning.  We had booked a night’s stay at a ryokan there.  We decided to go to Kawaguchiko on Sunday instead of Saturday because the room was cheaper on Sunday! We bought a Mt Fuji Special 2 days pass for only JPY5600 per person for a return trip to Kawaguchiko, one of the Fuji Five Lakes (Fujigoko).

After we checked out of the Shangri-La that morning, we arranged for our luggages to be sent to Sunroute Plaza in Shinjuku the next day (Monday).  I wanted to stay at Shinjuku on our return as we had never stayed in that area.  I chose Sunroute because it was quite cheap. But I had regretted my decision after I saw how beautiful my room at the Shangri La was, as I knew Sunroute was only a little more than just a budget hotel.  I actually checked with Shangri La one or two days earlier if they could accomodate us for a night after we come back from Kawaguchiko. Unfortunately they only had suites left and I was definitely not prepared to pay for one.  So Sunroute Plaza it shall be.

Going to Kawaguchiko from Tokyo requires a transfer from the JR trains to the Fujikyu Railway at Otsuki.  Our tickets entitled us to the limited express trains from Tokyo as well as the Fujisan Express on the Fujikyu Railway.  By the time we arrived at Kawaguchiko. It was near lunch time. So we headed to Fuji Tempura Idaten, about 5 mins walk from the station for lunch.  It was a small tempura restaurant.  The tempura was crisp and not oily.  A pretty decent meal overall.

Tempura lunch @ Fuji Tempura Idaten, Kawaguchiko

After lunch we went back to the train station to take the Omni Bus.  We bought a 2 days unlimited travel ticket for the Omni Bus which goes around the lake.  It cost JPY1200 per pax.  Our ryokan did offer free pick up from the train station but only after 2.30pm.  We decided to take the Omni Bus to the ryokan ourselves and do some sightseeing along the way since we were early.  The Omni Bus is like a hop on hop off bus if you buy the 2 days ticket.  Here is the link to the Omni Bus website.  It has a map that shows the various stops along  the bus route.
http://bus-en.fujikyu.co.jp/heritage-tour/detail/id/1/

Omni Bus, the sightseeing bus that goes around Lake Kawaguchiko

Our first stop was the Kawaguchiko Herb Hall. It is more of a gift shop selling different types of floral scent.  We just browsed around the shop for a while and explored the area outside the shop.

Next stop for us was Kawaguchiko Ropeway.  The area along the lake was beautiful.  However as it was really cloudy, we did not go up the Ropeway as we expected that we won’t be able to see anything at the top of the hill in that cloudy weather.

Autumn colours, Kawaguchiko

We headed next to Kawaguchiko Music Forest.  Kawaguchiko Music Forest has an interesting outdoor garden display with many photo ops.  

Garden of Kawaguchiko Music Forest

It also has an indoor museum display of musical boxes. There are different types of musical boxes of Asian and European origins.  Very pretty.  The museum staff actually turn on a musical box for us. The music was clear and beautiful. I enjoyed sitting there just listening to the music.

Musical boxes, Kawaguchiko Music Forest

Our ryokan is at stop 19 of the Omni bus route.  However, we decided to stop at stop 18 and walk along the lake to enjoy the beautiful autumn foliage before getting to our ryokan.  In clear weather, this would have been one of the most beautiful spots to see Mt Fuji.  Unfortunately that weekend a bunch of low clouds was hovering overhead and so Mt Fuji was hidden from sight. Nonetheless, the autumn colors were beautiful.

Kawaguchiko – along the banks of the lake

By the time we checked-in at our ryokan, Shohokaku Kogetsu, it was after 3pm.  I had booked a Mt Fuji and lake view room. Unfortunately it was cloudy and we could not see Mt Fuji. What a pity! If it wasn’t cloudy, Mt Fuji would have been right in front of us when we looked out of our room.

Our Mt Fuji & Lake view room at Shohokaku Shogetsu, a pity My Fuji was hidden behind clouds

Nonetheless, this ryokan is well located across the lake with Mt Fuji behind the lake. The Omni bus stop is right in front of the hotel.

It was the Kawaguchiko Autumn Festival when we were there and the Maple Corridor where the festival was held was just opposite out ryokan. We could, in fact, see it from our room too as we had the corner room. Each guest gets a free voucher to redeem a free cup of rice wine at the festival.

So after we settled our stuff, we went to check out the Maple Corridor across the road.  It was stunning especially since the sun was setting and the lighting was great for taking photos.  There were food stalls around and we went in search of our free rice wine.  I liked it but DH did not.  He found it too sweet.

Maple Corridor, Kawaguchiko Autumn Festival

Maple Corridor, Kawaguchiko Autumn Festival

Maple leaves, Kawaguchiko

We went to the public onsen in the ryokan before dinner.  It was great after the long day.

Dinner was served in our room that night. I had picked a cheaper set dinner which came with pork shabu shabu. I believe the more expensive dinner set came with beef. Dinner was good.

Kaiseki dinner @ Shohukaku Shogetsu.
Notice the pumpkin cut to look like Mt Fuji?

If I visit Kawaguchiko again, I’ll definitely stay here again and keep my fingers crossed for clear weather!

Next: Kawaguchiko (Mt Fuji) (II)

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