Koshu Hoto Kosaku Kawaguchiko
SaveA restaurant for hoto wheat noodles, with 250 seats around sunken hearths and kotatsu tables.
Wild boar and bear hoto sit on the same menu as the pumpkin one.
MoreWhat kind of place
Koshu Hoto Kosaku is a Yamanashi restaurant company built around hoto, the region's thick wheat noodle; it was founded in May 1972 and runs nine locations.
The Kawaguchiko branch seats 250 people, around sunken hearths and at tables with a footwell underneath. Wild boar hoto at 2,700 yen and bear hoto at 4,200 yen sit on the menu beside the pumpkin one.
The house-made sesame chili condiment is the thing to buy before you leave: only this branch and Yamanakako sell it, and there is no mail order.
Sources and evidence (14)
- The Kawaguchiko branch has 250 seats.source
- The Kawaguchiko branch has a ramp at the entrance and a wheelchair-accessible restroom.source
- Past the entrance ramp, the Kawaguchiko branch has no ordinary chair-and-table seating: you move to a hearth seat or a kotatsu seat, or go up onto the raised floor in the wheelchair and use a table that clips on.source
- Since the restaurant is built around hoto, wheat and soy run through many of the ingredients, and the hoto noodles themselves are wheat.source
- The hoto noodles are made on the same production line as noodles that use egg and buckwheat.source
- The quail egg that tops chanko hoto and the rice porridge dishes can be left off if you say so when you order.source
- The other hoto dishes use no egg, buckwheat, dairy, or peanuts, though the burdock kinpira served with the pumpkin hoto uses sesame and sesame oil.source
- Soba and hoto are cooked in two separate pots, but the restaurant notes that a trace of buckwheat flour may still get mixed in.source
- Four dishes contain neither meat nor seafood, namely pumpkin hoto, mushroom hoto, suiton, and mushroom suiton, but all four use a bonito stock; the only dish free of meat and seafood down to the broth is the azuki bean hoto.source
- The house-made sesame chili condiment is sold over the counter at only the Yamanakako and Kawaguchiko branches, and is not sold by mail order.source
- The menu lists wild boar hoto at 2,700 yen, bear hoto at 4,200 yen, and raw horse meat at 1,200 yen, so meats you may never have eaten sit there as ordinary choices.source
- Oyster hoto at 2,400 yen is served only from November through March.source
- Because the menu differs among the nine branches, even the Kawaguchiko page tells you to check inside the restaurant.source
- The restaurants are run by Koshu Hoto Kosaku Co., with its head office at 1-4-11 Kitaguchi in Kofu; the company was founded in May 1972 and has nine locations.source
With kidsThe part that matters
No one gets a reservation at this branch, individuals or groups, so tables go in the order people arrive and on a busy day the door can close before last order.
Seating is mostly up on the raised tatami floor, at sunken hearths or at tables with a footwell underneath, so legs hang down instead of folding under you.
One adult's hoto can be shared with a child, and if that is not enough, rice balls with miso soup are 710 yen, so a small appetite gets topped up without a second bowl.
The lot holds 70 cars and only two or three more can wait inside the gate, and the road out front is a no-stopping zone, so arriving to a full lot means driving away and coming back.
Sources and evidence (4)
- A long queue already 15 minutes before opening; your name is called some 30 minutes later, into a 250-seat tatami hall.source
- Shoe lockers sit just inside the sliding door. Hearths and kotatsu-style tables under a high ceiling. Aim just after 11.source
- Half empty just before six, then full with a waiting line. The pot lands 3 minutes after ordering, onto bare wood.source
- Winter, late afternoon off the lunch peak: straight in, no wait. In the good seasons, expect a queue at lunch.source
By age0-1 / 2-3 / 4-6
- Ages 0-1There are 250 seats around sunken hearths and kotatsu tables, plus the slightly raised chairs made for tatami seating. At a horigotatsu table you sit with your legs down in the well. You can share from an adult's bowl of hoto and add a rice ball with miso soup for 710 yen.The Kawaguchiko branch takes no reservations from individuals or groups - calling 0555-72-1181 will not hold a table, and you are seated in arrival order. On long weekends, Obon (Aug 8-16), New Year and any weekend or holiday, they may stop letting people in before the 19:30 last order. The car park holds 70 cars and only two or three can wait on the property; the prefectural road out front allows no stopping. Hoto uses a lot of wheat and soy, and the noodles are made on the same line as noodles containing egg and buckwheat.
- Ages 2-3Pumpkin hoto is 1,450 yen and azuki hoto 1,400 yen, and the azuki one is the single dish with no meat or seafood even in the stock. A rice ball with miso soup is 710 yen and motsu-ni 600 yen, so you can share from an adult's hoto and top the child up. At a horigotatsu table they sit with their legs down in the well.The quail egg on top of chanko hoto and the rice porridges can be left off if you say so when ordering. The other hoto dishes use no egg, buckwheat, dairy or peanut, though the burdock kinpira with the pumpkin hoto uses sesame oil and sesame seeds. Soba and hoto are cooked in two separate pots, but the notice says a trace of buckwheat flour may still get in. Since the branch takes no reservations, the wait is impossible to predict.
- Ages 4-6The menu lists wild boar hoto at 2,700 yen, bear hoto at 4,200 yen and horse sashimi at 1,200 yen on the same page as the 1,450-yen pumpkin hoto. There are choices beyond hoto too: a shrimp tempura rice bowl at 1,500 yen, a pork loin cutlet set at 1,500 yen, and mugi-toro rice at 1,000 yen. From November to March, oyster hoto joins them at 2,400 yen.Ozara and tempura ozara (chilled hoto), softshell turtle hoto and torimotsu-ni cannot be ordered at the Kawaguchiko branch; the nine branches carry different menus and the page tells you to check in the shop. Hours are 11:00-20:00 with last order at 19:30, and there is no closing day. There is a ramp at the entrance and an accessible toilet. The house-made spicy sesame chili condiment, goma-togarashi, is sold over the counter only here and at the Yamanakako branch, with no mail order.
By weatherRain, heat, cold
- Rainy dayAll 250 seats are indoors at sunken hearths or sunken-kotatsu floor tables, there is no terrace seating, and the entrance has a ramp.
- Hot dayNot checked yet
- Cold dayNot checked yet
Time needed1 h
How was it with your kids?
Not greatGreat
Family checks✓ easy for your family
- ElevatorElevator：not checked
- Stroller OKStroller friendly：not checked
- RentalStroller rental：not checked
- NursingNursing space：none
- ChangingDiaper changing table：with conditionsconditions
- Diaper binDiaper disposal bin：with conditionsconditions
- Family WCFamily restroom：with conditionsconditions
- Kids' toiletKids' toilet seat & step stool：none
- Own foodOutside food allowed：not checked
- EnglishEnglish support：not checked
Tap a mark for details
* Other not checked (11)
Child entry policy, Private room, Kids' tableware, Baby food policy, Non-smoking, Official family-friendly certification, Best-fit ages (guide), Crowding (guide), Quietness (guide), Serving speed (guide), Lost-child support
Green = we confirmed it. Gray = not checked yet. Gray with a line through = the place does not have it.
Worth a look before you go
Japanese · opens translatedFirst-hand
A long queue already 15 minutes before opening; your name is called some 30 minutes later, into a 250-seat tatami hall.
Yamanashi's handed-down hoto: Koshu Hoto Kosaku, Kawaguchiko branch
Japanese · opens translatedFirst-hand
Shoe lockers sit just inside the sliding door. Hearths and kotatsu-style tables under a high ceiling. Aim just after 11.
Around the Fuji Five Lakes: hoto shops you must try (1) Koshu Hoto Kosaku
Japanese · opens translatedFirst-hand
Half empty just before six, then full with a waiting line. The pot lands 3 minutes after ordering, onto bare wood.
Kawaguchiko, Yamanashi: Koshu Hoto Kosaku, Kawaguchiko branch
Japanese · opens translatedFirst-hand
Winter, late afternoon off the lunch peak: straight in, no wait. In the good seasons, expect a queue at lunch.
Kawaguchiko: cherry blossom season is near - how about hoto at Kosaku after the flowers?
Koshu Hoto Kosaku Kawaguchiko · Links & reads ▾
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Where to go next
Where it is
1638-1 Funatsu, Fujikawaguchiko-machi, Minamitsuru-gun, Yamanashisource2
Before you go
- Only two of the nine branches, Kawaguchiko and Yamanakako, refuse reservations entirely; the others can be booked by calling each restaurant directly.source
- Reservations cannot be made through the inquiry form, and the seven branches that accept them are reached by phoning the restaurant itself.source
- During the Obon period, August 8 to 16, every branch stops taking reservations and seats people in the order they arrive.source
- On long weekends, during Obon and the New Year period, and on weekends and holidays, the restaurant may stop admitting people before last order, as it announced on July 23, 2026.source
- Every branch has short-legged chairs for the tatami seating as well as seats at tables with a well for your legs; ordinary chair-and-table seats are limited, so you may have to wait for one when it is busy.source
More notes (6)
- The Kawaguchiko branch takes no reservations from individuals or groups; calling 0555-72-1181 will not hold a table, and everyone is seated in the order they show up.source
- The road in front of the restaurant is a prefectural road where police do not permit stopping or parking, so there is nowhere to wait outside even when the lot is full.source
- No branch admits pets, including in a carrier in a private room, and there is no terrace seating.source
- Ozara and tempura ozara, the chilled hoto dishes, cannot be ordered at the Kawaguchiko branch.source
- Softshell turtle hoto at 6,500 yen is not available at the Kawaguchiko branch.source
- Torimotsuni, the simmered chicken giblets, is not available at the Kawaguchiko branch.source
Basics
- Fee：Bring cash. A notice of 28 July 2026 says the card processor went bankrupt, so cards are out for the time being and payment is cash only (the branch page and the FAQ still say cards are taken - the notice is the newer of the two). Kabocha hoto is 1,450 yen, azuki hoto 1,400, pork hoto 1,850; a rice ball with miso soup is 710 and stewed offal 600, which is the cheap way to add something for a child. Rice sets such as tempura prawn don and pork cutlet run 1,500. Set menus for groups are 1,900, 2,600 and 3,000 yen. Prices and the line-up differ between the nine branches, so treat these as a guide.source23
- Hours：11:00-20:00, last orders 19:30, open every day (closures are announced on the site). The 19:30 figure holds on ordinary days only: on long weekends, at Obon, over the New Year and on weekends and holidays the door can be closed before last orders.source2
- Time to allow：1 h
- Booking：This branch takes no bookings at all - not from individuals, not from groups - and seats people in the order they arrive; the same is true of the Yamanakako branch, while the other seven branches do take bookings by phone. The inquiry form cannot be used to book. Over the Obon week (8-16 August) every branch turns bookings down. On long weekends, Obon, the New Year period and weekends and holidays, the door can close before last orders, so aim early rather than late.source234
Basics in detail (8)
Hours and closures
- Hours are 11:00 to 20:00 with last order at 19:30, and there is no regular closing day; any closure is posted on the website.source
Getting there
Fees
- Pumpkin hoto is 1,450 yen, azuki bean hoto is 1,400 yen, and pork hoto is 1,850 yen.source
- Rice balls with miso soup are 710 yen and simmered offal is 600 yen, either of which can round out a child's share of an adult's hoto.source
- There are rice dishes besides hoto, including shrimp tempura over rice at 1,500 yen, a pork loin cutlet set at 1,500 yen, and barley rice with grated yam at 1,000 yen.source
- The menu notes that prices can differ between the nine branches and that some branches do not carry every dish, so these figures are a guide.source
- Group sets come in three levels: 1,900 yen with pumpkin hoto, a small side and pickles; 2,600 yen with raw horse meat added; and 3,000 yen with raw horse meat and simmered abalone.source
Once you've decided
evidence & sources (11)
- Official: Family restroom, Indoor / outdoor, Tatami seating
- mamamap.jp: Diaper changing table, Nursing space, Diaper disposal bin
- 4travel.jp: High chair, Kids' menu
- mamamap.jp: Nursing space
- Official: Kids' menu
- Official: Stroller access notes
- Official: main site
Seating is all tatami, at sunken hearths and kotatsu tables. A ramp reaches the door, but the floor beyond is tatami, so a stroller is left outside the seating. The noodles are wheat, made on the same line as egg and soba noodles. The quail egg on chanko hoto and the ojiya dishes comes off if you ask when ordering. Parking holds 70 cars, with room for only two or three more to wait on site. The road outside is a prefectural route where stopping is not allowed.
| Stroller friendly | Not checked yet | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diaper changing table | Yes | In the wheelchair-accessible toilet, not a separate baby room. One changing table, with a diaper bin beside it but no sink or basin. Three people record using it, in 2017 and in March 2026. | Web-checked | checked Sep ’26 | mamamap.jpmamamap.jp |
| Nursing space | No | No nursing room. Mamamap, a database of parenting facilities, lists this restaurant with zero nursing rooms (checked 22 March 2026), and the official site mentions neither a nursing room nor hot water for formula. The nearest nursing rooms on record are around Kawaguchiko Station: the Fujisan World Heritage Center (2F) and the Kawaguchiko Shopping Center BELL (1F), each with a nursing room and a changing table. Only their distance from the station is published (1.4 km and 1.1 km) - no source gives the distance from this restaurant. | Web-checked | checked Sep ’26 | mamamap.jpmamamap.jpmamamap.jp |
| Family restroom | Yes | A wheelchair-accessible toilet. Nothing is stated about a baby seat or a changing table in it. | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | kosaku.co.jp |
| Diaper disposal bin | Yes | A diaper bin stands by the changing table in the multipurpose toilet. There is no sink or basin there. | Web-checked | checked Sep ’26 | mamamap.jp |
| Kids' toilet seat & step stool | No | The multipurpose toilet has no child seat, no child-size toilet and no paper seat covers (Mamamap listing, checked 22 March 2026). Nobody has recorded what is inside the other toilets. | Web-checked | checked Sep ’26 | mamamap.jp |
| Elevator | Not checked yet | ||||
| Indoor / outdoor | Indoor | All seating is indoors. The official FAQ states that no branch has terrace seating. | Web-checked | checked Sep ’26 | kosaku.co.jp |
| Outside food allowed | Not checked yet | ||||
| English support | Not checked yet | ||||
| Child entry policy | Not checked yet | ||||
| High chair | Yes | A visitor records that children's chairs were available at the tatami tables, in September 2015. How many there are is not known, and the official site does not mention them. (The children's chairs in the official FAQ belong to the Yamanakako branch, not this one, and the slightly raised chairs it offers for tatami seating at every branch are adult seats.) | Web-checked | checked Sep ’26 | 4travel.jp |
| Tatami seating | Yes | Seating is tatami: sunken-hearth seats, sunken-floor kotatsu tables, and raised chairs for the tatami rooms. There are no ordinary table-and-chair seats at this branch, and no terrace. | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | kosaku.co.jp |
| Private room | Not checked yet | ||||
| Kids' menu | No | There is no children's menu. The official menu - 13 hoto, 11 rice dishes, 6 sides and 5 drinks - has no children's item, and hoto comes only in full portions with no small size. To add something for a small child instead: a rice ball with miso soup (710 yen), stewed offal (600 yen), or a soft drink (300 yen); one visitor was also given children's tableware. There are further dishes beyond the printed menu to ask about in the shop, so it is worth asking. | Web-checked | checked Sep ’26 | kosaku.co.jpkosaku.co.jp4travel.jp |
| Kids' tableware | Not checked yet | ||||
| Baby food policy | Not checked yet | ||||
| Non-smoking | Not checked yet | ||||
| Allergy support | Yes | The FAQ answers allergy questions directly. Hoto noodles are wheat, made on the same line as egg and soba noodles, and wheat and soy run through the menu. The quail egg on chanko hoto and the ojiya dishes can be left off if you say so when ordering. Other hoto contain no egg, soba, dairy or peanut, though the burdock kinpira on the kabocha hoto uses sesame and sesame oil. Soba and hoto are boiled in separate pots, but a trace of soba flour can carry over. | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | kosaku.co.jp |
| Official family-friendly certificationExtra info — guide only | Not checked yet | ||||
| Best-fit ages (guide)Extra info — guide only | Not checked yet | ||||
| Crowding (guide)Extra info — guide only | Not checked yet | ||||
| Quietness (guide)Extra info — guide only | Not checked yet | ||||
| Serving speed (guide)Extra info — guide only | Not checked yet | ||||
| Lost-child supportExtra info — guide only | Not checked yet | ||||
| Stroller access notesExtra info — guide only | Yes | Parking for 70 cars, with room for only two or three more to wait on the site when it is full. The road outside is a prefectural route where the police do not allow stopping, so there is nowhere to sit and wait in the car. The entrance has a ramp and there is a wheelchair-accessible toilet, but the seating beyond it is tatami, so a stroller has to be left before you sit down. | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | kosaku.co.jpkosaku.co.jp |
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