Kounso Ryokan

It has its own onsen

It’s a cozy, causal, friendly place. Mostly self serve. The free rental bike is very convenient to get around. The bike condition is excellent.

Location close to lake and walking distance to town; fantastic cedar onsen by reservation

A bit dated interior

The owner was very nice, location was also good with quite some restaurants nearby.

There's only one bathroom available with onsen

The lady who worked there was very kind and accommodating. Despite language barriers, she went above and beyond to help us. Plenty of bikes that could be borrowed for free and were very well kept and in excellent condition.

I’d stay here again if I’m ever back in the area. The reserved onsen is wonderful and if you’re not comfortable going in public ones, this is a good way to try it. The place is just beautiful and close to Yamanakako Lake. It is also close to Mt Fuji that we were able to see it up close early in the morning. My friends had fun exploring using the bike. Don’t stay overnight, stay for at least 2 nights to enjoy and explore the area.

A little far from convenience store but that’s okay.

Great location, walkable to everything. There are plenty of activities and restaurants around Yamanaka lake. The staff are very responsive.

The woman who greeted us was very polite and thorough in explaining the facilities and rules when we arrived, and immediately helped us schedule our time in the two different baths they had. Although my Japanese is not very good, she knew a bit of English and we used a translation app and there were no issues understanding beyond that. Both baths were absolutely wonderful. My spouse and I stayed in the traditional Japanese style room and I loved drinking my tea while sitting under the kotatsu!

I only wish I had booked a longer stay!

It was clean, comfortable and spacious, rooms get lots of natural sunlight too. The bath was so nice after a long day of hiking, and the property is conveniently located within walking distance of restaurants and a convenience store. The owners are also so incredibly kind and helpful. They saved me when I booked the wrong bus home, and called the station for me and got it fixed.

Literally nothing I’d rate it 1000/10 if I could, I will definitely come back and tell my friends to visit.

The owner made a great effort to help us send our luggage to Hakone. She was super nice although she didn't speak much English. Location not very well connected. Cold building but nice onsens (you need to book your time slot when you check in since both are small and private).

We had a lovely time at Kounso. The host is really friendly and even though she doesn't speak a lot of English we were able to communicate well. The rooms are lovely and comfortable. The onsen areas were nice and warm. Everything was really good. The only downsides were that we didn't know that we have to reserve our bus seats back to Shinjuku. But that was our fault. And I recommend to arrive with a rental car because when there is bad weather it's a bit difficult to get around by foot.

I love my stay here! The female owner is very friendly and helpful despite the language barrier.The futon is very comfortable, I was able to sleep comfortably. The room is Japanese style with tatami floor. I would definitely come back here just to relax. The location is pretty much convenient, however, it was snowing and raining when I was here so dragging my carry on luggage was not that easy. It’s perfect for backpackers, solo traveler, or couples. It’s few minutes walk from the bus station going to Tokyo station or Shinjuku. The lady owner, can help you book for reservation for bus for Tokyo/Shinjuku. (Tokyo station has only two timings, Shinjuku is every hour). It’s near the lake but due to the weather, I didn’t get to see Mount Fuji.There’s restaurants around the area. There’s a restaurant just down the hill of Kouso. The rest are around 500-700m far. The nearest 711 is 30 minutes walk.It’s super clean!!

You can only shower in the morning between 7:30-9:00pm. You can reserved a bath tho in the evening between 6pm-10pm. There’s no water heater outside of those timings. You will have your own private toilet tho. Also, there’s no centralized heater (even in Tokyo and Kyoto I noticed they don’t use it). They use gas and kotatsu. It wasn’t a big deal for me because I just wanted the traditional experience.These are the only cons you might wanna consider, however, my entire experience was lovely.

Great location, overseeing tranquil and beautiful surroundings. The facility has five bicycles that can be utilised by asking the host. Overall the lady who overseas the place is an utter delight and is extremely helpful. Thank you

Wonderful, attentive hosts! They provided bikes and instructions for us so we could pedal around Lake Yamanaka and get gorgeous views of Mt. Fuji! The fudo was amazing after an active day outdoors. :)

Spacious rooms, great location near lake (if you have a car), amazing onsen bath.

Heaters iare unflued gas which is not good to breathe in.

Excellent stay if you want to experience the lakes and Fuji and like biking. Also very flexible and friendly staff, own onsen when you need it, bikes for free to use, big rooms.

No meal or breakfast service possibilities

Firstly the host. She is so friendly and welcoming despite not knowing much English. When you get settled into your room, she sits down with you to go over the amenities and things to do in the area. Love that. The Japanese style room with the tatami floors is a must at least once for your stay in Japan. It was actually more comfortable than expected. The bath was unbelievable. It was also an amazing value. 2 nights felt like the perfect amount. It was the perfect break after dealing with the chaos of Tokyo.

If you’re booking this, then you should already know the Lake Yamanaka area is not the same as the Lake Kawaguchi area. Yamanaka is not as touristy and thus is bit harder to get to and has less to do. Renting a car to us was mandatory but cost was offset by how affordable our stay was. Why stay in some cramped hotel when you can have this experience? In closing, there really wasn’t anything we disliked but I understand some people may not like the remoteness.

The lady who runs the place is very nice and accommodating, and both baths are lovely. The free rental bicycles are very convenient for getting around Yamanakako, especially to see the sunrise!

very welcoming, friendly host! she helped me make a reservation at 笑月, a great kaiseki restaurant close by.spacious room, nice japanese bath and perfect starting point for a bike ride around the lake.

rental bikes could be in better shape and i would have preferred a private toilet and shower, but it still was a really nice stay!

Location. Onsen. Bikes. Nice hosts. Above expectations.