What kind of onsen ryokan is Hakone Kowakien Tenyu?
In late July, after the rainy season had ended and the cicadas had begun to sing, we went on a short two-day and one-night trip to Hakone. We took the Shinkansen from Tokyo Station and got off at Odawara Station. The trip took about 30 minutes. From there, we took Hakone Tozan Railway, got off at Hakone-Yumoto Station, changed a train, and took Hakone Tozan Railway again to Gora Station. As of 2020, there is no direct Hakone Tozan Railway service from Odawara Station to Gora Station. Therefore, you need to transfer to Hakone Tozan Railway bound for Gora at Hakone-Yumoto Station.
From Gora station, we took a free shuttle bus at 16:45, which took about 10 minutes to arrive. If you are staying for the weekend, you may want to use Gora Station on Hakone Tozan Railway. The road to Hakone Kowakien Tenyu has many popular ryokans and hotels. Traffic is likely to be congested on weekends, so it may be best to avoid traveling by bus or cab if at all possible.
There was a large parking lot in front of the entrance. Once inside, we were greeted by a female staff member dressed in a kimono and shown to a sofa in the stylish lobby. It was a weekend, so the lobby was so crowded. We too waited more than 10 minutes to check in, but the staff was efficient and check-in went faster than expected.
The spacious lobby was very open. Large floor-to-ceiling windowpanes provide a panoramic view of the outside. The contrast between the blue sky and the green of the trees was very beautiful. The terrace in the lobby overlooked the valley garden on the ground floor. The lobby is on the fifth floor. Don’t forget to take a picture at the photo spot on the right side of the entrance, which offers a spectacular view. Free coffee, herbal tea, and juice were available next to the lobby.
After checking in, the staff showed us to our room. This time, we stayed in a standard room on the 6th floor with a view of the Hakone mountains. Further in, there was a bedroom, a sofa on the tatami floor, and a small balcony with a private onsen bath. The room we stayed in was a large parking lot when we looked down. This was a disappointing point, but from the sofa and twin beds you can see the Hakone mountains. Also, while relaxing in the private hot spring bath on the balcony, we could hear the sound of car engines from the parking lot. Rooms with a view of the forest valley on the other side are very popular, so if you are particular, you may want to book early. Then, while it is great that each room has a private hot spring bath on the balcony, the size of the Shigaraki-ware bathtubs are small. Nevertheless, we were happy to enjoy fresh hot spring water at any time of the day. It is not a spacious room, but it is enough for two of us, a couple. It would be cramped for a family.
After relaxing for a while with green tea in our room, we changed into yukatas and decided to go to communal hot spring baths. The main purpose of my stay here this time was to enjoy the spectacular view in the communal outdoor bath called Ukigumo no yu, which is located on the 6th floor. I was lucky enough to have good weather that day, so I was expecting a wonderful sunset. When I actually went in, I found that the infinity hot spring bath was even more spectacular than I had imagined. Overlooking the outer rim of Hakone, I felt as if I was floating above the clouds. I was very impressed by the spectacular view of the outer rim of Hakone with the colors of the mountains changing from moment to moment with the sunset.
After enjoying the communal hot spring baths, we were hungry and had dinner at “Dining Hakone” on 5F starting at 19:30. It was a 7-course kaiseki course, starting with appetizers and including fish and meat dishes. The fresh sashimi platter, inspired by the morning mist of Hakone, was particularly interesting, served in a cloud of dry ice smoke. Dinner portions are average. The dining area was the dining restaurant, and although it was not a private room, there was enough space between tables to allow for a relaxed dining environment. If you stay in an Executive Suite Room, you will be served in a private room or meals served in your room.
After dinner, we took a walk in the gardens. Unlike Tokyo, Hakone is at a higher elevation, so the mornings and evenings were cool even during the summer season. Wearing yukatas and Japanese wooden clogs called geta, it was very relaxing to walk in the garden and listen to the sound of bell bugs. In the garden, bamboo lanterns were decorated here and there and lit up, creating a mystical mood. Listening to the sound of cascading waterfalls and gazing at the softly glowing bamboo lanterns, I felt as if I had stepped back in time. Looking at the bamboo lanterns carefully, I thought they were the work of artisans because of their elaborate patterns, but I was told that they were prepared by the staff.
After strolling through the gardens, we visited a bar lounge on the first floor. The bar lounge was much quieter and more mature than the lobby lounge on the fifth floor. The view of the illuminated garden from the window and the cocktails we had while listening to the live piano music were wonderful. The tables were well spaced and comfortable and relaxing. There were more than 100 kinds of cocktails. There were also wine, sherry, sake, whiskey, beer, gin, vodka, and non-alcoholic beer, etc., but no champagne. There were also more than 10 non-alcoholic cocktails. The bartenders arrange the type of alcohol you like, whether it is sweet or spicy, and the alcohol content. The price range is all around JPY1,500. The cocktail that was brought to me had a spherical balloon-like object floating on it, which broke when I blew on it, and smoke like dry ice came out. It was an interesting presentation. Also, from 15:00 to 20:00, the bar lounge offers a special beef burger, Horse mackerel burger, shrimp and mussel avijo, salad with prosciutto, cheese platter, french fries, boiled rice soaked with tea called ochazuke, fish and chips, etc. We finished our three original cocktails and decided it was time to return to our room.
The next morning, I woke up after 6:00 a.m. and took a bath in the private hot spring on the balcony before breakfast. I wanted to enjoy the private hot spring bath while looking at the Hakone mountains, but the fence on the balcony blocked my view, so I was bit disappointed that I could not see them while soaking in the private bath.
Then, before breakfast, we went to the Hakone Onsen Shrine, located at the back of the garden. The sound of a stream flowing and birds chirping could be heard, bright green moss wet with morning dew glistened, and the sun was softly shining down through the trees on the forest path.
Then, breakfast was a Japanese-Western buffet at the dining area on the 5th floor where we had dinner yesterday. I did not expect much, but was satisfied with the wide variety of food. The seafood such as salmon roe, squid, salmon, etc. were especially delicious. The truffle omelette, which was highly recommended, was also excellent. The day we stayed, the onsen ryokan was almost fully booked, so we were worried about the crowds at the dining area, but when we arrived at around 7:30, it was not so crowded. Personally, I think breakfast was better than dinner.
After breakfast, I thought about going to the communal hot spring bath on the 5th floor where I could see the waterfall, but the bar lounge was so cozy that I decided to spend some time here until check-out. Some guests took out food from the breakfast buffet and have it here. Then, some guests were using this bar lounge as a workation place between 10:00 and 15:00. All seats were equipped with power outlets and cell phone chargers were available. Next time I would like to come early and spend some time here.
If I were to raise a disadvantage, it would be that the private hot spring bath on the balcony in the room was small, and I couldn’t enjoy the view while soaking in the private bath. This is not a luxury ryokan, and considering the price range, it can’t be helped. However overall, it was a very cozy large onsen ryokan. Next time, I thought it would be nice to come here alone on a whim.
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Is the location easy to access?
If you are going from Shinjuku Station, take Odakyu Romancecar to Hakone-Yumoto Station. From there, transfer to Hakone Tozan Railway and get off at Gora Station. Then free shuttle service is available from Gora Station from 9:15 to 11:45, 13:45 to 16:45. The shuttle bus leaves every 30 minutes. You don’t need to book it in advance.
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. From there, transfer to Hakone Tozan Railway and get off at Gora Station. *All Hakone Tozan Railways departing from Odawara Station terminate at Hakone-Yumoto Station. Hakone Tozan Railways bound for Gora require a transfer at Hakone-Yumoto Station.
Alternatively, from the East Exit of Odawara Station, take Izu Hakone Bus bound for Hakone-en via Kojiri. It takes 34 min. Then get off at Tenyu Bus Stop and just a 2min walk from the bus stop to the property. If this is your first visit to Hakone, you may be worried about where you should get off, so you may want to show the below Japanese sentence to a bus driver when you get on a bus.
Please let me know when you reach “Tenyu Bus Stop”.
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 stay here, I would recommend a room with a view of the forest valley on a higher floor if possible. On the other hand, rooms on lower floors with a view of the Hakone mountains are not recommended, as they face a large parking lot. Then, all of the standard rooms tend to be cramped for families. They are probably more suitable for couples or solo travelers.
How about toiletries & in-room amenities?
All of the amenities are taken care of including enough toiletries, yukatas, samue outfits, Japanese sweets, water bottles, and a green tea set, etc. There are DHC skincare products and bath amenites in the bathroom. Also, complimentary herb tea, green tea, and coffee are available at the lobby lounge. There are vending machines for drinks including beer. The minibar in our room was empty. There is no convenience store nearby. You may want to buy your necessities before coming here. Room service is not available. Free Wifi reception was almost OK when we stayed in 2021.
How about In-house Facilities?
There are amazing outdoor and indoor communal hot springs on 5F and 6F. All of them are open from 5:00 to 24:00. Even if you arrive early before check-in time, you can use the communal hot spring baths, the lobby, and the bar lounge. *If you have tattoos, you may not be permitted to use the communal bathing areas.
Then, this is child-friendly. Staff provides toothbrushes, slippers, and baby soap. In addition, children’s toilet seats, toys, and cribs are available for rent. The number of items is limited, so please let the staff know in advance if you need one. Children’s yukatas are also available in the lobby lounge.
Then this is a universal design. There are two rooms for wheelchair users. If you bring people with weak legs, you may want to inform the staff in advance as they can arrange a room near the lift.
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How about meals?
Dinner starts from 17:30, 17:45, or 19:45. Breakfast time is between 7:00 and 10:00. 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.
Then, as far as I know, there wouldn’t be nice restaurants near the property. You may want to book a room with meals.
My impressions
The staff was warm, friendly, and proactive, but seemed very busy during the busy season. If you want to relax here in a tranquil ambience, you may want to avoid staying during Chinese New Year, late April to early May, weekends from June to August and November, and New Year’s holidays.
Have a nice trip! Welcome to receive any questions about Hakone Kowakien Tenyu from the below space. *Due to the coronavirus, the property is temporarily closed until 31st of May, 2020. Check Availability and Pricing for the ryokan on agoda
Info about Hakone Kowakien Tenyu
| Style | Modern Onsen Ryokan |
|---|---|
| Check-in and out times |
15:00/11:00 |
| Estimated Price | 60,000 JPY for 2 adults per room |
| Contact E-mail |
info@ten-yu.com |
| Internet Connection | Free wifi in the ryokan |
| Facility Information | Wheelchairs are available Pets are not allowed The free parking lot is available |
| Location | Hakone Kowakien Tenyu’s MAP |
| Access | Free shuttle service from Gora Station |
| Address and TEL | Ninotaira, Hakone, Ashigarashimo District, Kanagawa 250-0407 TEL +81 460-82-5111 |
| Official Homepage | Hakone Kowakien Tenyu’s HP |
*All information above is as of the date that I posted on my blog.
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