Mikawaya Ryokan — Hotel in Hakone

This was my first experience with Ryokan, and I would highly recommend this for any person’s first time.

Location: this was reasonably accessible if you’re used to Tokyo transportation, so easy bus lines to and from wherever you need to go. It’s 5 stops away from Gora Station to tackle the normal Hakone tourist destinations.

Building: this is an older building, but I felt this was very well maintained. We have a double room with tatami mats, that had so much more room than I would have expected. Everywhere felt clean and very comfortable. I did notice the floors were did have squeaks, so I wish I could apologize to my neighbors who could hear every footstep, even if I took the time to walk slowly.

Service: I would like to primarily point out Anjali was an incredibly kind and gracious staff member. She was attentive, helpful, and all around a wonderful person. It was awesome to see her switch back and forth fluently between Japanese and English to handle al of her patrons. With that said, all of the were kind and efficient. Overall, there won’t be any problems for a foreigner traveling here.

Onsen: as a foreigner, pay attention that this is not a tattoo friendly location. You can use the private baths with no problem though, which all had their strengths. The public bath didn’t have too great of a view, but this was clean and had everything needed. If I could redo anything, I would likely aim for having the outside private bath with the room for the view. Otherwise, this was a very pleasant experience and after a day of travel, it was always nice to hop into the baths.

Food: for a $250 per person stay, this could have better food, but combined with everything else, this was very pleasant for me. I normally eat a large amount, but everything offered here was tough for me, especially because I helped out my partner finish her meal. All meals involved some form of hotpot. For most travelers, the first dinner and breakfast is likely the same from what we could see. Dinner was an amazake hotpot with slices of meat. Breakfast had a silken tofu dish. Every meal had multiple courses including some form of sushi and other additions.

Overall, Mikawaya is a fantastic destination, and this definitely offers a great experience for a traveler that wants something slower and intimate. While we saw many patrons at dinner, we didn’t really see much traffic throughout the location. Be aware that their wifi speeds are extremely slow. I took this as a positive to disconnect from the...

Despite seeing some negative reviews, I booked Mikawaya hoping for the best, because there were so many more positive reviews. Unfortunately, the negative reviewers were right. For $466 a night, I expected something luxurious, but this ryokan was nothing of the sort. If the price had been half that, I would not have been so disappointed.

Overall, the ryokan feels run-down. Our room was dingy, with poor lighting, and it felt like it hadn’t been updated since the 1970’s. The closet door had a tear in it, and the faucet was loose. Hot water at the sink only came out in a trickle. There was a terrible smell in the hallways that was reminiscent of the spray they use for bowling shoes.

As far as the meals, neither the Western nor the Japanese breakfast was very good. Not great coffee. The sausages were like small hot dogs, and the scrambled eggs were essentially liquid. The bread and croissant were low quality. I get that the Japanese breakfast is traditional but most of the items, like salted plum, and gummy fish cake, just weren’t tasty. Dinner was better than breakfast, but most of the appetizers were served cold. Again, some of the items, like seaweed jelly, just weren't appealing. Hot pot is the main course every night. Hot pot is essentially boiled meat (not the best way to cook meat) and vegetables in a not-very-flavorful broth. Compared to the amazing meals we had at restaurants on our trip, the dinners here were just so-so.

You have to pick your mealtimes when you check in, and breakfast is served only at 7, 7:30 or 8, and dinner was at 5:30 every night. We would have preferred later times.

There were some positives: the shuttle bus that takes you to and from Gora Station is convenient. They give you a large quantity of food. Each dinner includes sashimi and it was good. The staff was friendly and courteous. The in-room onsen was the highlight...

We stayed for one night in one of Mikawaya Ryokan’s few, private, open-air onsen rooms.

You can take a bus from Hakone Yumoto Station to a bus stop (Horaien Bus Stop) that is directly at the foot of the ryokan.

First off, the building is gorgeous (the owner later explained that it is 140 years old). We arrived several hours prior to our check in time, but the staff still kindly took our bags so that we could explore the town without being weighed down.

Upon checking in, the staff ushered us to a tea room which overlooked the verdant surroundings. They served us tea and a small, red bean-filled mochi ball.

After relaxing thusly for 20-30 minutes, they led us to our room. The room was clean and well-furnished. The closet held several yukata (traditional Japanese robes) in different sizes, for use during one’s stay.

The room adjoined the open air onsen: a large, private, wooden deck with a shower on one side and onsen on the other. The onsen included a cold water faucet for adjusting the water temperature.

Dinner was at 5 PM. We joined other guests in a dining room, but each party had its own table in a private nook. Dinner was a delicious hot pot plus many interesting side dishes.

The next morning, breakfast was served in the same dining room. It consisted of a number of small dishes which were tasty.

Presentation and quality of both breakfast and dinner were top notch.

After checking out, we went to explore the town, during which time we were drenched by rain. That evening, when we returned to the ryokan for our luggage, the owner kindly offered that we could avail ourselves of the public onsen and change our clothes.

Throughout our stay, we were impressed by how attentive and helpful...