KOS HOTEL & RESTAURANT: a Private Lake Kawaguchiko Hotel Built Around Wood-Fired Dining

At Lake Kawaguchiko you can eat food cooked over a wood fire, then sit in a tent sauna facing the water. One property lets a single group have all of that to itself.

It is KOS HOTEL & RESTAURANT, which opened in December 2025.

The hotel takes one group per day, so the whole floor of this 1,200-square-meter property is yours. The restaurant on site cooks Koshu beef and Fuji no Suke, a trout brand Yamanashi is known for, over a wood fire.

“KOS” is a Norwegian word for coziness, comfort and ordinary happiness. The name reflects the idea that sitting around a table with people you care about is the part of a trip worth protecting.

It suits anniversary trips, small gatherings with close friends and family travel with children. This article covers the rooms, the food, the sauna and what there is to do nearby.

What is KOS HOTEL & RESTAURANT?

KOS HOTEL & RESTAURANT sits in Nagahama, on the west shore of Lake Kawaguchiko. It is a hotel with its own restaurant, built right by the water, taking one group per day.

Because the whole floor goes to one group, the view of the lake is yours alone. Sitting in the living room with the fireplace lit, looking out at a quiet shoreline, is a plain kind of luxury.

The other draw is the restaurant and its wood-fired oven. Every stage of cooking uses wood. The restaurant also takes bookings from people who are not staying overnight, so you can come just for a meal.

Here is what stands out.

What stands out at KOS HOTEL & RESTAURANT
– Opened in December 2025
– An on-site restaurant serving a wood-fired course menu
– A private tent sauna by the lake
– A living room facing the lake, with a fireplace, in a Japanese-modern and Japandi interior
– Free rental bicycles for overnight guests

Rooms: a private floor in Japanese-modern and Japandi style

The interior combines Japanese-modern design with Japandi, a style that adds Scandinavian warmth. Natural materials and a quiet palette make the room easy to settle into.

Living room: the fireplace and the lake

A pitched ceiling and exposed beams give the space a single open volume. The lake is directly outside, and you can watch it change from the sofa.

After dark, moonlight on the water and the low lights inside give the room a different character. Watching the fireplace with a glass of wine or whisky is specific to this place.

The room has a kitchen, and you can bring your own food and drinks. You might cook something with local ingredients from a roadside station, or prepare baby food, which helps on longer stays.

Bedroom: two semi-double beds for up to four

There are two semi-double beds, and the room sleeps up to four. Couples, friends and families all use it.

There is no minimum age, so infants are welcome. Since no other guests are on the property, crying at night does not disturb anyone.

Amenities: LEAF&BOTANICS, made near the lake

Shampoo and skincare are from LEAF&BOTANICS, a brand by Matsuyama Yushi, which has a factory in the Lake Kawaguchiko area. The line is built on fruit-derived oils.

The formulas use plant oils, extracts and essential oils taken from plants that grow in demanding conditions. Products made in the area you are staying in are worth trying while you are here.

Food: what a wood fire draws out of the ingredients

The restaurant is the part of KOS HOTEL & RESTAURANT that gets talked about most. Yamanashi ingredients are cooked over a wood fire, and you eat with the sound and smell of that fire nearby.

In the evening the same room works as a bar, with the lake on the other side of the glass, so you can stay on after dinner.

The chef: wood fire, and the flavor of the ingredient itself

The kitchen is run by chef Kinjo, who uses wood for every stage of cooking.

Spices and herbs are kept to a minimum so that the ingredients themselves carry the dish. Because the kitchen works with local produce and the season, the menu shifts with what comes in that day.

To keep the smoke flavor at a comfortable level, lighter dishes are placed between the heavier courses. The dining room itself looks out over the lake.

Dinner: Yamanashi produce over a wood fire

Dinner is a course menu built from local vegetables, meat and seasonal produce, carrying the smell of the wood oven. There are two main courses to choose from.

One signature ingredient is Koshu Wine Beef, raised on feed that includes grape pomace left over from winemaking, which gives the meat a strong savory flavor. It is served medium by default and cooked slowly over the fire, with other degrees of doneness available on request.

The fish is Fuji no Suke, a trout brand from Yamanashi, served mi-cuit so that the fat in the flesh comes through. A pate made with wakasagi smelt from Lake Kawaguchiko sometimes appears among the starters.

There are about 30 wines on the list, including reds with enough body to stand up to the smoke, so there is room to pair.

You can also ask the chef to build a course around your budget, from 5,000 yen. Seasonal ingredients are selected for that day’s menu, which works well for an anniversary or a birthday.

If you want the wood-fired course without staying the night, the restaurant takes separate bookings. Pick a time from the link below.

Children's menu

For children there is a short course, based on the adult menu with fewer dishes, and a kids’ plate of meat sauce spaghetti with fried chicken, served with soup and fresh-baked bread.

Either can be chosen according to age and appetite, so the whole table eats together.

Breakfast: Japanese and Western on one table

Breakfast mixes Japanese and Western dishes: seasonal vegetables from Yamanashi, eggs collected that morning, rice cooked in a house dashi. The dining room gets soft light in the morning.

There is also a children’s breakfast with a little of both styles.

BBQ for day visitors

A BBQ plan is available to people who are not staying overnight. It starts at either 11:00 or 15:00, and a plan with free-flow drinks is also offered.

You can bring your own ingredients or come empty-handed, which helps if you would rather not carry anything. A children’s BBQ menu is available too.

A barbecue by the lake followed by the sauna is a common way to spend the day here.

Sauna: the front row by the lake

In spring 2026 a private tent sauna was added in a dedicated area off the terrace. The 1,200-square-meter site is what makes a sauna this private possible.

Pour your own water, at your own pace

Inside, a wood stove gives off a soft heat and you pour the water yourself, at whatever pace you like. Outside the window is the lake and the far shore, which changes with the season.

The area belongs to one group per day, so there is no queue and no limit on how long you stay in.

A cold bath three seconds away, and a deck facing the lake

After the heat, the cold bath is three seconds from the tent. The short walk keeps the contrast between hot and cold intact.

Then comes the deck. Four chairs recline flat, and you cool down in the wind coming off the lake, with birds in the background.

A swimsuit is required in the sauna. There is no rental, so bring your own.

What to do on and around Lake Kawaguchiko

Lake Kawaguchiko is right outside, and KOS HOTEL & RESTAURANT works with NaturaBase, an operator based in the same town of Fujikawaguchiko.

On the water: kayaking, smelt fishing and lake cruises

Kayaking is the standard way to get onto the water here, where the surface stays calm. The view looking up from the water is nothing like the view from shore. An early-morning plan is available, which gives you both Mt. Fuji in clear air and its reflection on the lake.

Wakasagi smelt fishing is a winter fixture on Lake Kawaguchiko. NaturaBase runs it from a heated dome boat, so you are not waiting in the cold. Staff explain how to fish, and on a good day the catch adds up. The fish you catch can be fried as tempura.

There are also sightseeing boats and cruisers on the lake, and horse riding at a ranch at the foot of Mt. Fuji. Tours that are not listed on the website can be arranged, so it is worth asking if you have something in mind.

Around the lake by rental bicycle

Overnight guests can borrow bicycles at no charge. A cycling route runs all the way around Lake Kawaguchiko, past seasonal flowers and open views of the water.

There are four bicycles, enough for a family to ride together.

Places within a 30-minute drive

The main sights around Lake Kawaguchiko and Lake Sai are all within a 30-minute drive. They run from the well-known Mt. Fuji Panorama Ropeway to parks where seasonal flowers fill the shoreline, and villages that keep the look of old rural Japan. There is plenty to build a day around.

JAPANOPIA FUJI +

Lake Kawaguchiko Guide: Places to Visit, Food, Souvenirs, and Transport, Plus a One-Day Itinerary | … Of the Fuji Five Lakes, Lake Kawaguchiko is the one with the most developed tourist facilities. Observation decks, museu

Getting there and parking

KOS HOTEL & RESTAURANT is in Nagahama, on the west shore of Lake Kawaguchiko. Lake Sai is about 4.6 km away and the Kawaguchiko Ohashi bridge about 5 km, so both lakes are easy to reach from here.

Parking on site is free for overnight guests. In the autumn foliage season it fills with cars from across Japan and overseas.

Driving in winter takes some preparation. Roads around Lake Kawaguchiko can freeze or hold snow from around December through March. Fit winter tires or carry chains before you set out in that period.

By train, take a Fujikyu bus from Kawaguchiko Station and get off at the Hirahama stop; the hotel is right there. The ride takes about 15 minutes.

Summary

KOS HOTEL & RESTAURANT puts wood-fired cooking, a lakeside sauna and a private floor on one piece of land.

As the Norwegian name suggests, it fits a trip built around the table rather than a list of sights. Anniversaries and small trips with people you are close to are the natural fit.

It is worth a place on the list when you are planning a trip to Lake Kawaguchiko.