Fujiya Hotel: A Resort Hotel in Hakone, a Hot Spring Resort Outside Tokyo.

Have you ever seen that snowed in beautiful period piece hotel in the film "The Shining", where in the Winter months Jack Nicolson and his family are the lone caretakers of the hotel? Now can you imagine an hotel even more classic and beautiful, during the Spring and Summertime months, with no Nicolson and spotless corridors without even a trace of dust flowing through them?

Then you have just imagined the elegance and old world charm of the Fujiya Hotel. In Spring, just as the cherry blossoms have scattered their way out of Tokyo and have begun on their gentle fluttering way Northwards through Hakone, is one of the best times to begin your stay at the Fujiya Hotel.

This is a hotel where every treasured guest, feels far away from and yet fully at home. Each and every guest is made to feel special, as soon as you enter the grounds and step up into the red carpeted carved wood lounge, soft armchair laden lobby and check in desk.

This is the spot where you smoothy check in your bags, and check out the stress of your everyday lives. There is a subtle fragrance in the lobby which reminded me of lavender, but may just as well be the shroud of stress of your everyday life falling.

As you check in you can take a moment to reflect that Charles Chaplin, Helen Keller, John Lennon, Prince Albert (later George VI) of the UK, the Swedish Crown Prince (and his retinue!;) , the Emperor Showa, the current Emperor and Empress, and many other leaders and dignitaries have been checked-in in precisely that same aromatic spot. I signed in just to be on the safe side, in case Emperors are required to do so too...

You glide in a warm silence and are guided along the soft deep piled corridor and carpets and stairs to your room by staff member who take the concept of service and care to a new level and rarely found outside movies or on other planets. Staying at Fujiya Hotel is heavenly.

The Fujiya Hotel is living history and gives you a great chance to experience and imagination life as it was in Japan a long time ago. Modern Japan vanishes here. Founded in 1878 it is one of the five oldest hotels and is the oldest European style in Japan.

The architecture of whichever of the five registered as important cultural assets: The Main Building, the Comfy Lodge / Restful Cottage, the Flower Palace, and the Annex Kikka-so Inn all live up to this modest comment on the website: "Here in Hakone, Japan, you are able to stay in architecturally significant buildings, where you will receive the highest levels of service honed over our long history." Every word lives up and beyond this modesty.

To get to the Fujiya Hotel is easy: Just take the Odakyu Line express trains or romance cars which go as far as the Hakone-Yumoto Station. No need to look for a taxi. It's the shortest of short distances of any hotel I know:

http://www.fujiyahotel.jp/en/index.html