Masutomi Ryokan — Hotel in Hakone

When we arrived at the Ryokan in the morning after hiking Mt. Fuji the day before, the lady (seems to be the owner) welcomed us and noticed my scratches/cuts that I got during the hike (the hiking trail includes some rock climbing, which I wasn't prepared). She immediately offered me a clean cloth to wash off the blood and Band-Aids for the cuts. She also highly praised our boys for what they achieved hiking Mt. Fuji. With this warm welcome, we started touring Hakone in a really pleasant mood :)

We came back about 5pm to check in. They already put our luggage to our room (quite some as this was near the end of our two-months of travel to Asia). After a nice shower in the onsen rooms, we were invited to the dinner. The food and the service were a blast! Every piece of the food is delicious, and the presentation is like an artwork. This is exactly what you want to reward yourself after a strenuous workout :).

When we came back to our room, they already made the Tatami bed ready for us. We booked the room for two adults and two kids. The bedroom has two single beds, and the living room has tatami for additional futons. We had a great sleep and were invited for a nice breakfast the next morning. When we were back, they already packed up the beddings on Tatami.

Overall we had a wonderful stay in this small hotel. Not only the owner was kind, but all staff were very friendly. The location is also super convenient. Even with our luggage, we could walk to the train station (traveling with luggage on buses could be a pain...

Spent a night here during winter in Hakone on a solo trip and had a beautiful time. The old innkeeper lady didn't speak any English but she was extremely nice and friendly and made my time here very enjoyable. I was able to get by with very basic Japanese (and they had a good instruction sheet in English, so you'll be fine), or use Google Translate with the free WiFi.

Perhaps because of this, I only saw Japanese tourists! Very atmospheric and nice Ryokan tucked away by a bridge just about 5 mins walk on a small uphill from Hakone Yumoto train station. I also had the in-house Kaiseki 4500Y dinner (2000Y also possible) and breakfast, and they were excellent! Rooms were basic but clean, traditional, and quiet, but at least mine had no attached bath (only bidet toilet).

However, the baths are amazing - that's what you're in Hakone for, right? Four different pools to bathe in, rotating between men and women, so I highly recommend you try to check them all out. According to the official onsen license, water from the spring comes out at 54.1C and is kept at 41.8C. The water is from a natural onsen spring (as opposed to heated tap water), and feels great. if you only go to one, definitely go to the open-air rotenburo (露天風呂) pool on Level 1 (the other 2 are in the basement), especially the octagon pool. It was nice in the winter air.

Overall, slightly cheaper Ryokan than most around Hakone, and perhaps not the most scenic, but definitely very atmospheric and has nice onsens. Would...

We only stayed here for one night and I wished it was more. The walk to the station is not far at all especially with suitcases on wheels. We arrived early and left our cases at the Ryokan and went for a walk around town and did all the tourist things. Ropeway, cable car, and even black eggs. ||We arrived back at the Ryokan exhausted. The lovely lady that runs the place was there to greet us. She was sweet and even with slight language barriers we had a few laughs and lovely customer service. We were taken to our room that was beautiful. ||Beds were comfortable, warm and cozy. The bathroom clean and sitting area was good. We used the shared bathroom it was a fun experience and a soak after a wash was fabulous.(tip 1: don't forget your little bag with your towel that is in the cupboard in your room.) We also booked the private roof top onsen (tip 2: take a bottle of water to drink with you as the water is hot)||Yukatas were great and ninja sock were fun to wear. ||I only wish we had pre booked dinner there as the breakfast was AMAZING. I would definitely not miss out on the breakfast if your thinking about it, traditional beautiful and delicious. ||Lots of restaurants within walking distance for dinner if you don't arrange anything. ||I would very happily return here for another stay. And have already recommended this place to friends. ||It might not be 5 stars on the books but my husband...