VERY COZY Cottage FU-SHA in NIKKO

Toshiba is a fabulous host. She was very helpful. We walked to the imperial villa and the major shrines.

The cottage is in a very walkable location. We visited in April with a family of 5 (2 kids, 2 parents, 1 grandparent). We opted to rent a car for our entire stay due to driving to Nasu. We easily walked around town, including visiting Shinkyo bridge and Toshogu Shrine by foot. While there isn’t parking at the home, there are 2 free lots 2 min away, so it was easy. Yoshiko-san welcomed us, provided breakfast items each day, and offered to do laundry since the washing machine has had recent issues. She washed and dried a load for us. One tricky thing is that the bedroom fits 3 single futons, plus we had 2 futons in the living room, where the table and sitting area would be. Thus, we had a small dining table and 4 chairs in a narrow space in the middle of the home. For a group of 2-3, it isn’t cramped. We managed just fine with 5, but if you’re used to larger spaces, it is tight for groups of 4-5. One surprising thing is that most of the restaurants in the area were closed Sun-Tues even when labeled as open on Google Maps. Don’t miss the cheesecake at Meiji no Yakata when in town. Yoshiko’s hospitality and kindness are unrivaled, and we would be delighted to stay at Fu-sha Cottage again, particularly for a couple’s trip.

The host, Mrs. Kobayashi, is among the nicest people we have ever met. Before we made the trip, communication was quick and helpful. We arrived Nikko early in the morning and left our luggage at Tobu-Nikko Station lockers. We had Nikko Pass and took the bus and visited Akechidaira Ropeway, Kegon Falls, Ryuzu Falls and Lake Chuzenji (free sightseeing cruise with Nikko Pass). We took the bus back and got off at bus-stop #13 and walked (about 15 min) southwest to cross the river and visited Kanmangafuchi Abyss. Then it's 10 min walk to the cottage. Mrs. Kobayashi met us at the door and answered questions regarding the near-by attractions and recommended several local restaurants for dinner. She then drove us to the train station to pick up our luggage and dropped us off at the dinner restaurant (and brought our luggage back to the cottage). The cottage had a traditional Japanese setup with tatamis. It was clean and cozy. Shower water temperature and pressure were stable and enjoyable. Weather was chilly in the nights, but the cottage already had heaters running so we were warm indoors. The next morning we enjoyed breakfast including yogurt, fresh bread and fruit that were prepared just for us. Then we went on with our day trip to visit the temples. When we were ready to leave in the afternoon, Mrs. Kobayashi brought our luggage and met us at the train station to save us time. This stay and meeting Mrs. Kobayashi were some of the highlights of our visit to Nikko!

Located 15 mins walk from Nikko national park and 25 mins from town centre location is quiet and peaceful. Yoshiko is an attentive and kind host. Cottage itself provides a genuine Japanese living experience. Very comfortable. Highly recommended.

Perfect host, perfect location. Quiet area close enough to the must sees and far from the maddening crowd. We were given fresh fruit and pastry every day, even has our laundry done for us. We were both picked up from and driven to the train station. We stayed in six cities during our visit. The cottage was by far our favourite stop! Definitely recommend a stay here!