Thursday, May 22, 2014

Fujiya Hotel: East meets West in the midst of Hakone National Park

What do you picture when you think of a Japanese inn near a popular hot spring? Perhaps a ryokan with tatami mats on the floor and sliding door panels made of rice paper stretched taut across black wood frames? Sure, I would have loved to stay at one of those during our family trip back in April 2012. But with my rambunctious kids, I knew that we were one "Look at me. I'm a Samurai" game away from coughing up a ton of money to pay for ripped mats and torn door panels.

Hakone, Japan
The Flower Palace at the Fujiya Hotel

Instead, we finished off our day visting Mount Fuji and Hakone National Park by spending the night at the Fujiya Hotel. Frommer's Travel Guide describes it as
"quite simply the grandest, most majestic old hotel in Hakone; indeed, it might be the loveliest historic hotel in Japan."

Back in 1878, the Fujiya Hotel opened as Japan's first Western-style hotel catering to the tourists visting Hakone National Park. If there was a rip in the space-time continuum with former hotel guests appearing at the same time, it would be an interesting group. (Plus horribly overcrowded.) You'd see silent movie icon Charlie Chaplin trying to entertain Helen Keller. Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria chats about military strategy with General Dwight Eisenhower. There would be a fascinating meeting of the minds between John Lennon, Yoko Ono, and Einstein trying to figure out how to give peace a chance. In the corner, Josef Albert Meisinger, a German Gestapo colonel known as "The Butcher of Warsaw," unsuccessfully hides from American forces, is arrested, and taken away to be convicted of war crimes.

Fujiya Hotel, Hakone, Japan
Famous guests include Helen Keller and her teacher Anne Sullivan,
Charlie Chaplin, John Lennon, and Yoko Ono

I can see why so many are drawn to this hotel. Its mix of Victorian charm, Japanese architecture, and the gorgeous backdrop of Hakone beckons you. Their guest rooms are unusually spacious for Japan. Many of the buildings are registered as Tangible Cultural Properties of Japan which signifies their high historical value as a precious legacy of the Japanese people. They also have a Heritage of Industrial Modernization designation which recognizes significant contributions to the modernization of Japan.

Worried that we wouldn't be able to find the hotel from Miyanoshita Station on the Hokone Tozan Railway, I was immediately impressed by the rather huge wooden sign at the station's exit directing us where to go.

Hakone Tozan Railway, Japan


The main building was completed in 1891, and both the Comfy Lodge and Restful Lodge were completed in 1906. Their basic structure is Victorian, yet the adornments like the portico roof are Japanese.

Fujiya Hotel, Hakone, Japan
A Victorian style cottage called The Comfy Lodge

After being severely damaged by an earthquake in 1923, the buildings were restored, and a large sun porch and Japanese pagoda-style Annex were added to the front of the main building. The picturesque Flower Palace (first picture in post) built in 1936 looks reminiscent of a Japanese temple and is considered to be the deluxe wing of the Fujiya Hotel.

Fujiya Hotel, Hakone, Japan
Strolling across the front sun porch towards the Annex with a pagoda

The gardens around the back are open to the public and take about 20 minutes to explore. When we were there, winter was still lurking around. I bet the cherry blossoms were blooming soon after we left.

Fujiya Hotel, Hakone, Japan
Water wheel 

Fujiya Hotel, Hakone, Japan
Waterfall

A little iron arch perfect for weddings stands at the top of the garden with a gorgeous view across the hotel and valley. My kids' favorite activity besides pretending to trample foliage was feeding the carp.

Fujiya Hotel, Hakone, Japan
Here fishy, fishy. I've got some nibbles for you. 

A charming post box is ready to accept your postcards informing your friends that you've just visited Mount Fuji and Hakone. Ah, what folks had to do before the instantaneous sharing capabilities of Facebook and Instagram.

Fujiya Hotel, Hakone, Japan
Post Box

One of the big draws to the area is the Miyanoshita onsen (hot springs). There are numerous ways to enjoy it at the Fujiya Hotel. They actually pipe hot spring water into each room so that it washes over you in the shower or the tub. (Confession time: It seemed like regular hot water to me.) The indoor pool is fed by the springs. If you forgot your swimsuit, do not fret. You can borrow some free of charge from the hotel. A traditional Japanese bath is next to the indoor pool. Etiquette signs are posted for inexperienced onsen users so that you'll know what to do and what to avoid (like underwear).

Fujiya Hotel, Hakone, Japan
Rules spelled out for the inexperienced

My family had two connecting rooms in the Forest Lodge. Built in 1960, I was discombobulated by the mod Sixties Western style mixed with Japanese elements. The room seemed like it had not been updated since it was originally completed, but there were anachronistic, modern touches such as a digital alarm clock in the built-in bedstand. I felt like I had walked into a aging American motel that was trying to add a touch of sophistication by putting up rice paper window panels. Or perhaps I was in a hotel with themed rooms, and I got the Sixties theme instead of the princess room. But this place wasn't kitschy; it was authentic. I kept expecting Don Draper to waltz in the door with a Japanese one-night-stand on his arm in a ratings grabbing "Mad Men goes on a business trip to exotic Japan" episode.

Not finding any English language kids channels, we amused ourselves by turning down the sound on the TV showing The Lion King in Japanese and coming up with alternative dialogue about Simba's search for cheese. No electronic key cards to scan for entry here. Instead, we were handed a metal key on a painted wooden keychain about the size of a paperback novel. There was no way that was fitting in anyone's pocket, so it's good that you could leave it at the front desk when you were wandering around. When the sun came out the next morning, I pushed aside the window panels to reveal a scene out of a children's story book. A little railcar trundled past on the hill above our room, making its way through the forest to the next station after Myanoshita where we had disembarked the night before.

Fujiya Hotel, Hakone, Japan
Swinging Sixties style room in the Forest Lodge

My very favorite part of Fujiya is the Hotel Museum, although PICOT Bakery and Sweets Shop just outside the main entrance is a very close second. The museum is open and free for the public from 9AM to 9PM. Various minutiae from the hotel's 140 year history stood in glass cases and on tabletops ready to be examined. There was everything from guest books to the typewriters used in the offices as well as the framed photos of former guests.

Antique office equipment

The high point of my stroll around the museum was when I came across the pictorial membership roster of the International Moustache Club. It pretty much put every single Movember Facebook post I saw to shame. Apparently, H.S.K. Yamaguchi who was the Managing Director of the Fujiya Hotel from 1907-1944 as well as the founder's son-in-law must have been a member. Check out that 'stache!


So, I'm wondering... is this how you pictured a Japanese hotel?



Related Posts:
In Awe of Mount Fuji
A Lost Tooth, Black Eggs, and Japan's Hakone National Park


This post is part of the following Link Ups. Check them out for more around-the-world travel inspiration.

31 comments:

  1. I love the water wheel and waterfall! I never really thought about a Japanese hotel before...except for the in the downtown area. It's pretty!

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  2. Love the sound of this quirky, quaint history-filled place -- this is my kind of hotel!

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  3. That is not how I pictured a Japanese hotel, but I'd sure like to peak inside this one for myself. :-)

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  4. What a cool place!

    Also, I wanted to let you know I nominated your blog for the Liebster Award! You can check out details at the link below :)

    http://talesofawannabevagabond-jackie.blogspot.tw/2014/05/leibster-award.html

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  5. Thanks for sharing! I am planning a trip to Japan maybe this August or September, this may be handy for me hehe

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  6. Great found... I wish to visit someday...

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  7. Nope. Michele, that is in no way what I would expect from a Japanese hotel, but it looks relaxing. I do love sleeping futon and tatami, though...

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  8. I love the unusual combination of Victorian and Japanese styles in the building. Those fish are huge, I think they get fed a LOT. Finding the sign outside the station - I really love that. :)

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  9. The hotel seems so accommodating for the visitor, especially warning drunks not to take a bath. Those postcard receptacle looks quite sturdy from even an earthquake. The mixture of styles on the building is so unique.

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  10. No, not what I pictured, but wonderful, nonetheless!

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  11. What an usual place to visit and I'm totally intrigued by this hotel. I really wanted to visit Hakone when we visited Japan but we didn't have time. I think the kids would love it!

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  12. Japan is said to be planning to lift visa restrictions for Filipinos. I'm so looking forward to it as I want to climb Mt. Fuji too. This hotel seems to be perfect for me!

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  13. Hello! Found you on the Sunday Traveler link-up! I didn't have time to make it outside of the urban areas last time I was in Yokohama/Tokyo. Thank you for showing us this charming hotel! Definitely adding it to my list next time I'm there. - Heather, Life of a Traveling Navy Wife

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  14. I loved learning about a part of the workrld I had zero idea existed! Those fishes look like they are about ready to JUMP up and gran those nibbles. Big thanks for linking up with us for #SundayTraveler again.

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  15. Wow, this place sounds amazing, certainly not what I would have expected a Japanese hotel to be like. Looks like you could just spend the entire time in the hotel; enjoy the gardens and the baths and never have to leave!

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  16. What a landmark hotel and it seems huge, the gardens and grounds look quite amazing with the varied architecture and the onsen looks fun and so Japanese - love the pictorials.

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  17. Wow, that's a pretty cool place! We stayed in plenty of Japanese places last year, and we did the traditional for three nights. Whilst an amazing experience, this westerner was quite glad to return to her little luxuries on the fourth night! :D

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  18. What a great hotel! I had absolutely no idea Japanese hotels were like that. I imagines a very boring room with rolled up beds, but this place looks fab!

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  19. Hi Michelle, Fujiya Hotel sounds fascinating from the luminaries that have stayed there to its eclectic mixture of Japanese and Western architectures to tastefully dated rooms (I liked your Mad Men description!). Staying here seems like quite an experience by itself I like the idea of hot springs being piped into the room. t guess it was good that there was no English channel; it brought out fub abd creativity from your kids by coming out with their own dialogue for a movie. .

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  20. What a cool place to stay! I love the Japanese fused with Victorian architecture, and the outdoor views are wonderful!

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  21. What a beautiful garden! Have very cool it has its own spa and that you can even borrow swim suits! (though I'm not sure I would do the latter). Seems like it would be a very relaxing experience.

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  22. Sounds and looks like an unusual place but definitely a great one when you have energetic kids. Interesting history and beautiful gardens.
    I like the map as well; that's part of the reason I think of Japan as an intimidating place to visit. How did you manage getting around overall?

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    1. Getting around was surprisingly easy considering we don't know Japanese. We primarily took subways and trains, and all the signs there were in Latin/Roman alphabet as well as Japanese characters. To get from Tokyo to Hakone, I joined a bus tour because it was the most direct way for us and all our luggage to get to Mt. Fuji. If you just wanted to visit Hakone National Park, it can be done using public transportation all the way.

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  23. Oh, I love historical hotels, but when they are restored and well fitted. This is not how I picture a Japanese hotel, though! The gardens are pretty, and the fact that you get to enjoy hot spring water directly in your room is awesome (regardless of the fact that it seemed just like a regular hot water).

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  24. What a great hotel! I love the gardens and that museum. This is not what I expected a hotel in Hakone to look like. We need a do over visit to Hakone since it was rainy and windy during our summer visit there. That is one memorable mustache!

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  25. Looks like a cool place! I just did a day trip to Hakone and the whole place was under a thick layer of fog all day, so I have a few reasons for wanting to go back!

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  26. Yes, not very Japanese in parts, but it looks interesting nonetheless. I am not too sure about the 1960's style rooms but I love the pagoda and waterwheel outside! Looks like a good place for your family to have stayed.

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  27. Seems like a great place to stay and love the gardens! Thanks for linking up to the #SundayTraveler! :)

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  28. I've never been anywhere in Asia before, leave alone in Malaysia, but judging from your interesting post and beautiful pictures I think I should bite the bullet.

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  29. I'm just going back over some of your Japan posts in preparation for our upcoming trip and I'm thrilled to find this post - as we're going going to be staying there too! I'm looking forward to it.

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    1. We had a wonderful time in the Hakone area. I hope your family will, too.

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