Staff was very friendly was spoke fluent English. The lobby was very comfortable to spend time in, and is quite decorated - the frog theme is very cute. Room is very clean and I shared it with 5 other people. It was nice to be able to rent a bicycle from here and go around Yamanaka Lake which was just 100 metres away. Bus station is literally outside the hostel. Would stay there again.

It's common to be able to rent bicycles in Japan for 500 yen (a day), so I thought 1000 yen (or 300 yen an hour) here was a bit much.

As others are saying, the hosts are a lovely couple who create a very welcoming atmosphere. They have assembled binders in the common area, highlighting local restaurant options, activities & attractions. The more I traveled around Japan, the more I appreciated Murabito and their well stocked kitchen. :) They are really thoughtful in providing herbs and seasoning as well as a solid array of kitchen tools for guests to use. No other guesthouse came close to Murabito on this front & as a vegetarian, I greatly appreciated the kitchen opportunity. As far as cons go: I was a little troubled by all the scents at the guesthouse. Air fresheners, detergents etc. I'm typically sensitive in this area and did have a headache from all the strong smells. At least they aired the space out with open windows each day. Other than that, my suggestion is to have a mirror in the dorm room.

The hosts are friendly & particularly helpful to my needs. By going for extra mile, they ease my stress in online shopping locally when come to the concern of receiving my order through the limited time window of stay. The last but not the least is about the background mood music & fancy decors boost the vape in the common area of the guest house, that these seems minor but it matters to make it stand out in the peers, particularly, the provision of free library of Japanese comics & traveling books, full array of high-quality kitchen utensils make the difference to just an ordinary guesthouse or a choice of great cosy retreat! Good job & thank you Team Murabito Guesthouse!

Perhaps the gravel car parking ground would be improved with a pavement stripe for suitcase access.

A cosy place to stay. Felt like home to me. I travelled from Yokohama and the highway bus stopped right next to this guesthouse. Highway bus to Tokyo also stops at the same bus stop and that is very convenient. Their bike rental rate is one of the cheapest too! Thank you so much Marino and Kei for the hospitality💕 I would definitely be back in the future to hike up the trails around Yamanakako 🗻

None. For slightly sensitive people just bear in mind that this property is next to the road so you will definitely hear traffic noises. Earplugs are provided in the room though :)

I had such a lovely stay here - huge thank you to all the staff for the warm, friendly welcome and always being around to answer any questions. Mixed dorm was a great size, plenty of room for bags (albeit in front of the beds rather than lockers). Wifi worked well throughout. Shower room and toilets were always sparkling clean, great little kitchen area that is well stocked with everything you need. Great location close to the lake and steps away from the limited express and local bus stops. I'd definitely stay here again - highly recommended. .

The only downside was the 4pm check-in as most of the local restaurants etc. close after lunch. It gets very cold, very quickly in the winter afternoons! If you are hanging around, try "Tinkerbell" for tea and cakes, the only place I found that was open. In summary - plan ahead :) Don't let that put you off though, it's a fab little hostel and I would definitely return.

Everything! Marino and her husband Kei (sorry for miss spelling) were very friendly and helpful! Marino helped us with buying our bus tickets (life saver) and Kei gave us tips of where to go. The place is really charming, clean and really cozy. Very well placed, near the lake to an amazing view to Mount Fuji. The guests were really nice as well, very respectful. The vibes are the best. We loved our stay here. We would love to be back here in the future.

All is great.

I like this hostel, it was my second time I stayed there. - Helpful and friendly hosts (the owners)! - cute and comfortable house - small dormitory (6 people) - big and full-equiped kitchen - great location (lake and bus-stop to Kawaguchiko, Gotemba and Tokyo in 2 min on foot, 7/11 in 3 min, nice onsen in 10 min, big supermarket in 10 min) - bike rental for a day - 1000 yen - you can leave laggage or even wait for a chack-in in cozy common room - 10% discount to the city onsens

-nothing

Small and very comfortable place. Very clean and welcoming, the common area is very cosy, the kitchen fully equipped with everything you need from preparing a coffee to heating up the dinner. Staff is very kind and helpful. The location is amazing! You have a bus stop just opposite side of the road. Really close to the lake, amazing for Mount Fuji view on a clear day, you can basically see it from any point next to the lake. Fantastic place.

We had to make our Japanese style bed ourselves, but I guess it was part of the experience

We usually do not really like hostel, but this one was a bit different. Our private bunk bed room was much larger then expected and a small foldable table is provided. There is a large closet for backpacks and personal items. The beds are incredibly comfortable, big and practical, home made and very strong, so it doesn’t move when the person on the top moves. It was overall pretty quiet, and very clean in all shared rooms too. People were pretty respectful when we were here. I got injured during my Japan trip, so they help me renting a wheelchair. The bus stop is 1 minute walk from the hostel and the bus for Shinjuky Tokyo stops directly here !

-Would be missing a complete sink upstairs -The sliding doors downstairs are the worst noise problem. You can hear it open and close so clearly from upstairs, and when people use it repetitly after 11 am or very early at 5 am, then it got me awake and couldn’t sleep anymore. -Not related to the hostel itself, but the cost of a one way bus to the hostel from fujisan train station is 700 yen, which is pretty expensive. Also, the first bus for Pagoda or lake Kawaguchi is at 7:44 am. So if you planned to get by the pagoda for sunrise, you won’t be able to make it. Also no taxi around. Note that the best place was lake Yamanaka anyway, so do not even bother to check out the awfully crowded lake

My stay at the Murabito guesthouse was simply wonderful! First of all, kindness, sympathy, generosity and benevolence are the words that sum up the owners Marino and Kei well. In addition, they speak perfect English which makes communication much easier for people who do not speak Japanese. Then the house is really clean and the beds are really comfortable.Finally, the house benefits from an excellent location, very close to Lake Yamanakako and a beautiful view of Mount Fuji. Thank you very much for this stay! Thomas