Hotel Sekifu in Fuefuki

Unforgettable experience with great meals, amenities, in-room hot spring, beautiful garden. Near wineries and Mt. Fuji makes for a wholesome experience.

With the end of the year fast approaching, I was looking for a place to stay alone when I found a vacancy at this hotel, and I stayed in a room with a private bathroom.
It's difficult to soak in a private bathroom without massaging the water, so I was grateful for the free-flowing water. I asked the front desk if I could use this bathroom, so it wouldn't violate local regulations, and they readily agreed.
At dinner, I was sitting alone, so I was talking to the couple next to me and they mistook me for a tour guide (lol). The meal consisted mainly of yakiniku.
After dinner, there was a magic show being performed near the front desk, and I had a brief conversation with the magician later.
The next morning, when I got into the large bath, I couldn't see into the back of the indoor bath, probably because it's cold in Yamanashi mornings. Both the outdoor bath and the outdoor bath were around 42 degrees, and it looked like they could fit 15 people.
On my way out, I noticed a barrel of sake near the front desk, and I wondered if they were doing a kagami-biraki ceremony on New Year's Day.

I suddenly decided to stay overnight on a Saturday morning, and after searching for a hotel, I came across Ishifu. It offered a fantastic price for a Saturday night stay, breakfast, dinner, and hot springs, so I booked immediately.

■Location
It's close to the station. It's only a few minutes by car. On the other hand, it's in the city, so don't expect a great view.

■Interior
As other reviews have mentioned, it's easy to imagine that this hotel was once a bustling luxury inn, with a large chandelier from the entrance to the lobby, a stairwell that extends to the second floor, decorative details even in the bath changing area, and an on-site club and banquet hall.

■Room
Since I booked it almost immediately, I expected it to be on the outskirts, as I was expecting, and it was quite a detached room. While the view from the window was decent, the room was divided into two, and the layout, including the hallway leading to the entrance, was purely Japanese, which was nice. The refrigerator was large enough, and the TV had a large screen.

■Internet
Wi-Fi was available and the connection was good, but the main line speed was slow. The TV was a Sony Google TV, probably around 60 inches. I was able to log in and watch YouTube, perhaps because the previous guest was already logged in. I'm not sure if the other rooms were the same.

■Meals
Dinner was served in a large banquet hall, and considering the price, the quantity and taste were excellent. It was tasty and filling. I still had to eat breakfast, so I won't comment. Breakfast coffee was self-service, but there was a sign indicating a free coffee spot.

■Bath
I'd heard some people complain that the bath was too hot, and perhaps in response, this was just right. The indoor bath was a comfortable temperature, while the outdoor bath was a little hotter, but it was well balanced with the cooler air. The view from the outdoor bath was about what I'd expect given the location. I thought the number of washing areas was sufficient. A sauna would have been ideal, but maybe I'm asking for too much.

Good location, friendly staff, clean rooms and lobby, I liked everything

As everyone has written, this is an inn with a lobby with chandeliers, crystals, and a carpet with beautiful patterns, and a Japanese garden with Nishikigoi carp swimming. The white and black swans... seem to have already disappeared. For dinner, we had an appetizer, teppanyaki, two hot pots, rice cooked in a pot, and four dishes using solid fuel. In a sense, it means that you can have hot food. The chawanmushi was warm and they served freshly fried tempura. The sashimi was carpaccio. I wonder if they are devising the menu by including Western dishes? Am I the only one who thinks that regular sashimi would have been better? This is the standard course. For breakfast, we had a regular breakfast of delicacies, kamaboko, *yaki, cute salmon, and more, with a hoto made with solid fuel. The large public bath has nice, thick water. It is an alkaline simple spring, but it has a faint sulfur smell. Apparently the men's bath was very spacious and relaxing, and very good. From what I've heard, the women's bath may be about half the size. That's the Showa era. Well, the room I stayed in this time was on the first floor, which had just been renovated. It felt like the lobby had been turned into a guest room. The TV was huge. It also had a semi-open-air bath. However, the bath was on the entrance side, and only the outside air came in, so there was no view and the room had no windows. However, this semi-open-air bath was big and very nice. The shower and hair dryer were refa. Maybe it's aimed at women? There are also rooms with this style facing the garden.

Excellent service, old style Japanese rooms and SPA, and authentic Japanese food.