Tsubaki — Hotel in Yugawara

If you love Japanese culture, traditional old school service, and exceptional Japanese high-end multi-course food, this is it. Go and have this experience this before these historic inns disappear. ||Expensive? Yes. Great value? Absolutely. This type of inn with such dedication to excellence are national treasures. ||||I loved the ritual greetings and the subtle decor. It is like an old, expensive, well-kept house. Sure, the cream coloured carpets showed their age but this is all part of the ambience.||||First impression was almost a deafening stillness at the inn once we stepped through the door, removed our shoes and changed into slippers. It was a true entrance between the outside and inside. ||||We were greeted with exquisite politeness and shown to a large room where we were seated to face the rock garden. Then came the hot towels, tea and the little mochi. My family started sit up a bit straighter to whisper instead of talking in our normal voices. It was almost if we were gently moulded into our best behaviour by the setting. This continued when we completed the checkin at leisure, selected the hour of our meal times, drinks, and spa treatment and for at least an hour after we were shown our room. I had booked a private onsen with a lemon scented hinoki cypress wooden tub on a deck over the creek. With a blooming camelia bush arching over water, the room was idyllic. The bathroom/shower had another door that led to the tub. This perfect set-up has the potential to ruin any future hot springs vacation as it is now the 'gold standard'. ||||The host and hostess did not speak English but our server for the two nights was a lovely young woman whose next job was a one year working visa to the US. So we had some good basic conversations. ||||Food was wonderful. At first I was concerned about whether it would be a waste of money for the non-adult. However, our teenager surprisingly tried and could appreciate the massive effort of putting together the meals. As each course was served, we had time to discover and discuss each dish as a family. Small example on the value aspect: At Tsubaki, there were an exuberance of unique artisanal ceramics and lacquer ware are used at each meal. It takes years to accumulate and care for such dishes and the chef has to carefully consider his plating and presentation to create a harmonious composition. Each dish was subtle and flavourful. Thankfully we had all the time to savour slowly. Wished we had more room for the Hokkaido white rice, which was poetry in itself. ||||Futon and the hugely fluffy duvets were great, as were the pj's. Spa was expensive but I would recommend it. Again, wonderful greeting. Incense, hot towel, foot bath. Not sure what treatment I had because I fell asleep until the therapist woke me to take me back to the room. ||||Tsubaki is a treat to be savoured slowly. At least one night. Best stay 2. ||||Note about going to Hakone: And it is easier and faster to take a taxi from the hotel and the back roads to Hakone/Lake Ashi to see that shinto gate on the lake than to taxi to train station, train to Odwara, change train to Hakone,...

My husband and I just returned from a one night stay at this resort. We had booked for two nights, but cut our trip short. The reviews we read about this property do not emphasize some of the concerns a Western traveller might have. First of all, no one speaks English. If you have a problem, there is no one to help you, unless you speak Japanese. This is a very authentic ryokan, so be sure to understand the experience you are signing up for. We had requested a room with western beds, but did not receive them. We were told the ryokan was full and we could not change our room. I have some serious knee problems and found it quite difficult to sleep on the tatami mat floor with just a thin futon. We had to eat at a very low table. They asked me if I had any allergies, and when I said 'yes', they were unable to ask any further as to what they might be. One of the other reviews suggested that they ask you your food preferences. We did not find that to be the case. I found the food extremely challenging and ate very little. It was beautifully prepared and presented, but fish intestines are not appealing, no matter how they are plated. There are two very low, uncomfortable chairs in the room, a small table and nothing else. There is nowhere to relax or take a nap. There is nothing to do other than drink in their lounge or go to the Onsen. On a practical note, there is nowhere to plug in your computer. We immediately expressed our concerns to management and told them we would like to check out. We were told that we could leave, but there would be no refunds or credits whatsoever. While I acknowledge that their cancellation policy expressly provided for that, it was somewhat disappointing, given that they could not accommodate our bedding preferences. After a sleepless night we left first thing in the morning. The cost for our second night was $1300 Canadian, which we forfeited. Upon leaving the hotel they presented us with a bill for 216 yen for a bottle of water that I had consumed from the mini-bar. I was shocked by this, particularly since our room included an elaborate dinner and breakfast and we were forfeiting both of these meals by leaving early. When I expressed my dismay, they did not pursue it. I must also acknowledge that they did provide us with a bottle of wine the night before due to the fact that they could not accommodate our sleeping preferences, but it was not much...

An amazing experience, two-night stay. I read that one long bad review from 2016 before going, and after visiting for myself, they seem like privileged A-holes not looking to have even the slightest cultural experience. I would recommend this place to any of my friends for at least one night. It was pricey, but the experience was well worth it. English was very well spoken by at least one member of the staff, which I wasn't expecting. Even then, everyone we encountered spoke a small amount of English. I have only a basic Japanese vocabulary and still had an amazing time. We were not expecting western-style beds as we chose a traditional Japanese-style room. The futons and comforters were extremely comfortable. The meals were grand kaiseki course, set menus. The menu (both dinner and breakfast provided in English) blew my mind. And we were so full! Granted, there were some items on the menu that were experimental even for us, but we were happy to try them. Most items were relatively familiar and would be to most who eat fish/sushi. Dinners and breakfast are each served in your room at a kotatsu. We found it a wonderful and relaxing part of the traditional experience in our all tatami-floor room while wearing our yukata. Given that we walked an average 4 miles a day for nearly two weeks, and climbed an average of 18 flights per day, I wouldn't recommend Japan as a travel destination for anyone with knee problems (referring to that bad review. The kotatsu wasn't the problem). There were plenty of outlets to charge our electronics. No, we didn't need to charge anything with a 3-prong plug. If you do, you'll need a converter anywhere you go in Japan. ||||The setting, the room, the bath...it's all a feast for the eyes and the soul. The pictures posted here by others are very true.||||This ryokan is off the beaten path, and we were the only foreigners I saw (though we did stay in our suite most of the time as we had a private onsen and amazing view). To get here, we took the bullet train to Odawara (JR Pass), then the local train (Still JR Pass) 4-stops south to Yugawara. From there, it's a 5-minute cab ride that costs between 17-20 USD each way. If you're looking for a secluded, traditional stay away from tourists, this is it. If you're looking to hit the sights in Hakone while staying here, it's not...