Japan (Lonely Planet, 11th Edition) - Chris Rowthorn [145]
EATING & DRINKING
Fuji-Yoshida is known for its teuchi udon (homemade, white wheat noodles); some 60 shops sell it! Try yours with tempura, kitsune (fried tofu) and niku (beef). The Fuji-Yoshida Information Center (22-7000; 9am-5.30pm) has a map and list of restaurants (with dishes around ¥500).
Kawaguchi-ko’s local noodles are hōtō, sturdy, hand-cut and served in a thick miso stew with pumpkin, sweet potato and other vegetables.
Fuji-Yoshida
M2 (23-9309; mains ¥700-1350; 11am-10pm; ) A block from the Fuji-Yoshida Youth Hostel, this quaint cafe with an English menu serves Western and Japanese dishes such as curry rice and pork sauté. The shelves of comics, miniature toys and kitschy artwork add to the charm. Look for the ‘M2’ sign.
Michael’s American Pub (24-3917; meals ¥800-1100; 8pm-2am Fri-Wed, lunch Sun-Fri) For traditional Americana – burgers, pizzas and brew – drop by this expat and local favourite. From Fuji-Yoshida Station, walk north to the main road (Akafuji-dōri) and take a right. At a shop called Nojima, take a left and it’s a bit down the road on the right in a little strip mall. There’s an English menu and sign.
Matsuya (22-5185; 11am-8pm Tue-Sun; ) A fitting emblem for arty Gekkō-ji, this charming cafe is also a craft store. Come for coffee, tea or a chat with the equally charming English-speaking owner. Snacks include chiri to biinzu tōsuto (chili and toast; ¥400) It’s on the main drag; look for an old hanging wooden sign.
Kawaguchi-ko
Hōtō Fudō (; 76-7800; hōtō ¥1050; 11am-7pm) Three branches around town serve this massive stew bubbling in its own cast-iron pot. For the adventurous, basashi (raw horse meat; ¥1050) is also on the menu. The honten (main branch) is a brown-and-white barn of a restaurant north of the lake, near the Kawaguchi-ko Art Museum via retro-bus.
Sanrokuen (73-1000; set meals ¥2100-4200; 10am-7.30pm Fri-Wed) With a picture menu, this charming, barn-like irori (fireplace) restaurant allows diners to grill their own meals (skewers of fish, chicken, tofu, steak and veggies) around charcoal pits set in the floor. From Kawaguchi-ko Station, turn left, left again after the 7-Eleven and after 600m you’ll see the thatched roof on the right.
GETTING THERE & AWAY
Buses (¥1700, 1¾ hours) operate directly to Kawaguchi-ko from outside the western exit of Shinjuku Station in Tokyo. There are departures up to 16 times daily at the height of the Fuji climbing season. Some continue on to Yamanaka-ko and Motosu-ko. In Tokyo, call Keiō Kōsoku Bus (Map; 03-5376-2217) for reservations and schedule info. In Kawaguchi-ko, make reservations through Tōmei Highway Bus (72-2922).
Trains take longer and cost more. JR Chūō line trains go from Shinjuku to Ōtsuki (tokkyū, ¥2980, one hour; futsū, ¥1280, 1½ hours), where you transfer to the Fuji Kyūkō line to Kawaguchi-ko (futsū, ¥1110, 50 minutes).
GETTING AROUND
The Fuji-Kawaguchi-ko sightseeing bus (the ‘retro-bus’) has hop-on-hop-off service to all of the sightseeing spots in the western lakes area. One route (two-day passes adult/child ¥1000/500) follows Kawaguchi-ko’s northern shore, and the other (¥1300/650) heads south and around Sai-ko and Aokigahara.
Rental bicycles (hour/half-day ¥500/1500) and rowboats (per person ¥2500, plus ¥1000 per hour) are available at Sazanami (72-0041; 9am-6pm) on Kawaguchi-ko’s southeast shore.
Buses run from Fuji-Yoshida Station to Fujinomiya (¥2050, 80 minutes) via the four smaller lakes and around the mountain. From Kawaguchi-ko, there are nine to 11 buses daily to the shinkansen stop of Mishima (¥2130, two hours).
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HAKONE REGION
0460 / pop 13,511
If you only have a day or two outside Tokyo, Hakone can give you almost everything you could desire from the Japanese countryside – spectacular mountain scenery crowned by Mt Fuji, art museums,