Fruits Park Fujiya Hotel: Indulge in Famous Fruit Parfaits and Hot Springs at Yamanashi's Scenic Hotel

Yamanashi, known as the "Fruit Kingdom," boasts top-class production of grapes and peaches nationwide. With over 90 wineries, it's also a city of fine wines where you can enjoy a sophisticated wine trip.

Fruits Park Fujiya Hotel is a resort where you can fully enjoy the blessings of Yamanashi. In an elegant setting, you can savor parfaits made with seasonal fruits and wines produced in Yamanashi. What's more, you'll be greeted by the beautiful Mount Fuji and the cityscape of Kofu. We will report on a 2-day, 1-night trip to this scenic resort, where you can also enjoy night views selected as one of Japan's New Three Great Night Views, and relaxing hot springs.

Fruits Park Fujiya Hotel is a Southern European-style resort hotel situated on a small hill at an elevation of approximately 560 meters (1,837 feet). Located within Fuefukigawa Fruit Park, it offers an excellent location for enjoying your stay with panoramic views of the Kofu Basin.

Access is approximately 30 minutes by car from Katsunuma IC or about 25 minutes from Ichinomiya-Misaka IC. As you ascend the hill, passing by orchards typical of Yamanashi, you will arrive at Fuefukigawa Fruit Park, where the beige-rose colored building is Fruits Park Fujiya Hotel. If you are traveling by train, it takes about seven minutes by taxi from Yamanashishi Station.

Beautiful fountains, tiles directly imported from Europe, iron fences crafted by German artisans specifically for the hotel… the moment you step onto the grounds, an extraordinary space unfolds before you. The hotel is designed to evoke the image of a "manor of a lord ruling over a farm," with Fuefukigawa Fruit Park being the "farm."

Upon entering the building, you will be greeted by friendly staff with warm smiles and a grand staircase adorned with wine-colored carpeting. We checked in feeling as if we had visited a European lord's manor.

Guest rooms are located on the 3rd to 5th floors. This time, we stayed in the special Royal Suite Room, which is limited to one group per day. With a luxurious layout featuring a living room, dining room, bedroom, and bathroom, this is the largest guest room at Fruits Park Fujiya Hotel, measuring approximately 103 square meters (1,109 square feet). This exclusive room accommodates up to two guests.

Located on the 5th floor, the hotel's top floor, the views from the living room and bedroom are exceptional. It is a privilege for Royal Suite Room guests to sit on Italian-designed chairs and gaze out at the mountains and city of Kofu.

Although it was cloudy on this day, Mount Fuji peeked through the clouds for us! Mount Fuji, with an elevation of 3,776 meters (12,388 feet), stands head and shoulders above the rest, truly embodying its status as Japan's highest peak.

After unpacking, take a short break with some tea. The room is equipped with Fujiya Hotel's original Japanese tea and coffee, so you can enjoy them while admiring the view.

The bedroom is also spaciously designed, with a table and chairs by the window where you can enjoy the view. The bed is a Simmons bed, inviting you to a comfortable sleep. The luxurious furniture and bedding also enhance the special feeling of staying in a suite.

The double-sink bathroom and two toilets are also features unique to the Royal Suite Room, not found in standard guest rooms. While there is a large communal hot spring bath within the hotel, you can also relax comfortably in the spacious bathtub in your room.

The in-room bath amenities include shampoo, conditioner, and shower gel from Provinscia, which feature a pleasant fragrance blended in Grasse, Southern France. Skincare products are also available in the large communal bath.

Fruits Park Fujiya Hotel features a total of 43 rooms, and the Standard Twin Room is perfect for a casual trip. Its modern design, accented with warm orange tones, allows you to relax and unwind. The room is approximately 36 square meters (388 square feet) and can accommodate up to three people.

From the large windows, you can enjoy views of the expansive Kofu Basin. Although the Standard Twin Rooms are situated on the 4th and 5th floors, which might appear lower than other hotels, the hotel's elevated position on a small hill provides a surprisingly high vantage point overlooking the Kofu cityscape.

One of the appealing aspects of Fruits Park Fujiya Hotel is its variety of room types, designed to suit diverse travel styles. For groups and families, the Japanese-Western style rooms on the fourth floor are highly recommended. These rooms feature a Western-style room and a 10-tatami mat Japanese-style room, offering guests the choice of sleeping on twin beds or futons. Spanning approximately 81 square meters (872 square feet), these spacious rooms can accommodate up to seven guests.

As the only Japanese-Western style room, it is a corner room, offering views in two directions. Enjoying wine in this open and spacious setting is a wonderful way to spend your time.

Located on the fifth and top floor, the Japanese Guest Room is a corner room perfect for multi-generational families. With a separate 12-tatami mat Japanese-style room and a bedroom, family members can enjoy their own independent spaces. For example, parents can use the bedroom while children and grandchildren stay in the Japanese-style room. This exclusive room accommodates up to seven guests.

The Japanese Guest Room, spanning 108 square meters (1,163 square feet), features a spacious bedroom. Its design harmoniously blends Japanese-style interior elements with two beds, creating an East-meets-West aesthetic. The cityscape of Kofu, visible from the bedroom's large windows, provides a spectacular view.

One of the main reasons many people visit Fruits Park Fujiya Hotel is its famous fruit parfait. At Fruit Cafe Bellavista, you can enjoy a seasonal fruit parfait. "Bella Vista" is an Italian word meaning "beautiful view," and on clear days, you can even see Mount Fuji.

The parfaits feature seasonal Yamanashi fruits at their peak ripeness and flavor. Starting with strawberries in winter and spring, you can enjoy a variety of fruits throughout the year, including melon, cherries, peaches, grapes, Shine Muscat grapes, and chestnuts.

The fruit parfaits offered in autumn were the Grape Parfait and the Shine Muscat Grape Parfait. Kyoho grape sherbet, whipped cream, jelly, and vanilla ice cream are layered, then topped with glistening Kyoho and Shine Muscat grapes that sparkle like jewels. Their beauty will make you want to exclaim "How cute!" the moment they are brought to your table. The flavor, a delightful blend of grapes, ice cream, and jelly, is so delicious it will bring a smile to your face.

After your hot spring bath, indulge in a highly anticipated premium dinner at La Collina, a restaurant specializing in Western cuisine. Here, you can savor a French course meal paired with Yamanashi wines while enjoying the night view. La Collina boasts a selection of over 60 Yamanashi wines from local producers, alongside carefully chosen wines from around the world. A sommelier is always on hand to recommend wines that perfectly complement your meal, providing expert guidance and engaging conversation.

The course menu changes seasonally. On this particular day, the course began with Shine Muscat, Prosciutto, and Ricotta Cheese, and featured a total of seven dishes. We savored an amuse-bouche of fresh Shine Muscat grapes, enhanced by the saltiness of prosciutto and the tang of balsamic vinegar, perfectly paired with Lumiere Winery's House Sparkling Koshu wine.

Next came a dazzling dish, sparkling like a jewel box: Charcutière and Small Shrimp Gelee, with Red Pepper Purée and Marinated Purple Cabbage. This was followed by Tomato-Stewed Chicken Thigh with Basil Flavor, featuring tender, melt-in-your-mouth chicken. These colorful dishes truly brightened our spirits.

The fish dish, enjoyed with Château Mars' House Wine Blanc (Koshu variety), was Pan-Seared Lobster and Sea Bream with Red Snow Crab Cream Sauce. We thoroughly savored the luxurious lobster and sea bream, accompanied by two rich sauces bursting with the umami of crustaceans: an Américaine sauce made from lobster shells and a red snow crab cream sauce.

After refreshing our palates with a pear granita, the main meat dish was served. There were two options. One option, Domestic Beef Sirloin Steak with Porcini Red Wine Sauce, allows you to savor the elegant sweetness of marbled beef alongside fragrant porcini mushrooms.

The other main dish option, Roasted Yamanashi Horse Meat with Japanese-Style Sauce and Shiso Flower Aroma, is a healthy specialty of La Collina. Yamanashi, where eating basashi (horse meat sashimi) is a local culinary tradition, offers incredibly fresh horse meat with no gamey odor. The pairing with Château Mars' Muscat Bailey A red wine, suggested by the sommelier, was also superb.

For dessert, we enjoyed Grape Mousse and Compote with Vanilla Ice Cream. It was a true delight to savor the seasonal flavors of Yamanashi, the "Fruit Kingdom," until the very end of the meal.

After your meal, you can enjoy Yamanashi wines from the wine server located in the first-floor lounge. To use it, simply purchase a dedicated wine card at the front desk, insert it into the server, and freely select your wines. Prices are 250 JPY for 30ml and 500 JPY for 60ml. Each month, a sommelier carefully selects wines from eight different wineries, allowing you to enjoy a unique tasting experience.

When we stayed, the month's selection featured a well-balanced lineup of red, white, and rosé wines, including Chateau Sakaori's Koshu Dry, which won a gold medal at the Japan Wine Competition 2023, and Maruki Winery's La Feuille Barrel Bailey A 2021. MGVs Winery's B521 Muscat Bailey A 2022 was a beautiful cherry-blossom pink rosé, offering a dry yet elegantly fruity flavor.

You can enjoy the wine poured from the server in the lounge, on the terrace, or even in your room—wherever you prefer. We took the opportunity to enjoy ours while admiring the night view from the Royal Suite Room. Fuefukigawa Fruit Park, where the hotel is located, is renowned as a beautiful night view spot, having been selected as one of Japan's New Three Great Night Views. Enjoying Yamanashi wine while gazing at the night view from the best vantage point on the hotel's top floor was an exquisite experience.

After waking up early and indulging in the hot springs, head to Siena Terrace for a delightful coffee break. Complimentary coffee is available before breakfast, from 6:30 AM to 8:00 AM. You can savor a pleasant morning while breathing in the fresh, crisp air of Yamanashi.

For breakfast, head to Bella Vista where you can choose between an American Breakfast or a Salad Breakfast. The American Breakfast set features an egg dish as the main item, along with a fruit platter, salad, bread, and a beverage.

There are five choices for egg dishes, and we chose the Spanish omelet with onions, tomatoes, and parsley. The omelet, perfectly cooked to a creamy consistency inside, was incredibly delicious, truly embodying a hotel-quality taste.

The Salad Breakfast set centers around the Chef's Salad Plate, allowing you to enjoy plenty of vegetables in the morning. You can choose from four types of dressing, with the Fujiya Hotel's original carrot dressing being a popular choice.

The toast and croissants included in each set are served with delicious jams. There are two types of homemade jams: Kyoho grape jam made from Yamanashi's Kyoho grapes, and strawberry jam, both perfect for enjoying with warm bread.

After relaxing in your Royal Suite and checking out at 11:00 AM, head out to explore the surrounding area. The adjacent Fuefukigawa Fruit Park offers plenty of attractions, including shops where you can buy fresh fruits and processed goods, and a fruit garden where you can observe fruits growing. If you're traveling with family, we also recommend enjoying the playground.

For those who want to enjoy more hot springs, Hottarakashi Onsen, located about five minutes by car from the hotel, is highly recommended. It features two open-air baths, Acchi-no-yu and Kocchi-no-yu, and is a popular spot where you can soak in the hot springs while overlooking the Kofu Basin.

Don't miss the seasonal fruit picking, including grapes, peaches, cherries, strawberries, and blueberries. Freshly picked Yamanashi fruits are incredibly delicious and will create lasting memories.

Fruits, wine, stunning views, hot springs... Fruits Park Fujiya Hotel is packed with so many attractions that you'll find no reason not to stay here. Celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2022, Fruits Park Fujiya Hotel offers wonderful hospitality that will naturally bring a smile to your face and help you relax. Why not embark on a journey to enjoy the blessings of Yamanashi at a resort that feels like Europe?

Reporting, photography, and writing by Miyu Kohama

*This article is a translation of an article originally published in Japanese on 2023-11-28 and has been translated with the assistance of AI.