Yamagaso — Hotel in Hakone

In the midst of a family holiday, having visited a few cities and before heading to Tokyo, I am so glad we booked for 2 nights to stay in the tranquil, scenic surroundings of Hakone. We wanted to experience a ryokan stay and, of course, we wanted to try an onsen while we were in Hakone, and better still if we could do it as a family. This ryokan ‘Yamagosa’ next door to the Senkei Hotel was just perfect. It was definitely a highlight of our whole trip.||I first decided we would stay in Hakone Yumoto, as we had already travelled via Shinkansen train to Odawara and changed to the local train for Hakone Yumoto; I didn’t fancy an extra leg of travel to get to Gora, for example. (Actually, I could see that although the train to Hakone Yumoto terminates there, the train on to Gora leaves from an adjacent line and it is a small station, so wouldn’t be much hassle to go on to Gora via the train.) Hakone Yumoto feels like a village that has grown with tourism to add shops, restaurants and hotels, yet it still feels like a bit of a sleepy village, restaurants close early - be warned!||I had booked two nights at the ryokan Yamagosa via Expedia, which was easy for booking and gave me flexibility with changes to my plans; however, if I had booked direct, I now know that the staff at the Senkei Hotel have decent English and it would have made it easier for me to make arrangements for arriving and meals ahead of our visit.||It is probably a 7 minute walk from Hakone Yumoto train stn, through some of the ‘main roads’ of the village, then up a road which runs adjacent to a lovely stretch of river, then you reach the Senkei Hotel on the left side of the road. The entrance to the Yamagosa ryokan annex is just before the hotel, but you need to check in via the hotel, unless you call ahead. Check in is from 3pm.||The Yamagosa annex has its own entrance off the road and feels completely different to the hotel next door: you step in to a building which is a guest reception and lounge area, beyond this is a pretty Japanese garden with streams and a winding path and several buildings dotted around. I think there are 6 ryokan in total, although I’m not sure I counted all of these. Our guest house was at the back of this garden and we were enchanted before we reached it. ||The onsen for ryokan guests is also in this garden: it worked brilliantly for us, as you could use it as a family group, shoes at the door indicated it was occupied but we never had to wait; you were asked to limit your use to 30 minutes, but this was long enough for us. It was lovely. ||Additionally, the hotel has its own public onsen: both indoor and outdoor ones. There is an indoor one for women and men, separately; and the outdoor one alternates for women one day and men the next. We didn’t use these, as we enjoyed the private family onsen together (to be honest, our children were nervous about going naked with lots of strangers in the public one!).||We booked a ryokan to accommodate a family of four, which also had its own small onsen called an ‘aoi’ (if I have that right). It looked lovely including its setting at the back of the ryokan building, but I didn’t end up using this, either.||If you stay in this kind of traditional ryokan, it is not like a hotel. For us, this was part of its charm and our memorable experience. Our ryokan building was constructed of wood, with sliding doors and paper screens; a stream ran beneath part of the building and trees loomed overhead. There were insects and birds around us, we could hear the noisy cicadas in the night and we even found a small crab at the entrance to our guest house. The building had a bedroom, a living room which we also used as a second bedroom, a small kitchen with a fridge, a toilet, bathroom and the mini onsen too. Some others were bigger and I think some had a terrace you could sit out on. There was air con and it worked ok once it got going.||On arrival, we were shown to our building and the older lady who looked after the ryokan (with help from a young man) fussed around us, bringing tea and a snack, checking where we would sleep and making up the futons on the floor, fetching yukata robes and wooden sandals and helping us to dress in these. This level of attention continued throughout our stay. Very charming. Sometimes funny, such as when my husband had stripped off to cool down and she popped by to bring some refreshing tea! We don’t speak Japanese and their English was a hundred times better, but still limited, so communication was interesting but mostly worked.||We wanted to enjoy the whole ryokan experience, so in addition to using the onsen and using the traditional Japanese clothing provided, we also asked if we could have breakfast on two days and dinner on one day. This was not the cheap option or the quick meal option, but each meal was fantastic and dinner, especially, was really wonderful. We ate in traditional fashion, seated on very low chairs just off the floor, at a low table. Dish after delicious dish came out. We didn’t know what we would be having and often didn’t know exactly what we were eating when it arrived, but it was all beautifully presented, small bowls of interesting foods that we would never have tried otherwise. Our children gamely tried it all. There was cooked fish and raw fish, many vegetable dishes, some egg dishes, pickles of course, different types of miso at each meal, rice of course, and a little meat here and there. If you enjoy Japanese food and beautiful food, I would highly recommend this. ||We spent one day doing the Hakone tourist route, which was lovely - beautiful scenery and good fun. (I recommend upgrading your Lake Ashi boat trip to first class for access to the uppermost and front decks on the...

In the midst of a family holiday, having visited a few cities and before heading to Tokyo, I am so glad we booked for 2 nights to stay in the tranquil, scenic surroundings of Hakone. We wanted to experience a ryokan stay and, of course, we wanted to try an onsen while we were in Hakone, and better still if we could do it as a family. This ryokan ‘Yamagosa’ next door to the Senkei Hotel was just perfect. It was definitely a highlight of our whole trip.||I first decided we would stay in Hakone Yumoto, as we had already travelled via Shinkansen train to Odawara and changed to the local train for Hakone Yumoto; I didn’t fancy an extra leg of travel to get to Gora, for example. (Actually, I could see that although the train to Hakone Yumoto terminates there, the train on to Gora leaves from an adjacent line and it is a small station, so wouldn’t be much hassle to go on to Gora via the train.) Hakone Yumoto feels like a village that has grown with tourism to add shops, restaurants and hotels, yet it still feels like a bit of a sleepy village, restaurants close early - be warned!||I had booked two nights at the ryokan Yamagosa via Expedia, which was easy for booking and gave me flexibility with changes to my plans; however, if I had booked direct, I now know that the staff at the Senkei Hotel have decent English and it would have made it easier for me to make arrangements for arriving and meals ahead of our visit.||It is probably a 7 minute walk from Hakone Yumoto train stn, through some of the ‘main roads’ of the village, then up a road which runs adjacent to a lovely stretch of river, then you reach the Senkei Hotel on the left side of the road. The entrance to the Yamagosa ryokan annex is just before the hotel, but you need to check in via the hotel, unless you call ahead. Check in is from 3pm.||The Yamagosa annex has its own entrance off the road and feels completely different to the hotel next door: you step in to a building which is a guest reception and lounge area, beyond this is a pretty Japanese garden with streams and a winding path and several buildings dotted around. I think there are 6 ryokan in total, although I’m not sure I counted all of these. Our guest house was at the back of this garden and we were enchanted before we reached it. ||The onsen for ryokan guests is also in this garden: it worked brilliantly for us, as you could use it as a family group, shoes at the door indicated it was occupied but we never had to wait; you were asked to limit your use to 30 minutes, but this was long enough for us. It was lovely. ||Additionally, the hotel has its own public onsen: both indoor and outdoor ones. There is an indoor one for women and men, separately; and the outdoor one alternates for women one day and men the next. We didn’t use these, as we enjoyed the private family onsen together (to be honest, our children were nervous about going naked with lots of strangers in the public one!).||We booked a ryokan to accommodate a family of four, which also had its own small onsen called an ‘aoi’ (if I have that right). It looked lovely including its setting at the back of the ryokan building, but I didn’t end up using this, either.||If you stay in this kind of traditional ryokan, it is not like a hotel. For us, this was part of its charm and our memorable experience. Our ryokan building was constructed of wood, with sliding doors and paper screens; a stream ran beneath part of the building and trees loomed overhead. There were insects and birds around us, we could hear the noisy cicadas in the night and we even found a small crab at the entrance to our guest house. The building had a bedroom, a living room which we also used as a second bedroom, a small kitchen with a fridge, a toilet, bathroom and the mini onsen too. Some others were bigger and I think some had a terrace you could sit out on. There was air con and it worked ok once it got going.||On arrival, we were shown to our building and the older lady who looked after the ryokan (with help from a young man) fussed around us, bringing tea and a snack, checking where we would sleep and making up the futons on the floor, fetching yukata robes and wooden sandals and helping us to dress in these. This level of attention continued throughout our stay. Very charming. Sometimes funny, such as when my husband had stripped off to cool down and she popped by to bring some refreshing tea! We don’t speak Japanese and their English was a hundred times better, but still limited, so communication was interesting but mostly worked.||We wanted to enjoy the whole ryokan experience, so in addition to using the onsen and using the traditional Japanese clothing provided, we also asked if we could have breakfast on two days and dinner on one day. This was not the cheap option or the quick meal option, but each meal was fantastic and dinner, especially, was really wonderful. We ate in traditional fashion, seated on very low chairs just off the floor, at a low table. Dish after delicious dish came out. We didn’t know what we would be having and often didn’t know exactly what we were eating when it arrived, but it was all beautifully presented, small bowls of interesting foods that we would never have tried otherwise. Our children gamely tried it all. There was cooked fish and raw fish, many vegetable dishes, some egg dishes, pickles of course, different types of miso at each meal, rice of course, and a little meat here and there. If you enjoy Japanese food and beautiful food, I would highly recommend this. ||We spent one day doing the Hakone tourist route, which was lovely - beautiful scenery and good fun. (I recommend upgrading your Lake Ashi boat trip to first class for access to the uppermost and front decks on the...

A very relaxing and atmospheric traditional Ryokan surrounded by a nice garden with very kind staff. Definitely get the meal options here, it's worth it.

The check-in process was very smooth, the male staff was able to speak English and guided us to our room, and took our bags over for us and showed us around the garden. You leave your shoes outside and wear socks on the tatami and they give you a Yukata and nightwear to wear around the property, as well as sandals. You are then served by a Nakai (Japanese female server) who takes care of laying out your futon and doing dinner and breakfast service. She is very kind and took care of us well. It may be a bit of a problem if you don't speak Japanese since she only speaks that, but she will try her best to help you and there is an information booklet for bath etiquette and a few other things. You are given green tea and a cookie upon entering.

The meals are very filling and dinner is served like 3 courses with a light cold fish starter, main course with shabu shabu and fruit to finish. They serve you tea and umeshu while you eat.

For breakfast they serve 1 large traditional breakfast. Fish, rice, hotpot and some other things. There is a menu in the information booklet for more drink options, Fuji cola was very nice and light. If you are uncomfortable with raw egg they can accommodate this.

Location wise the hotel is a 3 mins shuttle bus from the station away or a 12min walk even with luggage the walk was fine with great views of the river and nature. It is at the bottom of Hakone though so this place is better as a 1-2night short stay as it is further from the attractions. Keep in mind shuttle buses run early in the morning so you may need to checkout earlier

Overall for 101k yen for 2 people. I think it's expensive but well worth the value, and is comparable to other big Ryokan. In terms of price. For a traditional stay with kind staff you should come and enjoy it...