Fuji views from a private onsen: a dream Hakone stay

There are lots of reasons to visit Hakone; the beautiful scenery, views of Mount Fuji and the opportunity to relax in a traditional Japanese onsen hot spring bath, fed by Hakone’s still-steaming volcanos.

If you want to combine all three, then I’ve found you the perfect place to stay in Hakone. The Rakuten Stay Fujimi Terrace apartments have an ideal location in the middle of the Hakone Loop, right on the shore of Lake Ashinko, and each apartment has its own private onsen with views across the lake to Mount Fuji.

I stayed at Rakuten Stay Fujimi Terrace with my partner in December 2024 and was left speechless by our beautiful apartment and those jaw-dropping Fuji views. I still can’t stop thinking about what it was like to lie back in the onsen with the balcony doors open to the crisp autumn air, gazing directly at the magnificence of Mount Fuji.

In this post I’ll cover what led me to choose Rakuten Stay Fujimi Terrace and what it’s like to stay there as part of a Hakone Loop trip from Tokyo.

Why choose Rakuten Stay Fujimi Terrace in Hakone?

Like many people who choose to stay overnight in Hakone, I wanted to find a hotel with an onsen – ideally a private one – as a bit of relaxation after a busy trip to Tokyo and ahead of a long flight home.

Most hotels in the area are ryokans – traditional Japanese inns – and include dinner with an overnight stay. We’re both vegetarian, and it didn’t take much research to discover that this was going to be a problem.

I did find a couple of hotels that could cater for us as vegetarians if given plenty of notice, but they either didn’t have private onsens, were away from the main Hakone sightseeing loop or had poor reviews.

Then I found Rakuten Stay Fujimi Terrace. This small block of vacation apartments in Moto-Hakone faces Lake Ashi, and is directly on the loop, so it’s incredibly convenient for sightseers.

It’s 5 minutes’ walk from Moto-Hakone’s bus station for the bus from Hakone-Yumoto (where the Romancecar from Shinjuku arrives), 5 minutes’ walk from the port for the Lake Ashi pirate ships, and a 15-minute walk from Hakone Shrine and the beautiful Heiwa no Torii gate in the lake.

About Rakuten Stay Fujimi Terrace

Rakuten Stay Fujimi Terrace is a discreet, modern block of 24 self-catering apartments which opened in early 2024.

Private onsen

Every apartment has its own private onsen; the onsen is inside, but has folding doors out to the balcony, so you can enjoy an almost-outdoor onsen experience. The onsen was full and piping hot when we arrived, and automatically topped itself up.

It was so relaxing after a long day travelling and the crowds of Tokyo in the days before to just relax in the lovely warm water, with nothing except the sound of the water refiling to disturb the peace.

Having a private onsen in your Hakone accommodation is ideal for lots of types of visitors. If you have tattoos, you don’t need to worry about covering them or not being allowed in at all. There’s no need to book a slot or get naked with strangers, and you can have a dip whenever you feel like it during your stay.

While I didn’t try it, each apartment also has a foot bath on the balcony.

Incredible views

Every apartment faces Lake Ashi for a postcard-perfect view across the lake towards the Torii gate and (weather permitting) Mount Fuji.

I knew when I booked that Mount Fuji is known as the ‘shy mountain’, and people have visited Japan multiple times and never seen it, so I would have been happy with a fleeting glimpse. Instead, we got beautiful clear views of a snow-capped Fuji-san.

We’d intended to go out for something to eat but we couldn’t tear ourselves away from the sunset, and I got up early to see the iconic cone glowing a soft pink at sunrise.

Even after dark, the views were still astonishing. There’s very little light pollution out here by Lake Ashi, and the clear skies were full of stars. I was absolutely kicking myself for not bringing a tripod for a bit of astrophotography! The apartment did come with a telescope, but sadly the eyepiece was broken.

Self-catering facilities

Our apartment was really spacious, with a well-equipped kitchen and dining area, plus a barbecue grill on the balcony. You can choose to have dinner and breakfast provided, although you’ll have to cook some parts yourself.

The meals on offer all included meat or fish, so we’d planned to eat at the local pizzeria, but in the end the sunset was just too entrancing.

There are very few places to eat in the Hakone area that are open after 5pm, as most overnight visitors eat in their hotels. We went to the 7-11 convenience store across the road for some food but there’s also a Lawson convenience store a little further into the village centre.

Even though we didn’t order breakfast or dinner, the fridge was fully stocked with drinks, including beer, wine and soft drinks, together with some snacks. There’s a vending machine and ice machine near the entrance in case you drink everything, and the 7-11 is open 24 hours a day.

Living room and entertainment

There was a huge sofa in the living room area giving lots of space to relax in front of the huge projector screen. After we came in from trying to take photos of the stars, we were able to cast a TV show to the projector from our phones.

The bedroom and sleeping arrangements

The bedroom in our apartment was in a windowless room off the hallway. This might seem a bit odd, but it meant that the living room and the shower room/onsen room could both open out onto the balcony and those views.

There are five different apartment layouts, sleeping up to 10 adults, so Rakuten Stay Fujimi Terrace is perfect for families looking for somewhere in Hakone where you can all stay together. There are even a couple of designated units which allow pets (you’ll know when you’re booking if you’ve chosen a pet-friendly one – the others are strictly no pets allowed).

Most of the beds are western-style, with comfortable mattresses. Some of the apartment layouts have tatami mats, and the sofas can be converted into sofa beds.

Bathroom

The bathroom facilities were split across three neighbouring rooms. The toilet (a fancy Japanese electronic one of course!) was in its own little room with a little washbasin, then the main washbasin was in the room next door.

This room also had a washing machine. I was delighted to find a Dyson hairdryer in the drawer, although I was hoping for more than the basic toiletries provided. There were Japanese-style pyjamas for us to wear in the bathroom drawers.

The next room off the bathroom was the wet room with a brilliantly powerful shower and the lovely onsen bath, which is fed by natural hot springs. The onsen is big enough for two, and you can open the folding doors out to the balcony so you can get an almost-outdoor experience.

Checking in and out

The only slight issue I had at Rakuten Stay Fujimi Terrace was checking in.

There’s no reception desk, so the day you arrive, you’ll be sent your room number with a pin number to get into the apartment building and your room. Inside the room, there’s a tablet to check in – once you fill in all your details including a photo of your passport, you’ll have a video call with someone to confirm your identity.

The form wasn’t translated very clearly, so when it went through to the video call, the person on the other end needed to ask me for more information. We kept being disconnected, and they didn’t speak very good English, so it took a while to complete the process. It took around 20 minutes to get sorted, which felt like a waste of time when we could only check in at 3pm and sunset was at 4.30.

Checking out was much easier – just a couple of taps on the tablet. Check out is at 10am, which is a bit early but was ok as I wanted to make the most of my time in Hakone.

Getting to and from Rakuten Stay Fujimi Terrace on the Hakone sightseeing loop

Rakuten Stay Fujimi Terrace is in Moto-Hakone, directly on the main Hakone sightseeing loop. We took a Shinkansen bullet train from Tokyo station to Odawara, then a local train to Hakone-Yumoto. If you take the Romancecar train from Shinjuku station, then this is where you’ll arrive in the Hakone area.

I recommend buying the Hakone Free Pass as it includes all the transport on the sightseeing loop and makes getting around really easy. There are two versions; one includes the train from Shinjuku, while the one we bought in Odawara just includes the Hakone section.

We did the Hakone loop clockwise, so we took a bus directly to Moto-Hakone to check into the apartment.

Like the rest of the Hakone loop, this bus route was incredibly scenic, following a twisty mountain road through little villages and past onsen hotels in the hills, finally arriving at the little bus station by the lake in Moto-Hakone by the cruise port.

The next morning, we checked out of the apartment just before 10am and walked 5 minutes to the cruise port to take the pirate ship across Lake Ashi, before taking the rest of the Hakone loop back to Hakone-Yumoto.

If you’re driving around Hakone and the Mount Fuji area, there’s plenty of parking, including electric car charging.

If you’re looking for somewhere to stay on the Hakone loop, Rakuten Stay Fujimi Terrace’s location just can’t be beaten. It really is incredibly convenient.

Price and value

There’s no doubt that Hakone is a pricey place to stay, and Rakuten Stay Fujimi Terrace is no exception. I paid £351 (JP¥ 68,850, $447) for one night, room only, which is more than I’ve ever paid for a hotel in my life, and around twice the nightly price of our hotel in Shinjuku.

I booked around 3 months in advance, shopped around for the best deal and paid in yen on a card with no exchange fees, so I feel like I got the best price possible.

That said, I’ve titled this section price and value for a reason, as I think it was value for money for the overall experience, which was amazing. It wasn’t just a bed for the night; it was a key part of our side trip to Hakone and one of the few things we splurged on in Japan.

It’s worth saying that if there had been more than two of us (our apartment slept 5) then it would have worked out not quite cheap, but cheap-ish per person compared to a ryokan or onsen hotel.

Don’t be surprised by a small extra charge; Hakone has a mandatory ‘Bath Tax’ of 150 yen per person. At Rakuten Stay Fujimi Terrace, this is usually handled during the digital check-in process on the tablet.

Summary

It probably won’t come as a surprise if you’ve read this far, but I loved my stay at Rakuten Stay Fujimi Terrace. The view was even better than it looked on the booking sites, and as I go back through my photos, I can’t quite believe I saw it with my own eyes.

On a practical level, it ticked all my boxes for somewhere to stay in Hakone; it was on the loop, had vegetarian food options nearby, fast wifi, comfortable beds, heating, air conditioning and a great hairdryer. It was also very clean.

As an experience, it was magical. Sitting in the private onsen with the view of the lake, and Mount Fuji above it all was a real bucket list moment, and one which I’ll remember forever.

Check prices and book Rakuten Stay Fujimi Terrace for your trip to Hakone