Overview

Slow down at Wakamiro, a traditional hot spring inn in the countryside of Hokuto, at the southern foot of the Yatsugatake Mountains. From its position on the Shichirigaiwa plateau, you can look towards Mount Fuji, Mount Kayagatake, and the surrounding mountain landscape, depending on your room and the weather.

The building makes generous use of Akita cedar, bringing the warmth and character of natural wood into the rooms and shared spaces. Decorative transoms with different patterns add a traditional touch to each room.

Despite the quiet setting, Wakamiro is only around two minutes by car from the Sutama Interchange. You can explore the highlands, valleys, historic roads, and museums of northern Yamanashi before returning for a seasonal kaiseki dinner and a soak in free-flowing Sutama Onsen water.

Accommodation

Choose from spacious Japanese rooms, a Japanese room with low beds, or a Western twin room. Every room is non-smoking, and the views differ according to the side and floor of the building.

The Standard Japanese Room combines ten-tatami and six-tatami rooms with an enclosed veranda. Sliding doors allow you to separate the two rooms, making this layout useful when you want more space or are travelling with family. This room does not face Mount Fuji or Mount Kayagatake.

The Mount Kayagatake Room offers 12.5 tatami mats and an enclosed veranda. You can look towards Mount Kayagatake when the weather is clear. These rooms are closer to the shared baths, although stairs form part of the route between the room and bathing area.

Mount Fuji rooms are available with 12.5 or 16 tatami mats. Both include an enclosed veranda and offer views towards Mount Fuji when conditions are clear. The larger 16-tatami layout gives you more room to stretch out and is especially comfortable for a family stay.

You can also choose a 16-tatami Mount Fuji room with two low beds. This room keeps the open feeling of a tatami space while allowing you to sleep in a bed. Additional futons can be prepared when needed.

The top-floor Western Twin Room has two beds and wide views towards Mount Fuji and the evening lights below. The elevated position makes this one of the best choices when scenery is an important part of your stay.

Room facilities include heating and air conditioning, a television, refrigerator, kettle, tea set, hair dryer, safe, and feather bedding. Towels, toothbrushes, soap, body wash, rinse-in shampoo, combs, and yukata are also provided. Natural hot spring water is enjoyed in the shared bathing areas rather than in a private in-room onsen.

Dining

Dinner celebrates seasonal ingredients from Yamanashi through creative Japanese kaiseki cuisine. Local produce forms the heart of each course, with the menu changing to reflect the ingredients available at the time of your stay.

The standard Mizugaki Course may include house-smoked appetisers, Yamanashi wine trout, grilled fish, seasonal vegetables, crystal pork and mushroom shabu-shabu, fried fish with simmered daikon, rice, warm dipping soba, and dessert. The dishes and presentation change with the season.

For a more generous dinner, the Yatsugatake Course adds Yamanashi specialities such as simmered abalone and grilled Koshu beef. Both courses focus on carefully selected regional ingredients and the chef’s seasonal ideas.

Dinner begins between 18:00 and 19:30. You can dine in a private dining room or in Kikor, the main dining venue, depending on your arrangement.

Breakfast is served as a Japanese set meal prepared with local ingredients. Warm rice, soup, and several small dishes give you a satisfying start before a day of driving, walking, or sightseeing around Hokuto.

Onsen and Wellness

Wakamiro has its own natural spring beneath the Shichirigaiwa plateau. The spring rises from an area where two geological fault zones meet, deep below the landscape shaped by ancient volcanic activity around Yatsugatake.

The water is classified as a sodium bicarbonate chloride spring. It emerges at approximately 28°C with a pH of 7.37 and contains a high level of natural minerals.

Inside the large shared baths, you can alternate between water kept close to its natural source temperature and water warmed to around 40°C. Moving between the cooler and warmer sections creates a distinctive bathing experience and allows you to soak at the temperature that feels most comfortable.

Separate indoor baths are available for men and women from 15:00 to midnight and again from 6:00 to 9:00. Rinse-in shampoo, body wash, and hair dryers are provided.

Separate open-air baths allow you to soak outside with views of the natural surroundings. Outside the winter season, they operate from 15:00 to 22:00. During winter, they operate from 17:00 to 22:00, and part of the bathing space may be reduced to help maintain the water temperature.

The water is traditionally associated with relief from fatigue, muscle and joint discomfort, stiffness, sensitivity to cold, bruises, and tiredness after physical activity.

Guests with Tattoos

You cannot use the shared indoor or open-air hot spring baths if you have tattoos. Wakamiro does not provide a private rental bath or a private hot spring bath inside the rooms.

Facilities

Inside Wakamiro, you can use the front lobby, private dining rooms, the Kikor dining venue, banquet halls, and meeting rooms. A 245-square-metre dance hall can also support dancing, meetings, and exhibitions. Wi-Fi is available at the property.

The banquet facilities include a large 72-tatami hall and several smaller halls, giving you space for family occasions, group meals, company gatherings, and organised events.

Complimentary parking is available for up to 50 vehicles on a first-come basis. Camper vans and large vehicles can also be accommodated with advance arrangements.

Activities

Drive around ten minutes to the Akeno sunflower fields, where large areas of bright yellow flowers fill the landscape during the summer blooming period.

Daigahara-juku is around 20 minutes away by car. This former post town on the old Koshu Kaido retains historic houses, storehouses, a sake brewery, and traditional sweet shops, making it an enjoyable place for a relaxed walk.

Kiyosato Highland and Ojiragawa Gorge are both around 25 minutes away. Kiyosato offers mountain scenery, farms, museums, hiking, and outdoor activities, while Ojiragawa Gorge is known for clear water flowing from Mount Kaikoma and forest paths leading towards pools and waterfalls.

You can also visit the Nakamura Keith Haring Collection or the Yamanashi Prefectural Museum of Art, both around 30 minutes away by car. For a longer day trip, explore Takeda Shrine or walk through the granite cliffs and river scenery of Shosenkyo Gorge.

Additional Features

Check-in begins at 15:00, and check-out is by 10:00. A shuttle is available from JR Anayama Station, while the Sutama Interchange is around two minutes away by car.

All rooms are non-smoking. Supported credit cards are accepted, and free parking is available on the grounds.

Snow and road ice are possible during winter, even when there is little visible snowfall. Winter tyres are strongly recommended when you arrive by car during the colder months.