Luxury Hotels Atlas / The Maison / FUFU
FUFU hotels
Modern ryokans bring hot-spring water into private room baths, with regional dinners to follow.
FUFU gives the ryokan a contemporary small-resort form, with a private hot-spring bath in the room and regional food at the center of the evening. Part of Kato Pleasure Group, its retreats draw their atmosphere from settings such as Kawaguchiko, Nikko, Nara, Kyoto, and Hakone, making privacy and the surrounding landscape part of the same experience.
8 FUFU hotels in 1 country on the Luxury Hotels Atlas, each placed on the six LHA Tiers.
- Owned by Kato Pleasure Group
- Worldwide: The Japanese brand site lists ten FUFU houses, all in Japan. The public atlas files five
- On the atlas: 2 Grand Luxury, 2 High Luxury, 4 Core Luxury
History
FUFU’s early growth brought its private-bath retreat idea to Kawaguchiko, Nara, and Nikko, followed by Kyoto and Hakone. The buildings take different design forms, including Kengo Kuma’s Nara hotel and Kyoto’s collaboration between Nikken Sekkei and TKN Architect. Regional materials and the hot-spring setting connect the houses.
Timeline
- 2018 — FUFU Kawaguchiko opens in October on Lake Kawaguchi: 32 suites, every one facing Mount Fuji.
- 2020 — FUFU Nara, designed by Kengo Kuma, opens in June on the grounds of Nara Park. Fufu Nikko opens on 2 October beside the Tamozawa Imperial Villa grounds, the fourth FUFU at that time.
- 2021 — FUFU Kyoto opens on 26 April in Okazaki, facing the Lake Biwa Canal, with hinoki baths in all 40 rooms.
- 2022 — FUFU Hakone opens on 26 January in Gora: 39 rooms in three buildings, each with a private open-air bath.
- 2024 — The Michelin Guide’s first Japanese hotel selection includes FUFU Hakone. It retains its Key in 2025, alongside Keys at the other four FUFU hotels selected by the Atlas.
The houses to know
- Fufu Kawaguchiko, Fujikawaguchiko, Japan — Thirty-two suites facing Mount Fuji, each with an open-air bath lined in volcanic stone from the mountain.
- FUFU Hakone, Hakone, Japan — Thirty-nine rooms in Gora, in three buildings, each with a private chloride spring and a sulfur bathhouse apart.
- Fufu Nikko, Nikko, Japan — Twenty-four suites beside the Tamozawa Imperial Villa, each with a private bath from the house's own spring.
- FUFU Nara, Nara, Japan — Kengo Kuma's 30-suite resort on Nara Park, every suite with an open-air spring, a walk from Todai-ji.
- FUFU Tokyo Ginza, Tokyo, Japan — The Ginza hotel fills its in-room baths with natural hot-spring water brought from Atami.
- FUFU Kyoto, Kyoto, Japan — Forty rooms in Okazaki, each with a hinoki bath of hot-spring water, facing the Lake Biwa Canal.
- FUFU Karuizawa Wind in the Sunshine, Karuizawa, Japan — Sunlight and Mount Asama set the rhythm at FUFU Karuizawa Wind in the Sunshine.
- FUFU Kyu-Karuizawa Restful Forest, Karuizawa, Japan — Firelight, natural spring water, and old Karuizawa woodland meet in every room at FUFU Kyu-Karuizawa Restful Forest.
Newest openings
- None of the five FUFU hotels selected by the Atlas opened during the period covered by the source review. Hakone, the newest of these five, opened on 26 January 2022. Opening dates for further hotels listed on the Japanese brand site have not been confirmed in those sources.
Opening next
- No further FUFU opening, with a confirmed year, was verified beyond the houses already named.
Every FUFU hotel on the atlas
Japan
- FUFU Hakone — Hakone · Grand Luxury
- Fufu Kawaguchiko — Fujikawaguchiko · Grand Luxury
- FUFU Nara — Nara · High Luxury
- Fufu Nikko — Nikko · High Luxury
- FUFU Karuizawa Wind in the Sunshine — Karuizawa · Core Luxury
- FUFU Kyoto — Kyoto · Core Luxury
- FUFU Kyu-Karuizawa Restful Forest — Karuizawa · Core Luxury
- FUFU Tokyo Ginza — Tokyo · Core Luxury
Open The Maison in the atlas for FUFU's full dossier, with prices and maps.