笛吹川温泉 坐忘

We had a fairy tale-like experience last month at Fuefukigawa Onsen Zabou (the full name of the ryokan.) The grounds and views are mesmerizing, the architecture is traditional and charming, the view from our room was Instagram-worthy and the Onsen hot springs baths - both in the room as well as the communal onsen - were glorious. It's located in Koshu in Yamanashi Prefecture, and near Kofu, which is its capital city. The area might not be on the short list of places for travelers to visit, but it's not too far from Tokyo - a 90-minute limited express train ride from Shinjuku gets you to Enzan Station, and from there it's a 10 minute drive to the ryokan. As a basis for comparison, the time investment to get there is not much different than going to Hakone or Izu. The ryokan was established about 25 years ago, but it was not until 2015 that Zabou was transformed into a luxury establishment. It changed ownership in 2022 - Maruki (aka "Marquis") Winery, a subsidiary of Group Raison, is the oldest currently-operating winery in Japan (established in 1891), and they've done a terrific job in turning Zabou into the pride of Koshu. The property grounds are not super expansive, but what's there is very well manicured. There's a view of a beautiful garden and small lake from the reception lounge area and is full of Koi fish as well as a male and female duck couple. While walking around the property, you'll be treated by views of mountains and hills all around, both lush and rugged at the same time. When deciding which room to book, we were particularly smitten by the photos of two rooms in their website - Kotogawa and Tsuzumigawa - both are Japanese-Western Suites with 73m² of space. It's not so much the room that was delightful - it definitely does the job - it was the spectacular view from the room that won us over. These two rooms are the only ones that offer the same gorgeous garden and lake view as the lobby area, but even better, as they're more centrally situated to the lake. The balcony has an amazing onsen in a hinoki bathtub, as well as two lounge chairs. The ryokan even had treats placed in a jar so that we could feed the fish and ducks from the deck. Everything - the pond, the well-groomed vegetation, the privacy, was simply captivating.... to the point where we were able to overlook a few flaws in the room itself. To begin with, Kotogawa (our room) had just one sink, and the toilet with washlet was not recent vintage (by Japan standards) - there was no button on the control panel that allowed the user to lift/lower the seat with the press of a button. First world problem, I know, but once you get used to Japanese hygiene standards, there's no going back. Secondly, the shower is out on the deck (next to the Onsen bath), which is fine (except, perhaps, when it's freezing cold outside), and the shower head holder is placed low on the balcony railing - I suppose there's no other place to put it. If it was affixed on the room wall (away from th