Yushintei in Hakone was an absolute highlight of our Japan trip and comes with our highest recommendation. The staff was exceptionally warm and attentive throughout our entire stay. You feel genuinely welcomed from the moment you arrive – with exactly the right balance of hospitality and discretion you’d hope for from a traditional ryokan. The kaiseki dinner was a culinary experience in its own right. Every course was fresh, carefully prepared, and beautifully presented – you can tell real care goes into the kitchen here. The traditional room itself – tatami floors, fusuma sliding doors, the full experience – set the perfect atmosphere. What stood out most was the private onsen attached to the room. Being able to soak in complete privacy, surrounded by nature, was simply unbeatable. The location in Hakone is also excellent – peaceful, close to nature, yet easy to reach. If you’re looking for an authentic ryokan experience, look no further

There are some big “mega hotels” in the area, but I think staying in one of these would be missing the point of staying in Hakone. Yushintei instead captures the essence of the area. With its private onsens (small, medium and large) and spacious rooms with toki baths, Yushintei makes for a fantastically relaxing stay. The staff were wonderful - they were polite, helpful and very accommodating. The hotel is walkable to and from Hakone-Yamumoto station, but the K bus also runs conveniently close for when you have luggage. One word of caution, if you’re catching an early Shinkansen upon departure from Odawara, don’t rely on an advance Uber booking to get you to the train station. Ours was a no-show at 0535 and none of the local hotels could get any of the local taxi companies to come and pick us up. Instead, we luckily managed to get a taxi via the “Go” app as we ran to the train station. So, best either avoid taxi or make sure you’re already at the train station so you can fall back on the train (the first train of the day would still be cutting it close for the early Hikari Shinkansen!)

Spacious and clean

Great staff and clean rooms.