On the 4th night of our self-driving trip, we stayed at Shuhokaku Kogetsu

After drinking the free spring water—one of Japan’s famous natural waters—at the very crowded Oshino Hakkai, we drove straight to our hotel for the night, Shuhokaku Kogetsu. Our Hakone and Lake Kawaguchi trip was coming to an end, so we decided to check in a bit early and take a rest. The next morning, we would be leaving here, driving back to the Tokyo Haneda Airport area to return the rental car before flying to Asahikawa in Hokkaido.

After parking and checking in, a friendly staff member spoke fluent English as she introduced the various amenities of the Japanese-style room. At Shuhokaku Kogetsu, every room has a view of Mt. Fuji.

Once we settled our luggage, we went to explore the hotel facilities. On the first floor, there is the “Sansou” lounge and the Mt. Fuji View Footbath Terrace. As we walked down the corridor, we glanced at the parking lot below—the car we had just parked happened to be on the far right.

We also took a photo of the entrance to the public bath area as we passed by, planning to enjoy a hot bath before dinner. When we reached the lounge, we found several drink dispensers, offering mixed drinks as well as a beer dispenser.

↑ I originally wanted to drink Coke—the glass was already filled with ice—but after seeing the beer dispenser, I couldn’t resist pouring myself a draft beer. After all, once we reached the hotel, I didn’t have to drive anymore.

Sipping draft beer, iced Coke, and eating an ice pop while soaking our feet at the Mt. Fuji View Footbath Terrace was pure bliss—one of life’s simple luxuries.

Before I knew it, I had drunk several glasses of draft beer and Coke. I felt incredibly relaxed.

When we had almost finished our drinks, we headed to the hot spring bath. After a nice soak, it was time for dinner—an elegant kaiseki meal served at a leisurely pace.

The dining space was comfortable and relaxing. Once a year, it feels wonderful to fully enjoy a slow, luxurious meal with family. Life is usually too busy—back in Taiwan, we often finish meals in about 30 minutes. But this time, we could genuinely savor each kaiseki dish at our own pace.

A kaiseki dinner on a summer evening was surprisingly delightful. Every dish was carefully prepared with seasonal ingredients, and dessert was served at the end.

After dinner, we returned to our Japanese-style room. The staff had already prepared our futons for the night. The three of us slept on tatami. The next morning, when we opened the window, we were supposed to see Mt. Fuji, but it was hidden by thick clouds. However, while we were eating breakfast, Mt. Fuji suddenly appeared.

As soon as Mt. Fuji’s peak emerged, all the hotel guests immediately pulled out their phones to take pictures—some even ran outside. After finishing breakfast, we went to the Mt. Fuji View Footbath Terrace to take photos as well.

After breakfast, we walked to the footbath terrace to admire Mt. Fuji.

We then walked down to the shore of Lake Kawaguchi to take more pictures. After turning around, we also snapped a photo of the other side of the hotel. When we were about to leave, we took a front view photo of Shuhokaku Kogetsu as well.