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JAPANESE MOUNTAIN SPA SOOTHES BODY AND SOUL

by Pam Hobbs

Myanoshita, Japan: This is MY kind of spa. Nobody counts the calories consumed or cajoles me into performing push-ups. There are no confidential chats with the doctor to uncover reasons for my slothful ways. No guilt feelings when I savour every mouthful of the excellent French cuisine....

Instead, what we have here are soothing mineral waters and intoxicating mountain air. Lovely gardens spread across the hillside, where I can sit alone in contemplation, feeling great about life....

Here, at the Fujiya Hotel, far removed yet only 90 kilometres from teeming Tokyo, I encounter impeccable service and a courtesy toward guess that is so consistent it seens to be inborn.....

For more than 100 years, royalty and foreign dignitaries from around the world have been coming here to rest from busy schedules. We, too, can enjoy traditional Japanese hospitality, Westrn comforts, healthful waters and a splendid Oriental setting. Wedged on a mountain slope high above the hamlet of Myanoshita, Fujiya is in the heart of Fuji-Hakone Izu National Park, said to be Japan's most scenic and most visited region.