Contents This page: Beyond the Basics Hot Springs Dining Night Life Recreation Hotels   Quiz Time! Q: How many people are DYING to come to Fujino?

Beyond the Basics Perhaps Fujino can't be measured in terms of proximity to the kind of consumer lifestyle that seems to be the goal of most Tokyo bedroom communities. Maybe that's not what Fujino is about. But there are other measures that go beyond the basics. I've tried to present a few of the more conventionally obvious ones here, but I hasten to add that these are by no means all, and anyway, everyone measures these things by different standards. To me, personally, merely waking to see low-lying clouds painting the cedars of the hills across the valley, looking out my window to a black kite (Jp. tonbi) soaring over the surface of Lake Sagami, espying a fox taking a nap in front of the neighbor's Inari shrine or a cock pheasant keeping court over his harem on the hill in front of my door, not to mention the unparalleled clarity of Orion in January—these are the real "extras" that come from living in Fujino. Hot Springs Surprizingly enough for a town this close to Tokyo, Fujino has several hot spring baths of its own, including the municipal Yamanami Onsen and the privately owned Gokan no Sato; a 15-minute drive from the station area will also take you to Akiyama Nespa Onsen, another hot springs resort in the neighboring village of Akiyama, Yamanashi Prefecture. Information about another Fujino hot springs can be found on my links page. All three of these are nice sites (though some may feel a couple are a bit overpriced) with natural hot-springs water, perfect for relaxing after a tiring day in the garden or behind the keyboard. During the day of heaviest snowfall in January, 1998, we rode in a friend's 4-wheel Land Cruiser to Yamanami Onsen and sat in the outdoor bath to enjoy the snow falling on our heads. The Akiyama Nespa is particularly nice for families, since it has several heated indoor-outdoor coed pools with jaccuzi jets, aqua aerobic exercise classes, and an "aroma therapy" sauna. Twice a day, an attendant comes into the steaming room, pours scented herbal water onto the hot rocks, and vigorously fans everyone with a towel. The essence used varies each week and includes mints, orange blossom, Japanese false cypress (hinoki) and others.

Black Kite Fox at Neighbor's Inari Shrine Cock and Hen Pheasant Yamanami Onsen Gokan no Sato Onsen

Restaurant Furi Sekisho Ramen Bonne Chez Taka Tôrai Cafe Yamasaki Rental Boats on Lake Sagami Camp Akikawaya Love Hotels Ryokan (Inns)

Dining Fujino has relatively few restaurants. What they lack in gourmet-class fare (for that, see Bon Chez Taka below), they make up for in friendliness and service. I can recommend Furi (in front of Fujino Station), the Japanese-style soba restaurant Kian (0426-87-2755) beside the Fujino Sports Ground in Nakura, and Furusato in Magino (but leave before 7:00 PM unless you're into the karaoke scene). Furusato used to have a nice outdoor beer-garden type deck in summer, which was a lovely place to stop on the way back from the hot springs, but I'm not sure whether they still do or not. I'll have to take a look this summer. Hotel Royal, one of the ubiquitous love hotels (see the section below on hotels) found alongside the lake, has a buffet-style Italian cuisine—somewhat suspiciously proclaiming "with herbs!" (the mind boggles).   An unusual wayside ramen shop, counterintuitively boasting of "the worst ramen in Japan" can be found at Sekisho, along Highway 20 between Fujino and Sagamiko. They're actually quite good, and offer a rather unusual interior decor as well. A Jonathan's and Gusto can be found in the neighboring town of Sagamiko. 'Nuff said . . . On the other hand, an excellent French and Italian restaurant, Bonne Chez Taka is located just a few minutes away in next-door Uenohara. In fact, it's so good it deserves its own writeup, as does the Tôrai, a stylish coffee shop with crafts gallery in Fujino's Nakura district. Night Life Fujino has no movie theaters, no video rentals, and no pachinko parlors—not yet, thank god. Neighboring Uenohara has one or two video rentals, however (and several pachinko parlors: let'm keep 'em there, sez I). A couple of small taverns and bars can be found by Fujino station, not to mention the traditionally styled pub, Izakaya Yamasaki ("mountain-bloom") near our house. A couple of karaoke rental clubs are also located in town. Entertainment is mostly the "make it yourself" variety, inviting friends over for a party—or you go into the city. Recreation Lake Sagami is known for its largemouth bass fishing, and rental boats are available at numerous locations along the lakeshore. Camping parks can be found in central Fujino at Camp Akikawaya and farther south at Doshigawa. The Fujino and Lake Sagami areas are also good for day-hiking, and numerous trails lead over nearby mountains. Ask for more information at the Fujino Town Office (two minutes from Fujino Station) or at Yokoyama Drugs. Hotels and Accommodations Finding overnight accommodations is no problem in Fujino—so long as you're not very choosy. If you're into adventures of the heart—or simply kitsch decor—a love hotel may be for you. The Fujino Workshop for the Arts offers reasonably priced facilities, but you should book well in advance. Camp Akikawaya has a minshuku (the Akigawa-ya), and several traditional-style ryokan can also be found in the town. Unfortunately, the large Sun Hills Hotel, which stands forlorn alongside the Sagami River at Hizure Ôhashi bridge, is defunct, abandoned, and a haunt for truant teenagers, and perhaps worse, who knows? The town is slowly—too slowly—considering what can be done with the thing, but in the meanwhile, its value continues to drop as vandals have their way. The only other nearby "real" hotel I'm aware of is the Route Inn, a business hotel alongside Highway 20 in central Uenohara (0554-63-5711). Next Page: Of Historical Note

Green Gables: A Contemplative Companion to Fujino Township
by Norman Havens nhavens@gol.com
Updated: April 20, 2002

URL: http://www2.gol.com/users/nhavens/htmlfile/basics-e.html