A trip to Hakone. 8 ryokan with Luxurious Rooms with Open-Air Baths

Hakone is known as one of Japan's leading onsen resorts with a history spanning more than 1,200 years. It is easily accessible from the Tokyo metropolitan area and is a popular tourist destination, but its abundant nature and leisurely pace of life have remained unchanged for many years.

While it's nice to be active and visit various places on your trip, we recommend a "stay-at-home trip" in Hakone, where many famous people such as Natsume Soseki and Charles Chaplin have soothed their fatigue. This travel style of staying in a slightly more luxurious ryokan than usual, relaxing in your room to your heart's content while soothing your fatigue in onsen, is perfect for calm couples and married couples looking for relaxation.

This time, we will introduce lodgings by area that have rooms with open-air baths, perfect for such a "stay-at-home trip." Please use this as a reference.

Hakone is also popular because it is easily accessible from the Tokyo metropolitan area. Tokyo It's only 80 minutes away from the inside, so you can easily visit it on weekends. There are three main ways to get there: by car, train, and highway bus.

It can be reached in as little as 100 minutes via the Shuto Expressway and Tomei Expressway. By car, you have more freedom when it comes to departure times and rest times, and it's also smoother when traveling within Hakone, as using the Hakone Tozan Railway or Hakone Tozan Bus would take a long time.

However, because it is a popular tourist destination, the roads will be extremely crowded during peak seasons. In particular, the area around Motohakone is expected to be extremely crowded, so it is best to avoid driving during peak times.

If you are traveling by train, you can get there in about 80 minutes from Shinjuku by Romancecar. Another advantage is that you can choose from the JR Tokaido Shinkansen or JR conventional express trains according to your budget and time. The Romancecar is a little expensive, but it is recommended because it has a spacious interior and is comfortable to travel in.

Also, while getting around Hakone can be a little difficult, if you're planning on staying at ryokan and not moving around much after you arrive, you can use the buses or shuttle buses that run around ryokan.

If you travel by express bus, it takes about 130 minutes from Shinjuku to Togendai in Hakone at the earliest. It takes longer than other access methods, but the appeal is that it is cheap and convenient because you don't have to do anything. There are also discount tickets that are bundled with Hakone's sightseeing spots and onsen bathing fees, so be sure to check them out.

Now, let me introduce the inn!

"Yui no Yado Yaeikan" is located about a 10-minute walk from Hakone-Yumoto Station, the gateway to Hakone. It is a retro-modern inn that combines Japanese and Asian tastes. It is located within walking distance of the Romancecar station, so it is very convenient for those coming by train.

This small ryokan has a total of 19 rooms, and has a warm, nostalgic atmosphere. Some of the rooms were renovated and newly built in 2010, and there are now a variety of unique rooms.

There are six guest rooms with open-air baths, and you can enjoy the semi-open-air or open-air baths as many times as you like. Depending on the room, you can enjoy a different bath, such as one overlooking the beautiful garden or one overlooking the majestic Hakone outer rim.

The fact that all meal in-room dining is a great point for a "secluded trip." Enjoy the seafood of Sagami Bay at your leisure. This is the perfect inn to spend some quiet, private time.

Hakone Yumoto Onsen Hakone Kamon is a 15-minute walk from Hakone Yumoto Station. This is an inn where you can enjoy plenty of onsen spring water from the private hot spring in a purely Japanese-style room. You can access it by taking the retro bonnet bus that runs from in front of the station.

This ryokan is thoroughly committed to creating a Japanese atmosphere, with tatami mats even in the corridors and elevators, making it a very pleasant experience to move around the building. This is a recommended ryokan for those wanting to treat themselves to a special anniversary or other special occasion.

All six of the guest rooms with open-air baths are located on the special top floor. As it is the top floor, you can see the magnificent mountains of Hakone from the open-air bath, which is very open. The open-air bath is also spacious, which is unique to the special floor. Both the rooms and the baths are very spacious, so you will feel relaxed without any sense of pressure.

Another major attraction is that each of the six rooms is designed with a different theme, allowing you to have a different experience every time you visit.

Kinnotake Tonosawa is located in a perfect location for a "secluded trip" as it can be reached by crossing the inn's own suspension bridge over the valley. This tranquil ryokan is hard to believe it is only about a five-minute drive from Hakone-Yumoto Station, and all rooms are luxuriously appointed with an open-air bath. It is a sister inn of Kinnotake Sengokuhara in Hakone, and has been extremely popular since it opened.

One of the concepts here is "a liberated zone for adults," and there are almost no partitions in the rooms. Because they are so particular about being free from everyday life, there are no TVs in the rooms. Look out the window at the bamboo forest and pond, and give your constantly working brain a break!

The terrace with the open-air bath is spacious, and the sofa bed is also a nice touch. The room is filled with light, so you can enjoy coffee or alcohol, or quietly read a book, and spend your time however you like.

Even in Hakone, where there are many ryokan and hotels, Hakone Ginyu is known as an inn that is difficult to book. Although it is relatively easy to access, just a five-minute walk from Miyanoshita Station on the Hakone Tozan Railway, the magnificent view that spreads out from the terrace in front of the front desk captivates many guests.

This magnificent view can also be enjoyed from the guest rooms equipped with open-air baths, and it seems that many repeat guests are captivated by the view and return.

All rooms are suites with open-air baths, and offer a relaxing atmosphere that combines Japanese and Balinese Asian elements with great taste.

Both breakfast and dinner meal in-room dining. The dining area and bedroom are separate, so meal are prepared without going through the bedroom, which is a plus point. Why not enjoy some time just for the two of you at an inn that takes privacy seriously?

Hakone Hakone Tokinoshizuku is located about a five-minute drive from Miyanoshita Station on the Hakone Tozan Railway. This luxurious ryokan has eight rooms, all of which are suites with open-air cypress baths. Everything from check-in to your stay is done in your own room, making it the perfect place for a stay-at-home trip.

The white-toned rooms are cozy spaces that reflect the inn's concept of a "Japanese auberge." Check-out is at 12:00 and breakfast is served in your room until 10:00, so it's perfect for those who want to relax!

The open-air baths in the guest rooms are large, allowing you to relax and unwind. The baths in the Grand Suite rooms in particular offer a magnificent view of the majestic mountains, giving you a feeling of openness and freedom. You can spend a relaxing time here.

Hakone Kowakudani Onsen Mizunoto is a 15-minute walk or 5-minute shuttle ride from Kowakudani Station on the Hakone onsen Railway. This inn is a little way off the main road, and some people get lost on their way there, so if you are coming by car, we recommend checking the website in advance.

The reason this inn is so popular is that it has a large public bath and a private open-air bath that can be rented by the hour, but the most recommended option is a room with an open-air bath. The large grounds are divided into a new building and a main building, and the new building is where the rooms with open-air baths are located. However, the baths in the rooms are not onsen, so if you want to take a bath in onsen you should use the large public bath or a private bath.

As the name of ryokan suggests, you can hear the faint sound of running water wherever you are in the building, which is very relaxing. Late-night snacks and coffee are provided, and the warm hospitality of the staff will make your stay even more memorable.

Hakone Gora Onsen Tokinoyu Setsugetsuka is located in the quiet and popular Gora area, the terminus of the Hakone Tozan onsen. It is only a minute's walk from the station, but the building is surrounded by mountains, making it a very quiet and relaxing place to stay.

All guest rooms have an open-air cypress bath, allowing you to enjoy a private space and time without any worries. You can choose from Japanese-style rooms, Japanese-Western style rooms, and Western-style ryokan, so you can choose the room that suits your mood and needs.

This popular inn offers a luxurious space with open-air baths in all rooms, yet is relatively affordable. It can be used casually for a variety of situations, such as a "stay-at-home trip" with friends.

Located right in front of the Hakone Tozan Bus Senkyoro mae bus stop is Sengokuhara onsen Senkyoro a traditional restaurant with a long-established atmosphere.

This long-established inn, founded in 1870, offers rooms with private open-air baths in the main building, west building, and special rooms in the annex. Each room is lavishly spacious, and the interior and lighting create a very calming and pleasant atmosphere.

From the calm and tranquil interior of the inn, where you can feel the dignity of a long-established ryokan in Hakone, you can enjoy the view of the waterfall, gardens, and mountains, and you can truly relax in an environment surrounded by tranquil nature. Let yourself be thoroughly healed by the cloudy white hot spring water, which is rare even in Hakone.

What did you think of our introduction to recommended ryokan in Hakone with rooms that have open-air baths? When you spend your days busy, you forget to relax and get used to being pressed for time. When you suddenly realize that, when you have finished work or an event, or on a small anniversary, why not take the plunge and go on a "stay-at-home trip" to Hakone? Enjoy the rich nature and soak in the hot waters that will warm your soul and let yourself be fully healed♪