Hakone
Hakone is where Tokyo goes to soak. I stayed in Ashinoyu, at one of Japan’s oldest ryokan — quiet, in the hills, and the baths do most of the talking.
What it is
A traditional ryokan stay in Ashinoyu as the base — private open-air onsen in the room, kaiseki dinners, and day trips out to Hakone Gora Park, the Hakone caldera, and Hakone Shrine.
The one-day outline
Two nights based at Matsuzakaya: soak in your room’s private open-air bath, kaiseki dinner in a private booth, and Gora Park, the caldera, and Hakone Shrine between soaks.
Matsuzakaya Honten, Ashinoyu
Two nights in the Premium Tokiwa — private open-air onsen attached to the room, kaiseki dinner and breakfast included. My score: 4.3 / 5 — it gets my stamp. The full page has the spec sheet, the photo essay, and my verdict.
Read the full ryokan page →Field notes
Notes by Jenner, from a stay I have actually done — every note below is from the trip itself.
We had two nights in Hakone, with Matsuzakaya serving as our base. We visited Hakone Gora Park, the Hakone caldera, and Hakone Shrine. We also went over to the Fujiya Hotel in Miyanoshita — we had lunch there and walked around the place. We didn’t stay there, but the building alone is worth the stop: green copper roofs, red balcony rails, and it looks even better in person than it does in photos.
One logistical consideration with Matsuzakaya is getting there. The ryokan didn’t offer a regular shuttle from Odawara or Hakone-Yumoto, although private transportation could be arranged. We drove from Tokyo and it took about 2.5 hours.
We drove from Tokyo — about 2.5 hours to Matsuzakaya Honten in Ashinoyu. If you’re not driving, the Romancecar runs from Shinjuku to Hakone-Yumoto in about 80–85 minutes, then it’s a bus or taxi ride up to Ashinoyu. The Hakone Free Pass (about ¥7,100 for 2 days) covers the Tozan railway and the local buses. One thing to plan around: the ryokan has no regular shuttle, so if you’re coming by train, arrange its private transport in advance.