Fujita Hotels in Ashigarashimo District

This was my second stay here. My previous visit with my child was so enjoyable that when a friend came to Japan, I brought them here for a night. Throughout our stay, the staff were incredibly kind and thoughtful. Both breakfast and dinner were very satisfying. However, at check-out, one particular staff member's attitude absolutely floored me. 1. For self-check-out, there were three machines. One was free, and there was no queue, so we just went ahead and used it. 2. After checking out, I wanted to inquire about the hotel shuttle and public bus routes and schedules, as we didn't have a car this time. Both manual check-out counters were busy with guests, so I stood behind them, waiting my turn. 3. Suddenly, a staff member came out from the side to guide guests queuing for check-out. She noticed I was inadvertently standing in front of the line she was directing. She gestured for me to move, and I apologized and immediately stepped aside. Then, when she had a moment, I asked her where I should queue to inquire about the hotel bus schedule. For some reason, she seemed extremely annoyed. She spoke to me with a blank expression for a couple of sentences, then realized I didn't speak Japanese, and that she couldn't explain it to me quickly. Our conversation wasn't even finished when she angrily turned and walked away... At first, I thought she was in a hurry to attend to the queuing guests, as it was peak check-out time, and that she'd get back to me. So I waited in a spot where I wouldn't bother her or her line. But then I realized she completely intended to ignore me! I just stood there waiting for her, hahaha. Eventually, I thought, 'This isn't right. Is getting a schedule really this difficult?' She was the only person available to ask, so I went up to her again and asked in English. She froze, looking at me with a surprised expression, perhaps not expecting me to come back after her impolite demeanor. So, she had to patiently, albeit reluctantly, quickly reply to me in English. I asked if she could give me a copy of the schedule. She didn't even say ”please wait a moment.” She just turned directly to the counter, grabbed a schedule, practically slapped it into my hand with a ”Pia!” sound, said absolutely nothing, and then spun around and walked away, hahaha. I even managed to say ”thank you” to her. I was stunned. A 2600 yen per night hotel, and in my two years in Japan, this was the first time I'd experienced such shockingly poor service. I suggest that during peak check-out times, more staff should be assigned, or essential information like schedules should be placed in a conspicuous location, which would also save staff the trouble. And while the hotel indicates Chinese-speaking service is available, if staff who only speak Chinese are discouraged from asking questions, then I suggest the hotel shouldn't be on platforms like Ctrip trying to attract Chinese customers in the first place.

Hakone Kowakien Ten-yu is a truly comfortable and relaxing ryokan that made our stay very enjoyable. The staff were attentive and welcoming from the moment we arrived by car, and they promptly helped unload our luggage and delivered it to the hotel. They also assisted with carrying our luggage back to the car during check-out. The room was well-equipped, clean, and very hygienic, and the high-floor view was wide and beautiful. Breakfast and dinner buffet were both satisfying, with delicious food and a good variety of choices. The onsen was also impressive, with two levels of outdoor baths that are alternated between men and women at different times, allowing guests to enjoy both. The water park-style onsen area was a bit less impressive, but overall, this ryokan deserves a very high rating. The official site highlights its open-air onsen, private baths in all rooms, and well-regarded dining, which matches the strong overall experience here

This was my first time visiting Hakone, and I chose Miharuya, a historic ryokan with a rich past, even visited by Sun Yat-sen. It's an older place, but overall quite good, and the value for money was decent. For less than 2000, it included breakfast and dinner for a family of three. The only downside was the inconvenient transportation. You need to take a shuttle from the main station, but thankfully, there's a free minibus that connects nearby hotels. A pleasant surprise was a large onsen amusement park nearby. It was my first time experiencing swimming and going down a slide in an onsen, and we spent a long time there – it was absolutely fantastic.

I stayed here for sightseeing in Hakone and to visit Yunessun. It's a tranquil ryokan with a small number of guests, so I could enjoy a peaceful stay. The room was spacious compared to a business hotel, very clean, and allowed for a relaxing time. I had already planned to visit an onsen, so the lack of a private bath wasn't an issue. Since there are few guest rooms, the public bath was almost like a private rental at certain times. Even otherwise, it was never crowded, and I didn't have to wait in line. They were accommodating with requests like luggage storage before and after check-in/out. I enjoyed the Yunessun pass and breakfast included. There's no restaurant inside the ryokan, so you'll need to buy food elsewhere. Although it seems to be part of the Yunessun group, there's no shuttle bus. There's a steep slope from the ryokan to the bus stop and to Yunessun, where there's a convenience store, so walking up and down was quite challenging. Furthermore, some parts of the 'sidewalk' weren't properly maintained, and there were few streetlights, so I was almost hit by a car at night, which was scary. I had to use my phone's flashlight to get back to the ryokan (though this isn't an issue the ryokan alone can fix). Location-wise, it's convenient for taking a bus to Owakudani and Hakone Shrine, so I'd recommend it. I encountered other guests only a handful of times, which made me feel like I had the place to myself – I really liked this ryokan. Thank you.

Great hotel, although the staff speaks no english but they will try all means to communicate with you, using their phone to translate.