?Well, since you don?t eat meat, we wondered ? is lobster ok"?
The first question of our stay at Hoshinoya Fuji, ?Japan?s first glamping resort? in the Yamanashi prefecture, west of Tokyo, suggested this was going to be a rather nice break.
Canoeing on Lake Kawaguchi, with a view of Mt Fuji Cherry Casey
Once the menu was decided, my boyfriend and I were asked to take our pick from the selection of stylish rucksacks filled with camping necessities ? head torch, roll mat, water bottle ? to hold on to during our stay. They were not, as I discovered embarrassingly at check out, for us to keep.
Moments later we were driven in a 4×4 to two rows of what looked like giant concrete periscopes, protruding from the land. These were revealed to be 40 cabins, designed by Azuma Architect & Associates, whose highlight was floor-to-wall windows on to the snow-capped cone of Mt Fuji, Japan’s tallest peak. Our temporary home was a 41sq metre room with heated flooring and a private porch with a woodburner, rocking chairs and electric blankets. Even a marshmallow-toasting kit. We wondered at what point our roll mats would be needed.

The cabins (Cherry Casey)

Now, at this point, you might be thinking Hoshinoya Fuji doesn?t sound much like ?glamping?. But this is a resort that has borrowed from camping traditions, and has just gone pretty heavy on the glam. Again, if it attracts a new kind of tourist to rural Japan, an area with significant economic difficulties ?...