Fujiya Hotel

Located along Route 1 in Miyanoshita Onsen, Hakone, Fujiya Hotel is a famous classic hotel in Japan founded in 1878. It still retains its history today.

Since its establishment with the aim of becoming a full-fledged resort hotel for foreigners, the hotel has been actively accommodating foreign guests and was designated as a hotel exclusively for foreigners at the end of the 19th century.

As a result, Japanese culture has been exhibited and devised, and Japanese architectural styles and art have been beautifully incorporated into this beautiful and luxurious hotel. Numerous sculptures and furnishings add a charming sense of history.

The main building is the oldest building in Fujiya Hotel, and is a wooden structure with a blend of Japanese and Western styles, incorporating the characteristic tiled roof and karahafu (Chinese gable), and carries the architectural style of the Meiji period into the present day.

The interior also remains as it was in those days, allowing visitors to feel as if they are stepping back in time.

The Hana Goten, the symbol of Fujiya Hotel, was designed by the third generation Shozo Yamaguchi himself in 1936. Its roof shape, called a staggered gable, gives it the luxurious feel of a Japanese castle.

It also incorporates vermilion decorations, making it an impressive building. Visitors can move from the main building to the Hana Goten through an indoor corridor.

In keeping with its name, each of the 43 guest rooms is named after a flower, and the room keys and doors are beautifully decorated with floral motifs. The rooms have been popular with foreign guests as the “Flower Palace.

The main building, Hana Goten, dining room, and Kikkasou are designated as a Tangible Cultural Property of Japan.

Fujiya Hotel has been loved not only by the royal family, including Emperor Showa, the King of Thailand, and the Crown Prince of Austria, but also by famous people from Japan and abroad, such as Winston Churchill, Helen Keller, and Charlie Chaplin.

John Lennon and Yoko Ono also stayed in the annex, and you can visit their rooms on a tour of the hotel.

In 1945, just before the end of World War II, embassy staff and military officers from Germany, Manchukuo, the Republic of China, and other allied countries used Fujiya Hotel as their quarters to evacuate from Allied air raids on Tokyo.

Some guest rooms and common areas continued to operate without being renovated, but due to the aging of the facilities and buildings, the hotel temporarily closed in 2018. The hotel then underwent installation of a large public bath, seismic retrofitting of the building, and reconstruction of some of the dining hall buildings, resulting in a grand opening in 2020.

Other highlights include a restaurant building built in 1930 and a vast natural garden.

In front of the hotel is a photo studio. This photo studio is where Helen Keller and John Lennon and his wife came to Japan and had their pictures taken when they stayed at Fujiya Hotel.

You can fully enjoy its atmosphere not only during your stay but also during lunch and tea time at the restaurant. Please visit and enjoy the charm of Fujiya Hotel to the fullest.

Facilities

Main Wing: 12 guest rooms, front desk, lounge
Seiyo-kan: 21 guest rooms
Hana Goten: 40 guest rooms, hotel museum (historical exhibition room), indoor swimming pool, gym, chapel, bridal salon
Forest Wing: 47 guest rooms, spa & relaxation, guest lounge
Dining Wing: main dining room, bar, hotel store
Cascade Wing: Restaurant, small banquet halls, tenants, etc.
Annex Former Imperial Villa Kikkaso: Restaurant (Japanese cuisine), private bath, Japanese garden
Other Facilities: Bakery & Sweets Picot, garden, outdoor pool (summer only), parking lot

History

July 15, 1878: Sennosuke Yamaguchi purchased and remodeled Fujiya Ryokan, and opened the first inn in Sokokura Village, Ashigarashita County, Kanagawa Prefecture.
1883: The inn was destroyed by fire.
1884: Rebuilt as a single-story inn with 12 guest rooms and named “Ailey”.
1887: Fujiya Hotel opened a toll rickshaw service from Tonosawa to Miyanoshita.
1891: The main building was completed.
1893: Fujiya Hotel was designated as a foreigner-only hotel, and the Austrian Crown Prince and his entourage stayed at the hotel.
1930: Fujiya Hotel Training School was established by Shozo Yamaguchi.
1931: The King and Queen of Thailand stayed at the hotel.
1932: Charles Chaplin visited the hotel.
1935: The Ailey moved to its present location and hosted Judge Mossop of the British High Consular Court and Chief Justice McGregor of the Supreme Court of Hong Kong.
1936: The Hana Palace was completed and Helen Keller stayed there.
1944: Fujiya Hotel was designated as a dormitory for Allied embassy staff and military officers.
1945: Fujiya Hotel was requisitioned as a rest hotel for the Allied Forces.
1946: The villa of the Takamatsu family (former Miyanoshita Imperial Villa) was sold and became Kikkaso.
December 8, 1950: Kikkaso was recognized as a government-registered international tourist ryokan.
1954: General free business was reopened and foreign currency exchange services were permitted.
April 20, 1965: Emperor Showa stayed at the inn.
1966: Shares were transferred to Kokusai Kogyo Group, ending the Yamaguchi family’s management of the hotel.
1990: Overseas hotel management training at Hawaii Sheraton Hotels of Kokusai Kogyo Group began.
December 12, 1997: The main building, Ichigokan, Nigokan, Ailey, Hana Goten, dining room, and Kikkaso were designated as registered tangible cultural properties.
2003: The number of weddings increased each year due to the revitalization of the wedding business.
November 30, 2007: Fujiya Hotel was recognized as a Heritage of Industrial Modernization “Fujiya Hotel and Hakone Tourism Related Heritage”.
April 1, 2018: The hotel was temporarily closed for seismic reinforcement and large-scale renovation.
July 15, 2020: Fujiya Hotel reopened for business.