I really need to get out of Tokyo for a bit and have blocked a week off of work in late September. I ideally want to go to some kind of hotel/resort/glamping place for maybe 4-5 days, go for a hike in the mornings, read books on a terrace outdoors in the afternoon, etc – you get the idea. I’d ideally not want to cook or have to travel too far to get food, which is why I was mentioning “resort” a la Hoshinoya etc. anywhere in Japan is ok, and any budget is ok. Doing a lot of research myself but just wondering if anyone has had any good experiences doing this in Japan. Thanks in advance!
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Following for recs
I’m heading to Ome/Okutama at the recommendation of many people next week. I’m going to stay in a cabin, but there are a ton of ryokan in the area, and Hatonosu-so Hotel also may be your speed.
This glamping place in Ibaraki was awesome. We did something where they bring food to you and you cook it on the grill. Think they may offer doing that for you? Not crazy mountainous around the place but I’m sure there are hikes:
https://www.glamping-ibaraki.com/
The [Unzen Mikado Hotel](https://www.unzen-mikado.net) in Shimabara, south of Nagasaki, is one of my favorite places. It’s not exactly mountain but it’s isolated and has a great breakfast and dinner plan. They have an onsen and a few rooms with rotenburo. It’s pricey, though. There are a lot of seaside activities in the area.
Karuizawa is a nice place for enjoying natural scenery and just mainly escaping Tokyo. Lot of mountains to hike nearby reachable by bus. The shotengai near the station has many restaurants and shops, so you won’t need to travel far to get food. Highly recommend it.
We went to [Aunsanbo](https://aunsanbo.com) which is a kominka converted into a small hotel about 1 hours drive north of Okayama airport.
The view from the hotel is very nice and peaceful. The mountains surrounding the inn are also owned by the innkeepers and you can have a pleasant stroll in the woods escorted by the inn’s dogs. You can help harvest 山菜 wild vegetables that will appear on the evening dinner menu.
Vanguard Backpackers on the south side of Okutama/heading for Uenohara ftw! Proper mountain escape, river-side sauna, great hiking, and the added bonus of getting boxing lessons from a retired international boxer.
https://maps.app.goo.gl/vAJXL3teUjw1BHfPA?g_st=ic
I’ve done Hoshinoya Fuji. Fits your description perfectly but it’s pricey and is booked up so hard to get 5 nights especially if you want to stay over the weekend.
Closer to Tokyo other options might be Nikko or Nasu highland. Nice chill area and has ski resort infrastructure for easy hikes. Also Nikko has interesting touristy spots with good accommodations and food options
Farther from Fuji but probably better hikes and views would be anything on the Japan alps. Kofu, Matsumoto, Hakuba all have great locations. Matsumoto has Kamikochi which has all kinds of hikes for all skill levels and awesome views of Hodaka which is the second tallest mountain in Japan, Hakuba has Happo One again is a ski resort but it has a nice and easy hike to Happo lake and past a year round ice field.
When Money is not an Issue I highly recommend Chuzenji-Ko above Nikko,
real American Style Resorts are there, well hidden! (+ 40.000¥)
When Money is a bit short I recommend the upper Oze National Park (Aizu Side)
(15-25.000¥)
When you want to meet some Foreigners go to Kisami Beach in Shimoda.
(12.000¥)
When Money is very short try Camping in Motosu-Ko or in Yatsugatake Matsubara-Ko. (1.000¥)
Try [sankara hotel](https://www.sankarahotel-spa.com/en/) in Yakushima. There are plenty of hiking tours, they’ve got a nice restaurant too. The hotel itself is surrounded by forests.
If you make a reservation they’ll help you form & plan your itinerary while you’re there.
The only downside of September is that it’s typhoon season, it’s possible that your flight there could get cancelled if a typhoon hits.
Just came back from kamikochi, it was great.
There are plenty of nice hotels on there but not sure they’re not fully booked for this september. That’s how popular kamikochi is.