When the young Sennosuke Yamaguchi took part in one of Japan’s early diplomatic missions to Europe and the U.S., the experience left him brimming with ideas. In 1878, the Keio University graduate established the Fujiya Hotel, the country’s first Western-style hotel, in the resort area of Hakone. Its name was taken from the Japanese word for wisteria, "fuji," but the characters were later changed to those of the iconic peak that can be seen from the forest trail behind the hotel.
The Fujiya has seen numerous changes since then. A fire in 1883 consumed the original structure, and the main building dates from 1891. It survived the Kanto Earthquake of 1923, and would be joined over the years by a number of annexes with quaintly charming names like the Restful Lodge and Flower Palace. The hotel’s interior has been spared the blights of modernism, retaining a distinctly old-school feel. The bar is pure ’30s chic, with a good selection of whiskeys and wines to enjoy as you pull your best Bogart impersonation.
The Fujiya sits atop Miyanoshita onsen, and all its rooms get hot spring water delivered straight to their bath tubs. The same waters are used to heat the floor of the impressive dining rooms, as well as the hotel’s indoor pool.
Such is the history of the place that it even has its own museum, where you can see over a century’s worth of guestbooks, as well as pictures and signatures of famous visitors. John Lennon, Albert Einstein and General Dwight Eisenhower all stayed here at some point, while then-Crown Prince Hirohito was responsible for the establishment of the hotel’s Sengoku golf course, as he wanted to enjoy a royal game during his visit. These days, it’s also open to commoners.
Trip Tips
The Fujiya Hotel is currently offering a discounted rate to holders of foreign passports. Email shukuhaku@fujiyahotel.co.jp for details. The hotel can be reached by bus from Odawara and Hakone Yumoto stations (get off at Miyanoshita Onsen), or by taking the Hakone Tozan Railway to Miyanoshita station. The combined trip from Shinjuku takes two-three hours, depending on the connections. The Hakone Free Pass (5,000 yen), which covers the round trip and can be used on several train lines, bus routes, ferries and cable cars in the area, is good value.
This story originally appeared in Metropolis magazine (www.metropolis.co.jp).
© Japan Today
9 Comments
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USNinJapan2
The Kanaya Hotel (now owned and operated by the same management as the Fujiya Hotel) is as, if not more, impressive with an amazing guest list full of equally historical figures. It actually predates the Fujiya by a few years.
guest
Maybe, but The Fujiya Hotel has framed pictures of the historical mustache club hanging on its walls.
USNinJapan2
guest
Guess it boils down to which you like more, Hakone or Nikko.
sarcasm123
Don't eat in the restaurant of this hotel. It is expensive, and portions are small. Unfortunately, there are no other places to eat in the neighborhood, except for some very old soba restaurant.
Also, I saw a cockroach just ouside my room when I stayed there.
For the rest, a very interesting place to stay.
knews
There's a great little tempura place around the corner and up the hill a bit, just past a bakery.
RogueFive
I've walked past this place, and that's about as close as I'll ever get to going in.
If I want to stay at a Western hotel I'll do it back home where mummy makes breakfast for me and does my washing.
kp123
Nostalgia sets in when I read this article about Fujiya Hotel. My first stay there was in 1949 during the occupation and clearly remembered the parrot in the front lobby and Ripley's Believe It or Not sketch at the front desk that read, "Believe It or Not, There is a Heaven on Earth" or words to that effect. Years later while living in Tokyo, I stayed at the Fujiya Hotel in 1995 to play golf at Sengoku CC. It hadn't changed one bit. No modern renovations were undertaken. The parrot was gone by then (it lived for 70 years) but the Ripley sketch was still hanging behind the front desk. The room still had the radiators and the high ceilings with the same furniture caused me to believe that I was traveling through a time-warp to the past. The common Japanese baths were still there, unchanged; the same old pool table and the empty bar room with juke box was still in operation. The old swimming pool seemed smaller than I remembered. Wherever I travel, I stay at quaint hotels just for the atmosphere, especially in Europe and SF. There is a mystic about them especially the Fujiya Hotel. My room rate then was very reasonable then : 8500 yen. It included free-breakfast. I highly recommend this hotel and I shall return there soon.
minello7
"These days, it’s also open to commoners"Now isn't that a comforting thought.
minello7
kp123 ,8500 yen including breakfast,breakfast is never free.In other words an upmarket B&B.