I just got back from an awesome trip to Sydney, Australia, which I'll talk about at some point. But really I want to repost my old review of my time up in Mount Fuji. So here it is!

I wrote this 06/11/17

Awesome experience - June, 2017. Traveled with my mother and we got a Japanese-style room facing Mt. Fuji on the 3rd floor. Getting there: we packed up our things in Tokyo, took JR stations to Tokyo Station using our Suica cards. Found a tourist information desk to ask where the JR buses to Mt. Fuji were (no problem there: almost all tourist info desks have friendly & patient English speakers). Strolled on up to the bus ticketing office, said we wanted to go to Kawaguchiko Station, and the guy reserved us for a bus that was leaving within 10 minutes at a platform right outside. It was pretty amazing how fast & easy our trip to get here was. Note: Suica cards aren't accepted as payment for these buses. Once arriving in Kawaguchiko Station, we spoke to the English-speaking concierge who gave us a map & let us know about the hop-on/hop-off bus system (it was a bit overwhelming with all the tour bus brochures - | was confusing the bus tours & the bus system initially). We purchased two 2-day tickets (Suica not accepted as payment here either) for the red & green line (1,300 yen per person), both of which you can take to get to stop #7, and then it's a 5 minute walk to the hotel (we used our smartphone's GPS & Google maps to figure out what direction to go to get to Ooike Hotel Honkan). Also, the bus drivers in this area are proficient in English and go out of their way to help you when you're getting on/off the buses.
Okay now the hotel itself: we arrived an hour and a half before check-in at 3 PM, but the super-friendly staff let us drop off our bags so we could wander unburdened. When we checked in, different staff - still very friendly & competent English speakers - and they'd already carried our bags to our room. They gave us a map of the hotel, explained where the onsens were, etc. Random things of note: the fridge automatically locks at 7 AM for about an hour to take stock of its contents (many, many spirits & soda in there - very little room in it to add your own food/drinks: we put them in the tiny freezer) & you're supposed to just call the desk & ask for them to open it if you need anything inside.
Also you leave your room key with the front desk when you go out & retrieve it when you come back. Generally, the staff is competent with English, but occasionally you get a staff member that seems VERY confused with what you're asking (even if it's just pointing to a front desk with no one behind it & looking curious... or saying ‘coffee?' with a drinking-coffee pantomime, haha) For us, there was absolutely no mention of food plans. There was no breakfast spread at all in the lobby. We're thinking it's because we're here in early June & there aren't enough people to support offering food plans. Not really a big deal: we were planning on skipping the food plan altogether anyway based on past tripadvisor reviews saying there's better food for lower prices in the area. On to the room! First, we really love the Japanese-style layout. The tatami mats & the futon beds - we both appreciated how firm the futons were, actually (great for your back). Also there's a nice flattering full-length mirror (great for taking pics of you & your buddy in the comfy yukatas provided in your room). The room, just in general, seems very clean but rather old: the kakejiku is curling around the edges, the bottom of the doors scuffed, walls slightly yellowing, etc. Not the end of the world though. If you want an uninterrupted-by-power-lines view of Mt. Fuji, the 3rd floor is still not high enough. Try to get the 4th or 5th floor if you can (the 5th floor only has six rooms though so try for the 4th mainly, | suppose). Next, my mom's a huge coffee fan. Green tea is provided in the room, but coffee is a ridiculous 500 yen if you go down to the lobby & ask. So from there, it's a 5-10 minute walk to the nearest 7-11 for 150 yen coffee (which is extremely bitter - pretty grim). If you love coffee, bring some instant & fixings that you know you like on your way there (hot water kettle is provided in the room, as well as a tea set). Speaking of coffee, other liquids like water: the lobby has gratis 24-7 water & cups, something | found out only after getting desperate in the middle of the night & drinking from tap (which tasted good so idk :shrug:)
The Onsens! The onsens are by far the BEST part of the hotel. First, outside every onsen there's some mechanical foot and neck massagers: a very nice, fun perk and a godsend after trekking all over the area during the day. Also, as there aren't many people staying there while we were, most of the time we had the onsens all to ourselves, so that was fantastic. Lastly, the hygiene and cosmetics products offered at the onsens were great: my hair felt better & healthier than it has in years (and turned out looking fantastic in photos). If anyone from this hotel is monitoring incoming reviews, if you'd reply back with the brand of shampoo & conditioner you offer at your onsens, I'd really appreciate ¢! Specifics: the bth floor onsen is completely indoors but with a giant, unobstructed view of Mount Fuiji. It's quite nice but | found myself adoring the ground-floor (just keep walking in the opposite direction from the front desk) open-air onsen better - mainly because you can regulate your temperature with cold air vs. hot water, whereas the inside-onsen on the 5th floor is hot water and air : it's too easy to get overheated. The ground floor onsen is split into two spaces: one for men, one for women and then between 7 & 7:30 PM, both onsens close for cleaning and the male/female designations switch. I can't stress this enough: one side is far superior to the other side. The side with the waterfall is the best one (although note that the waterfall pool water is frigid & not for bathing), specifically because there's also two tubs you can sink into & the minerals+salt in it hold you suspended in it: it's super cool. Both nights we stayed, that onsen opened to women at 7:30 PM.
We used their shuttle service to get us back to Kawaguchiko station after checking out around 9 AM. Very easy & prompt ride.
All in all, it was a really amazing experience!