Ashigarashimo District Spa Hotels

This is my first time to experience this kind of pure Japanese-style hotel. Although I only stayed there for one night in a hurry, the experience was very rich and colorful. The service staff was warm and considerate. Although we relied almost entirely on translation machines and body language, it did not affect our communication. The aunt who was responsible for taking care of us would patiently help us change our clothes, remind us to appreciate the cherry blossoms, and ask us where to go. It felt like my own relatives were taking care of the children who came to travel. This is probably the meaning of a family hotel. Dinner and breakfast were very delicious and sufficient! The girls really couldn't finish it! When I learned that someone of us had a birthday, I got a handwritten blessing card, which was very touching! Our friends agreed to stay more time to come here next time!

When checking in, the hotel will explain the tourist route of Hakone. It's a no-brainer to check in and just follow the map provided by the hotel. The service exceeded my expectations. I felt like a princess returning home during my stay. I thought this was the standard Japanese service. But later I stayed in other hotels and found that the service of Gora Kadan is far better than other hotels of the same price. The room is a bit old and the shower is also very old, but it is cleaned quite well.

This hotel is absolutely stunning.  The view of Lake Ashi from our room was truly breathtaking.  The staff were incredibly helpful throughout our stay, and the buffet dinner was delicious with plenty of variety.  The location is excellent — just a short distance from the ropeway and the sightseeing cruise. You can also take the No. 3 bus from Togendai directly to the hotel, which helped us save money on taxi fares.   There’s a large shopping complex right next door, and I highly recommend the bakery, the staff were wonderful and the pastries were excellent.   We did experience a typhoon during our stay, and a little more advance warning from the hotel would have been appreciated.  However, we were able to leave early enough to avoid and arrived safely at our next hotel.

This hotel is a paradise in the mountains of Hakone! Traditional style of the rooms - it feels like you are living in a Japanese family. We were prepared a traditional dinner, which was served in our room. It was very tasty and varied! The hotel has 3 onsen: 2 - private, 1 - public. We visited only the private ones (you need to book a time in advance at the reception upon check-in, the visit time is 30 minutes). It was wonderful! The hotel also provides a transfer from and to the nearest train stations. The rooms are clean, cozy, we slept on tatami under soft blankets. The hotel has a relax room. With massage chairs and a very quiet atmosphere. We stayed in this room after visiting the onsen and got great relaxation. And you are also given national clothes for rest and sleep. It is very beautiful and cute. Breakfasts were also in kaiseki style - varied and unusual. The hotel staff is very kind and friendly. this hotel allows tattoo baths. great experience, thank you very much! want to come back again!

Yama No Chaya has its own beauty and serenity. I personally don’t find it hard to locate - 2 bus stops away from Hakone Yumoto station + a 5 minutes walk are worth the stay. (Bus service stopped for one of the days due to bad weather and we walked for 20 minutes to Hakone Yumoto Station - all good) The team is very hospitable - they also have some English and Chinese speaking staff otherwise simple English is not an issue to communicate. Our butler - Sandip always carry a smile with him, and he ensured we are very well taken care of. Every morning, the team will prepare heat pack and umbrellas for us (it was raining and snowing). In the evening, they made tea and prepared snacks (vary from mochi to sushi) for us upon our returned. The room we booked is Yamano Ichigo (main wing) - just nice for 2. The viewing platform was where we relaxed every evening and we soaked our tiredness away in our very own private onsen at the basement. Despite of having our own private onsen, I still went to visit 3 other public onsen within the Ryokan - you will not be disappointed. Our room came with daily breakfast and we added on dinner for 1 night. I must say the chef and culinary team put in their passion and effort to prepare all the dishes. It’s not common for a visitor like me to taste Kaisekai cuisine which I enjoyed very much. You need to take time and an empty stomach to full experience it :) However, my partner and I weren’t used to heavy breakfast and our butler noticed it - we get to change to western style for the rest of the stay which was equally delicious. We are thankful that we minimised food wastage. Overall, we felt pampered during our stay at Yama no Chaya :) I will return again in the future when I visit Hakone.

This time, I stayed here with my partner. The room was spacious and comfortable, and the food was delicious. The hot springs were very relaxing, and although the open-air bath was a little small, it was nice to be able to enjoy the view while soaking. The hotel has many services to enjoy during your stay, such as table tennis and a karaoke room (for a fee), and they also rent out board games and Othello. However, I was disappointed that the staff at the front desk seemed a little cold when I asked to rent a board game. Other than that, it was a very satisfying stay. They also offer a bus shuttle service, and I think it's great to be able to enjoy delicious food and hot springs at this price. I would like to stay here again if I have the opportunity.

I would recommend everyone to experience this ryokan at least once. A huge room with a kitchen, dining room, bedroom, bathroom, toilet and a hot bath. There is no window in the room with the bath, but because the bath is hot, you don't feel the coolness, but you can enjoy the views of the mountains. Dinner and breakfast - my respects! Gigantic and filling, but in the Japanese spirit. Fans of continental breakfasts in regular hotels will be sad. The staff is friendly. They try to speak English. It is not always possible to understand each other, but they try very hard! A special plus for this!

This is one of the best places I stayed! Thank you very much! The hotel is located a little bit far from the train station and I think this is the only downside (and I didn't suffer from it). The price is expensive, but it is worth it because 2 meals are included, and they have great service. The staff is from Nepal so if someone comes here and expects Japanese, they may be disappointed by that. But in fact, this is way better as they don't have those strict Japanese traditions and are more flexible for guests. The atmosphere and hospitality make you feel like you are at home. There are 2 buildings and I was in the second building that has a big onsen. The names of guests are written on a board, so you get a feeling they were waiting for you. I was checking in a few minutes after check-in hours (18:06 or so), so I was nervous. Fortunately, I didn't have any problems with that. Also, I didn't expect any meal for dinner because of my previous bad experience with the Japanese staff. And then I was surprised when the owner said that the dinner time starts at 6 PM! So I had the meal after 30 minutes. This is really convenient for tourists because you can see Hakone and come to the hotel on the last train from Gora station (that's what I did) and then you will have a great dinner! After I finished the meal, they gave me a dessert! Overall, it felt like a regal banquet. I really like it! After that it was already dark, so I walked around the hotel and took pictures. It looks nice and comfortable. Then I needed a rest before the public bath. The owner said I can use onsen any time I want, it is 24 hours open. I didn't check that though I used it 10-11 PM. There are 2 pools with serum and some minerals from the volcano. The pool inside is hotter and more comfortable. The pool outside is almost body temperature. Actually the water from the spring is hotter, but the water temperature in the pool decreased. There were private baths, but I was tired and didn't go to check them. After you finish bathing, you can drink cool water from the cooler near the entrance. The breakfast that was included in my plan and the staff again pleased me with that. I like the variety and quality of the food. After checking-out I had a free transfer to the train station. So, I had a wonderful experience with this hotel, and it is one of the reasons I want to visit Hakone again. Thank you very much!!!

This hotel is wonderful! The location is superb, right next to the funicular station, Gora. From Gora station, it's quite a steep climb, which would be tough with suitcases. You can take the funicular one stop and then walk on a flat path. Nearby are Hakone Park (free entry with Hakone Free Pass), Gora Brewery, and a grocery store. I really liked the accommodations; the rooms are spacious and well-equipped. You can pick up beautiful yukata for free near the elevators on each floor. Herbal tea is also available. The traditional kaiseki dinner lasts an hour and a half and includes drinks like fresh beer, plum wine, whiskey, shochu, sake, gin, juices, and lemonades. You can choose your dining time: 5:30 PM or 7:30 PM. Besides the hot springs themselves, the onsen also features a jacuzzi, sauna, and cold bath. In the fridge, there's cold fruit drink and ice cream. Overall, I had a most pleasant experience during my visit.

This ryokan is perfect for people who want to experience ryokan for the first time but want something cheaper within Hakone area. Situated on the main road with buses to Owakudani and train to Odawara. I'd recommend catching the bus from Odawara to this ryokan since the walking trail from the closest station to this place is hilly and has lots of stairs. Main road is not very luggage friendly so pack very light when you're staying here. This place has very nice rooms with view to the river behind it. The view is spectacular when the entire river area is covered in red autumn leaves. Dinner and breakfast are very delicious, you will be served a range of traditional food from a la carte to dessert. You can also book your private indoor onsen FOR FREE. The ryokan also has an open outdoor onsen across the bridge for 3000 JPY. The only downside of this place is the main road is very busy as it's the only way for people to drive from Odawara to Owakudani. So local people take this road to get to Owakudani. Buses from this place will not stop at there in the weekend. Your best plan is to go to Lake Ashi first and take the opposite route to Owakudani instead. Plan your trip in this area very carefully because a bus trip that would take 10-15 minutes will end up taking you 1 to 1.5 hours.