Hakone began its history as little more than a waypoint on the road to bigger places. During the Edo period (1603-1868), the old Tokaido Road passed through Hakone, including a checkpoint at the south end of Lake Ashinoko that guarded the edge of the Kanto region. However, travelers passing through the region began to notice its serenity and natural beauty, and Hakone soon became a prime destination for generations of monks, travelers, priests, artists and philosophers.

Nowadays, Hakone is a popular getaway from Tokyo, giving visitors the opportunity to explore its picturesque mountains, valleys, and lakes while relaxing in some of the finest onsen hot springs in Japan. Being close to Mount Fuji, Hakone also offers superior views of the great mountain when the weather is favorable. The region’s cultural and artistic legacy can be discovered in its many temples, shrines, gardens, and art galleries.

Gen Hakone Gora is one of the most luxurious hotels in the area, offering rooms that feature open balconies providing stunning vistas over the Hakone Highlands and mountains beyond. Located on the old Gora Road, this five-star hotel is peacefully secluded, but offers delectable meals, private outdoor onsen baths (rotemburo), and superb service.

Guest rooms at Gen Hakone Gora are designed for maximum comfort and enjoyment, combining traditional Japanese features such as tatami mats alongside Western hardwood floors, as well as large sofas, designer chairs, and premium beds. Large sliding glass doors open out onto broad balconies, with clear-walled showers facing outward so that you can shower, walk straight outside, and plunge into your personal outdoor onsen bath.

Spend some time simply lounging and relaxing, taking in the exquisite nature of the room’s design and the expansive views of Gora’s natural beauty. Whether you do so from the onsen, the sofa, the bed, or the low chairs on the tatami mats is completely up to you.

The approach to cuisine at Gen Hakone Gora follows the hotel’s approach to architecture, taking the best of time-honored traditions and applying a creative modern twist. Dinner is served in traditional kaiseki style, with courses brought to you one after another so that you can sample a range of different flavors and textures within the same meal.

Ingredients for all dishes are locally sourced whenever possible, with vegetables grown in the rich soil of the Hakone region featured along with local meat and fish, as well as other premium ingredients from around Japan. The chefs at Gen Hakone Gora aim to balance flavor and texture with balance and nutrition, and they take pride in making each dish a feast for the eyes as well as for the belly and soul.

For the privacy and comfort of guests at Gen Hakone Gora, meals are delivered and served to you inside your guest room. Because served at the hotel must be as fresh as possible, the kitchen is located on the same floor as the guest rooms, ensuring prompt delivery upon preparation. What should be served hot, will be served hot; what should be served chilled, will be served chilled.

Waking up in one of Gen Hakone Gora’s guest rooms, it can be tempting to believe that you might still be in a dream. The sky, the mountains, the onsen on the balcony—it can all seem a bit surreal! Wipe the sleep out of your eyes and believe it, having a coffee on the balcony as you gaze out at the view, followed by a morning dip in your private onsen.

As with dinner, breakfast will be served to you right in the comfort of your own room, allowing you to take your time over the meal while enjoying the room and the view. Breakfast includes rice prepared in an earthenware pot, miso soup, kumiage tofu, grilled fish, and side dishes featuring fresh fruits, yogurt, and vegetables.

As a Wabunka exclusive benefit, all guests will receive a complimentary set of Gen Hakone Gora's original herbal tea. Savor the aroma and flavor of this premium tea either during your stay or after you return home.

The samurai, scholars, and merchants of the Edo period discovered the pleasures of Hakone long before us, frequently making the trip from the shogun’s capital city to enjoy the rustic beauty, delicious food, and soothing hot springs of the region. Tokoan, a historic building on the site of Kumano Shrine in the small town of Ashinoyu, is thought to have been a place where people of that time would gather between dips in the local hot springs to relax, drink, eat, socialize, and be entertained.

This historic building amidst the tranquility of nature is the perfect spot to slow down for a moment and clear your mind. In this exclusive Wabunka experience, you will have the opportunity to learn the ancient Japanese meditation technique of zazen (seated meditation), followed by suizen (meditation to the sound of the shakuhachi flute).

The shakuhachi music will be provided by master musician Lenzan Kudo, with the instrument’s hauntingly beautiful tones adding to your levels of concentration and mindfulness. If you want to try to learn how to play the shakuhachi, Lenzan will be happy to guide you. After your meditation, enjoy a quiet cup of hojicha tea with simple wagashi sweets (specific tea and sweets are subject to change).

*Following the conclusion of this experience, transportation by car can be arranged to the location of your choice, such as Gora Station, Hakone-Yumoto Station, the Hakone Open-Air Museum, the Pola Museum of Art, or Owakudani.

This 2-day itinerary is all about recharging your batteries and treating yourself to an overnight stay at one of the most attractive hotels in the Hakone region, featuring locally-inspired meals and private onsen baths on balconies with sweeping vistas of the Hakone Highlands. The second day continues the focus on mindfulness, providing the chance to learn meditation techniques at the historic location of Tokoan Kumano Gongen to the strains of the live shakuhachi flute.