Kawaguchi-ko
河口湖
Lake Kawaguchi lays on the north side of Mount Fuji - about 2 hours away from Tokyo, and is a popular tourist hotspot owing to the spectacular views of the mountain, traditional ryokan, and a massive theme park located 10 minutes away called Fuji-Q. As it's frequented by tourists - there are a few spots you can check out to eat, including my now all time favourite sushi restaurant, but we will get into that in a minute.
It's widely known that spring is a fantastic time to visit Japan with the Sakura, cherry blossoms blooming, as well as many matsuri, or festivals, happening throughout the country. I would easily say that Autumn is as equally spectacular as spring, with the vibrant reds and oranges, just take a look at the above photos.
There are plenty of Izakaya in this town. Izakaya is traditionally a small bar/restaurant which serves small plate of food (similar to tapas) and the seating arrangement is usually either sitting at the bar, or dining from low tables while sitting on tatami mats. The first place I visited in Kawaguchiko was an Izakaya bar - check out my review below.
Izakaya High Spirits - Fujikawaguchiko-machi
High Spirits was a 10 minute walk away from the Ryokan that I was staying at, tucked up a long drive way next to another restaurant - of which that had hilarious competitive signing with. This isn't a 100% gluten free restaurant! But the chef had a great understanding of Coeliac disease - and a lot of their food was gluten free anyway, including the pancake with salmon and cream cheese! The meal was fantastic, and the conversation was lively with the chef's chatting to us and shared tables situation - it was a lovely evening.
Open Tues-Sun 5:30pm-10:00pm
Shaw's Sushi Bar & Dining - Fujikawaguchiko-machi
Conveniently located across the road from Kawaguchiko Station, Shaw's Sushi was an amazing find. I had heard they had gluten free sushi - but I soon found out, not only did they have that, but also had gluten free tempura batter and bottles of gluten free soy sauce on every table! Something I though i'd never find in a smaller Japanese town. I ordered the vegetable sushi and tempura set (photographed right) which came with miso, pickles, edamame, and green tea. It was delicious. In fact, it was so delicious that I will go back to Kawaguchiko specifically to visit this restaurant. The staff were very helpful, and most of the food was either gluten free or could be modified so. Please go here if you get the chance!
Open Mon-Sat 11:30am-7:30pm
