During the last three-day weekend my family took a trip to Yamanashi and stayed at a small cottage in the mountains. It had everything you could need - kitchen, fireplace, and even frogs.
Since a typhoon was approaching Japan around that time the weather was quite changeable, so we decided to cancel our hiking plans and keep to indoor activities such as musuems and the local farm to sample its ice-cream.
We even dabbled with starting our own wood fire in the fireplace in the evenings and it all felt very cozy. (Until we almost poisoned ourselves with smoke inhalation. Remember to check with the staff if you're unsure of how to use the equipment!)
On the last day of our trip we found a small retreat at the top of a mountain accessible by a cable car and enjoyed a few minutes of peace until the heavens opened up and reminded us that a typhoon was rapidly approaching.
All-in-all it was a nice trip although I was reminded of why I don't like to travel during long weekends; the traffic there and back was atrocious!
AH