Kansuiro

What kind of onsen ryokan is Kansuiro?

In early March, when the cold of winter was still lingering in the air, I decided to use my paid time off to go to Hakone, my favorite hot spring resort, alone, to forget the hustle and bustle of everyday life and relax in a hot spring. Unfortunately, it was raining that morning, but as usual, I bought a beef lunch box and two cans of KIRIN beer at Shinjuku Station, boarded Odakyu Romancecar, and got off at the last stop, Hakone-Yumoto Station. Kansuiro, where I was staying tonight, is about a 15-minute walk from the station. When I got off the station, the rain had just stopped, so I walked to the ryokan. If you have a lot of luggage, you may want to take a bus or a cab.

Passing through the local shopping street lined with souvenir shops and local restaurants in front of Hakone-Yumoto Station, after a while you will see Kanrei Tunnel, which was built to avoid falling rocks from the mountain. After crossing a bridge, I entered the hot spring spa town. I first saw to a famous traditional ryokan called Fukuzumiro. Further on, there was another bridge, and at the end of the bridge was the ryokan where I would be staying for the night. As a lover of traditional Japanese architecture, this was the perfect place for me.

The front door and wooden signage give the ambience a quaint and historic feel, and when I opened the sliding door and walked in, I was greeted by a staff member. Here I took off my shoes and went through check-in procedures. The building was old, but the floors were shiny and polished. I was then shown to my room. This was a traditional style of customer service where the same staff was in charge of everything from showing me to my room to serving me at dinner and breakfast.

Then I stayed in a room called Ajisai on the first floor with a private indoor hot spring bath. When I opened the door that looked like a latticed door, I found a mini-bar and an electric kettle on the left, and a traditional, calm Japanese-style room when I opened the sliding door called fusuma on the right. As I entered the room, I could hear the sound of the river flowing nearby. When the shoji door was opened, there was a veranda called Engawa with chairs and a table by the window. There was an air conditioner in the Japanese-style room and an oil heater on the engawa, which kept every corner of the room warm. I wanted to enjoy sunbathing here, but it was overcast outside. A small garden off the engawa led to a promenade along the river, which was a convenient location for taking a walk. Next to the engawa was a bathroom, and in the back was the private indoor hot spring bath with a bathtub made of a barrel. Hot spring water was constantly being poured into the barrel. It was a cozy bath rule with the sound of the hot spring water constantly flowing.

Then the closet contains a yukata, obi, bath towel and face towel. A Japanese tea set was placed next to the minibar. There was no coffee machine. The minibar was charged and provided Sapporo, Asahi, and Kirin bottled beer, Japanese sake, and plum wine. There was no juice, Coca-Cola, or water. Bottled beer is JPY880, plum wine JPY550, sake JPY660. A vending machine for soft drinks and beer was located near the communal hot spring baths on 1F. Also, there is no safety box in the room, and valuables are left at the front desk. There was an envelope in the room for valuables.

Upon entering the room, the staff prepared green tea and straw rice cakes on the table. The warabimochi I had at this time was so delicious that I asked the staff to prepare some for me as souvenirs. It was about JPY1,800 for six warabimochi. Warabi mochi is a traditional Japanese dessert made from bracken starch, soybean flour and topped off with syrup.

Then since I walked in the cold from Hakone-Yumoto station, I immediately decided to enjoy the private onsen bath. The bathtub, made of barrels, was small, but with fresh hot spring water constantly flowing, the quality of the spring water was wonderful. Unfortunately, there was no view, but when I opened the window, the cool air flowed in from outside and felt good against my hot face.

After enjoying the private hot spring bath, I sat on the engawa sipping beer from the mini-bar and gazing out the window. It started to rain again. The sound of the river flowing and the rain falling was pleasant to my ears.

After relaxing in my room for a while, I took a tour of the ryokan. Although the building was old, the guest rooms had been renovated with new facilities, so I did not feel much history, but walking around the building, I could feel Japanese traditions and history everywhere. First of all, an old washroom on the first floor, which was built about 100 years ago, had a nostalgic ambience, and the tile pattern on the floor made a strong impression. Then, I went to the fourth floor, the top floor, where I was told by the staff that I should definitely see it. There were three large halls with a total floor space of more than 60 tatami mats. It is said that Hirobumi Ito, the first prime minister of Japan, often held drinking parties in the halls during his stay. I lost track of time looking at the magnificent cherry trees painted on the sliding doors called fusuma, the admirable ceiling made by a special construction method using Jindai cedars from Hakone, and the antique-style lighting. It was a blessing to be able to see such a miraculously remaining historical building up close. It is not currently used as a banquet hall. It is only for tours, but it was well cleaned and the lights were properly turned on so that it can be visited at any time. After that, I went to the lounge next to the front desk on the second floor. The lounge, seen from the hallway through the transparent glass doors, had a very cozy ambience. The wood flooring was made of excellent marquetry.

Then since there was still time before dinner, I returned to my room, changed into a yukata, and went to the communal indoor hot spring baths on 1F. The corridors on the way to the communal baths also had a nostalgic ambience, and I often kept stopping to look at the paintings and stained glass windows. All of the paintings are said to be the works of artists who used to stay at Kansuiro. The communal baths had wonderful tiles on the floors and in the bathtubs. In particular, the tile pattern on the bottom of the bathtubs shimmered in the hot spring water like a kaleidoscope. It is said that they use rare tiles imported in the Taisho Era (1912-1926).

After returning from the communal indoor hot spring baths, it was almost time for dinner. The staff member who had just shown me my room came to my room before 6:00 p.m. to prepare dinner.

Dinner was local cuisine, and although there did not seem to be much use of high grade ingredients, all the dishes were carefully prepared. The beef steak with demi-glace sauce and freshly fried Tempura were especially delicious. The portions were not large.

After dinner, I wanted to visit communal outdoor hot spring baths, but the location was a bit far away, about a two-minute walk from 1F to the outside hut. It was raining and a bit of a hassle, so I decided to enjoy the private hot spring bath in my room. When I got out of the bath, the staff laid out a futon for me. Thirsty after soaking in the private bath, I sat on the engawa and drank some plum wine from the mini-bar, which made me feel sleepy, so I decided to get into bed.

The next morning, I woke up to the sound of the river. The rain that fell last night seemed to have increased the volume of water than usual, and the sound bothered me. When I went out to the engawa around 6:30 a.m., the rain had stopped. Before breakfast, I visited the communal outdoor hot spring baths. I went out through the door to the old washroom on the first floor, changed into sandals, and walked to the hut where the communal outdoor baths were located. It was getting light. The stone‐paved path were still wet, and I was worried that I might slip. On the way, I went up a very steep stone steps. After climbing the stone steped, I found a narrow path, and as I walked along it, I saw a small waterfall on my right and a red and blue noren curtains a little further ahead. When I entered the hut, I found a small dressing room and the communal outdoor bath in the back of the hut.

Then, from the communal outdoor bath, I was very impressed with the view of the original Hakone countryside with its mountains and rivers. The quality of the spring water was excellent, as was the private hot spring bath in my room, and there was always a large amount of hot spring water pouring in. On the way back from the communal outdoor bath, walking through the narrow alleys, I could see the architecture of the ryokan from a different angle, which was also quite fascinating. No wonder it is designated as a national tangible cultural property.

If I were to venture a fault, Dinner is at 6pm and breakfast is at 8am, and it seems that perhaps the time cannot be changed. Since the ryokan operates with a limited staff, it would not be possible to accommodate each guest. Breakfast is served at 8:00 a.m., so sure enough, by 7:30 a.m., the staff had cleared away my futon in the room and started preparing breakfast.

Then it must be no small feat to maintain a ryokan with such history and tradition as Kansuiro. What was most wonderful was that each and every staff member took great care of this ryokan. It is an old building, but every part of it was meticulously cleaned. I would have liked to take a leisurely stroll along the mossy riverside promenade, but it started raining again, so I will have to look forward to next time.

Check Availability and Pricing for the ryokan on agoda

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Is the location easy to access?

If you are going from Tokyo Station, take the Shinkansen bullet train to JR Odawara Station. Then, transfer to Hakone Tozan Railway or Odakyu Romancecar to Hakone-Yumoto Station.

Alternatively, take Odakyu Romancecar from Shinjuku Station to Hakone-Yumoto Station. Then, it takes 15min on foot from the station to the property. Also, you can get a shuttle bus called Orange Bus. The small buses are easily recognizable because of their orange and white bodies. Get on a bus of C course from the front of Hakone Tourist Information Center, and then get off at Kansuiro. It takes less than 5min. When you get on a bus, you need to tell a bus driver where you are staying.　The bus fare is JPY100 per adult, and complimentary for children in primary school and younger. Refer to the timetable.

If you stay here on weekend, you might want to check in earlier. Because traffic would be heavy around Hakone-Yumoto Station in the afternoon.

JFYI, it takes 5min by taxi from Hakone-Yumoto Station to the ryokan and costs less than JPY1,000.

Then, if you are taking the Shinkansen from Tokyo Station to JR Odawara Station, you need to pay attention to your luggage. Please check here for details. When boarding the Shinkansen, luggage whose total of three sides exceeds 160 cm requires advance reservation of a seat with an oversized luggage space. Baby strollers, musical instruments, bicycles, surfboards, etc. are excluded. Items may be brought in as long as they are placed in a special bag and can stand up.

Passengers bringing oversized baggage without an advance reservation will be charged a carry-on fee of 1,000 JPY. In such cases, the baggage needs to be placed in an area designated by the crew. Also, large luggage is not allowed in unreserved seats on the Shinkansen. Then, children under 6 years old usually do not need a ticket, but if a preschooler uses the Shinkansen, a reserved seat ticket for preschoolers is required to be purchased.

On Odakyu Romancecars, the size of luggage is limited to a total of no more than 250 centimeters on three sides and no longer than 2 meters in length. The weight is limited to 30 kg, and up to two pieces may be carried on board as long as they do not interfere with the operation of the train or inconvenience other passengers. Exercise equipment such as ski boards, snowboards, bicycles, etc. may be brought in as long as they are placed in a special bag and can stand up. Strollers are folded and placed in front of the seats. Then normally, children under 6 years of age do not need a ticket, but when using a seat on an Odakyu Romancecar, a child’s express ticket and a ticket for children are required. However, if you hold a child on your lap, a limited express ticket and a boarding pass are not required. Please refer to the info.

Rooms I would recommend?

If you are going to stay here, I would recommend a room with a private hot spring bath. I fully enjoyed my private bath until check-out time. The spring quality is one of the best in Hakone. Then if you don’t want to sleep on Japanese-style mattresses in tatami rooms, you may want to book a room called Suiren as the room has twin beds.  Alternatively, you can book a room in the annex called KANSUIRO ANNEX which opened in 2019.

How about toiletries & in-room amenities?

All of the amenities are taken care of including minimum toiletries, yukatas, and a green tea set, etc. Also, a humidifier is placed if you request. If you stay here in the winter season, you may want to request it as rooms would be dry. Then free Wi-Fi reception was good in our room. Room service is not available. Also, there is no in-room safety box, so staff can keep your valuables at the reception.

How about In-house Facilities?

There are wonderful outdoor and indoor communal hot springs baths on the grounds. They are open from 15:00-09:30 the following morning. The communal outdoor baths become private family baths between 22:00 and 4:00 the following morning. You can use them for free whenever they are not occupied during the above time slot. On top of that, there is an indoor private family hot spring on 3F, which can be used free of charge when there are no users.  It’s open from 15:00-09:30 the following morning.

*If you have tattoos, you may not be permitted to use the communal bathing area.

Then there is no convenience store within 5 min walking distance. You may want to buy your necessities before coming here. *Please note that food and drink from outside are prohibited.

Then, Kansuiro is not a universal design. There are many steps. If you bring people with weak legs, I wouldn’t recommend it.
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How about meals?

All meals are served in your room. Dinner starts at 18:00 or 18:30. You need to check-in by 17:00 if you have dinner on the property. If you have any food allergies, please write them in the comment box when you book a room with meals. They probably wouldn’t be able to prepare alternative food if you request on that day. Alternatively, there is an Italian restaurant in KANSUIRO ANNEX. You need to book a table in advance. Also, there are some local restaurants near Hakone Yumoto-Station.

My impressions

The staff is welcoming and helpful, but as a very traditional ryokan, it is important to be mindful and respectful of Japanese traditions and unique services. At last, don’t forget to take a walk along the river. You can fully enjoy white noise in a quaint atmosphere.

Have a nice trip! Welcome to receive any questions about Kansuiro from the below space. You need to inform the staff if you check in after 18:00. Check Availability and Pricing for the ryokan on agoda

Info about Kansuiro

Style	Traditional Onsen Ryokan
Check-in and out times	15:00/10:00
Estimated Price	50,000 JPY for 2 adults per room
Contact E-mail	info@kansuiro.co.jp
Internet Connection	The wifi reception was good
Facility Information	Wheelchairs are not available Pets are not allowed The free parking lot is available
Location	Kansuiro’s MAP
Access	5min by shuttle bus from Hakone Yumoto Station
Address and TEL	88 Tonosawa Hakone-machi Ashigara-Shimogun Kanagawa 250-0315 Tel +81 460-85-5511
Official Homepage	Kansuiro’s HP

*All information above is as of the date that I posted on my blog.

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