Yutoriro Properties in Hakone

A lovely ryokan-style stay in Hakone A very good ryokan-style hotel offering great value for money and an excellent opportunity to experience an onsen in its natural setting. The kaiseki-style dinner was rich and beautifully presented, with plenty to taste and enjoy. Breakfast was equally generous – make sure you’re ready for it, as we were still full from the previous evening! Sleeping on futons was surprisingly comfortable, and the room’s opening window with a small terrace overlooking the garden was fantastic. We had to change rooms during our stay, and the staff were exceptionally helpful, taking every step to ensure we were happy. And we truly were – thank you, arigatou gozaimasu! Enjoy your stay!

First, a heads-up to anyone visiting this hotel: it's located in the Hakone mountains. If you're not driving, please, please be very careful not to get off the train in the wrong direction! We came down from Owakudani by train and got off at Naka-Gora. Both train doors opened when it arrived, and we exited through the left door. Little did we know, we were in for a world of trouble – I won't go into the dramatic details. After quite an adventure, we finally reached the hotel only to find out that if we had exited from the right side, it would have been just a few minutes' walk away. So, a word of caution: if you're coming down by train from the Owakudani direction, always exit on the right side! This was the most expensive hotel we booked during our trip to Japan. There were almost no shops nearby. We had pre-ordered dinner, which was a bit like sukiyaki. The hotel prepared all the washed ingredients and utensils for us. After dinner, we cleaned everything and placed it in a large basket, which we left outside our room door the next morning. Dinner was pretty good! However, to buy breakfast for the next day, we spent over half an hour walking up and down hills just to find a convenience store. I regretted not having bought breakfast in Hakone beforehand. The hot springs are separate for men and women. It gets dark early in the evening, so we couldn't see the scenery outside the onsen. The next morning, we saw the green landscape outside the window. The Japanese-style tatami room could accommodate six people and even had a kitchen. It was very spacious for the three of us. The hallway of our room offered beautiful mountain views, perfect for watching the sunrise. The view from inside the room was also very nice. The hotel is close to Gora Park, about a ten-minute walk, and not far from the Hakone Museum of Art.