I’ve been to a lot of unique hotels in Japan! From ultra modern capsule hotels to traditional Ryokans lost in Nature, I thought I’ve seen it all.
But when I stepped into the Fuji Speedway Hotel, I definitely felt that this place is special.
The concept is simple, they associated the luxury aspect of a high-end hotel with motorsports culture. And they chose the right location as this hotel is actually just next to a real circuit at the foot of Mount Fuji.
Sounds surprising, isn’t it? The result is actually awesome!
This hotel is actually part of the Unbound Collection by Hyatt. It’s a special collection of hotels that meets the high standards of a Hyatt hotel while adapting their identity and style to their location.
In this article, I will share my experience staying at Fuji Speedway Hotel so read on and feel free to send me any questions in the comment section below.
Motorsports Experience
Well, let’s start with the coolest thing you can do at this hotel. As mentioned above, the hotel is located next to Fuji Speedway official circuit. It’s a 4.5km circuit that hosts real races on a regular basis throughout the year. Some of the popular races include Fuji 6 Hours or also the Asian Le Mans Series.
Fuji Speed Hotel offers to their guests the opportunity to enjoy a driving experience within that circuit! You have the option to drive your own car or to hire the rental cars that are exclusively reserved for the hotel guests.
You will be able to choose the following rental cars:
- GR YARIS (Automatic)
- GR YARIS (Manual)
- GR SUPRA (Automatic)
- GR COROLLA (Manual)
- TOM’S SUPRA (Automatic)
I choose a red GR Supra Automatic for this experience. Make sure you book in advance to get your favorite car.
The experience starts usually at 12pm and the participants will line up at the entrance of the circuit. Please bring a valid driving license as it will be checked before to start the experience.
When you are all set, all the cars will enter the circuit and you will follow a safety car that you won’t be able to overtake. There’s also a safety distance of 20m that has to be respected between each car.
Driving in this circuit was really cool and you can admire the view on Mount Fuji during the trip. You also have the possibility to invite a passenger to enjoy the experience with you.
Don’t worry if you don’t have experience driving in a circuit, this is totally beginner friendly and you can drive at your own pace.
If you are a big fan of motorsports and you want to drive faster at the circuit, you will be able to get a Fisco License course. During this course, you will learn all the necessary information for sports driving such as driving manners, circuit rules and basically how to control your car while racing.
It’s a 2-hour course and if you succeed in the test, you will get your Fisco license that will allow you to race at the circuit during one year (renewable).
Karting Experience
No driving license? No problem!
If you don’t have a driving license during your visit to Fuji Speedway Hotel, you can still enjoy a driving experience with karting.
Indeed, you will find a smaller replica of the official circuit where you will be able to drive karts. The length of the circuit is around 500m and you can join sessions of 7 laps. Both beginners and experienced drivers are welcome to join this fun experience.
At the end of the race, you will be able to check the times you managed to get for each lap. The winners will be able to get pictures in a small podium so make sure you are in the top 3! 🙂
Fuji Motorsports Museum
It’s time to get to the hotel and start to explore it together. We will start with the Fuji Motorsports Museum that is located at the 1st and 2nd floor of the hotel. Hotels guests can get a 500-yen discount to enter the museum.
The museum tour was really interesting as they showcase the evolution of racing cars from the very first ones to today’s best sports cars. It was very interesting to see the differences and all the improvements that was made in just few years.
You will also be able to see the differences in design between countries, from Japanese cars to Italian, German or American.
Racing Simulator
You are back to the hotel but you still want a bit more adrenaline? Try the racing simulator available for free for hotel guests. It’s located in the fitness gym and you just need to book it in advance to enjoy it.
The simulator is actually quite close to the simulators that real drivers use for their trainings. Everything has been made to make you feel like you are in a real race, including vibrations of the whole machine. Very impressive!
You can choose different cars, select automatic or manual mode and you will race at the same Fuji Speedway circuit.
Rooms & Amenities
As I said, this hotel is part of the Hyatt group and it’s actually one of my favorite hotel brands. I’ve stayed already at the Hyatt Centric Ginza and the Grand Hyatt in Tokyo and I was never disappointed.
Fuji Speedway Hotel follows the same high-end standards of the other hotels of the group so you are guaranteed to get quality service during your whole stay.
The rooms are well decorated and have a lot of decoration details that reminds the motorsports theme. You can choose between a view on Mount Fuji or on the circuit and they both have a nice and comfortable balcony.
Please note that the hotel uses special soundproof windows that block quite efficiently the sound coming from the circuit. It was really impressive to see how efficient it is!
In addition to the rooms and suites, the hotel also offers independent villas that are dog friendly, even if you have a big dog.
If you want to relax, head to the Omika Wellness Spa!
You will be able to enjoy the onsen area (with natural hot springs) with a view on Mount Fuji. There’s also a sauna, a cold plunge and you can book massage sessions.
Don’t miss the 20m indoor swimming pool with a jacuzzi just next to it.
Dining at Fuji Speedway Hotel
One of the feature I really appreciated during my stay at Fuji Speedway Hotel is the fact that they use a lot of local products from Shizuoka prefecture. The hotel is committed in trying to support local businesses as much as possible while offering the best quality products for their guests.
The local food from Shizuoka include:
- Unagi (Japanese eel)
- Wagyu (Japanese beef)
- Salmon trout
- Amela tomato grown in Shizuoka
Shizuoka is also famous for its beautiful tea fields so I recommend you to order a tea tasting set during your stay. It will be served like wine in fancy bottles and glasses. The taste is really different from one tea to another!
Fuji Speedway Hotel has 3 main restaurants and a bar:
- TROFEO Italian that offers Italian cuisine for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
- TROFEO Lounge where you can enjoy afternoon tea.
- Robata Oyama that offers barbecue-style (Robata) Japanese cuisine for dinner.
- BAR 4563 for snacks and drinks at evening time. Please note that they have a private room where you can play Gran Turismo 7 with your friends and family.
As you probably know, Japanese whisky is getting very popular and the BAR 4563 offers local whisky that comes straight from Shizuoka distilleries.
Feel free to ask the talented mixologist to prepare for your a customised cocktail with your favorite ingredients. Just tell what you usually like and he will make it happen for you.
And make sure to try a glass of engine oil.. It’s actually gin! 🙂
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I hope you enjoyed this introduction of the very unique Fuji Speedway Hotel. If you are visiting Japan and you want to experience something a bit different while being close to Mount Fuji, you know what to do!
I didn’t mention it but they are also offering other activities to do around the hotel, including renting an e-bike, riding a horse in a local farm, hiking in the surrounding mountains, visiting a local shrine and a lot more. Trust me, you will never get bored during your stay!
More info about the hotel and how to book your stay at their official website.
Safe trip and send me your questions, if any, in the comments below.
MF