Hey, I am travelling to Japan in around 10 months (a while yet, I know). I am weighing up the pros and cons of Ryokans around Mt. Fuji. Konansou has really caught my eye.
I plan on doing roughly 1 week in Tokyo, 1 night in a Ryokan with a view of Fuji, and then a week in Kyoto.
What is the fastest option in this situation for getting to Kyoto afterwards? Is there a Ryokan that would be on par with Konansou, in terms of both experience, and view of the mountain, but with a more direct commute to Kyoto?
Thanks!
7 comments
I think the best option is taking the bus back to Tokyo and then taking the shinkansen. it’s probably around 20 min longer then heading east to catch the train but way more convenient.
If you have the time then keep going west towards kanazawa and get to Kyoto from the other side, there is lots to see and do there.
You sort of have to pick between “easy to get to ryokan” and “good view of Mt. Fuji”. I agree with the other comment that it would probably be best to make Kawaguchiko an overnight trip from Tokyo via direct bus. We’ve traveled between there and Osaka several times and it’s long and your timing needs to be quite good. If you want to go to Kyoto from Kawaguchiko, you’d need to catch the bus to Mishima and then catch one of the very limited limited number of Shinkansen that come through Mishima.
That said, Konansou is incredible (we stay there every time we visit Kawaguchiko) and I highly recommend it. The whole area is beautiful.
We did one night at Konansou and it was incredible. Had a private onsen the next morning with a view of Mount Fuji and I wish I could start every day like that.
We had this exact ryokan and route planned for our cancelled trip this year. I had opted for the Fujikyuko Line Bus from Kawaguchiko Station to Mishima Station, where you can pick up the Shinkansen to Kyoto. I’ve taken that bus ride in the opposite direction on a previous trip (to get from Mishima to Fuji-Q) and it’s not bad at all. Some cool views of the mountain on the ride up.
http://bus-en.fujikyu.co.jp/highway/detail/id/29/
Do konansou. There’s a hidden shortcut route so you don’t have to go to Tokyo, but Google doesn’t tell you about it. Take a highway bus to Mishima from kawaguchiko station. Then hop on the bullet train from Mishima to Kyoto. Easy as pie and saves some time
My girlfriend and I did exactly this earlier this year. We left our hotel in Tokyo in the morning and get a limousine bus from Shinjuku to Kawaguchiko station. Konansou is a short walk from the station and it was definitely one of the highlights from our trip. The next day we got the exact same bus and went back to Shinjuku station. From there we got a local train to Tokyo station and got the Shinkansen to Kyoto.
We were contemplating getting a bus and then train from Kawaguchiko to Kyoto but it seemed a tiny bit daunting and we didn’t want to be waiting heaps long for the train. The bus was really straight forward and it was easy to get tickets for. Plus it’s a nice trip through the mountains.
I’d also recommend forwarding on your luggage once you leave your hotel in Tokyo to your next hotel in Kyoto. We did this and it was so handy not having to carry everything (we just used a carry on suitcase while overnight at Konansou).
Check out hyperdia.
Amazing website where you can plan routes with specific trains and exact times