The samurai, scholars, and merchants of ages past 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, just 3 minutes on foot from your accommodation at Matsuzakaya Honten, is surrounded by the tranquility of nature, 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 a 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 instruct you (additional fees apply). After your meditation, enjoy a quiet cup of hojicha tea with simple wagashi sweets (specific tea and sweets are subject to change).

Perched on the forested slopes above Lake Ashinoko, the picturesque nature of the ryokan inn Matsuzakaya Honten has drawn the eye of many artists throughout the centuries. Famed ukiyo-e painter Utagawa Hiroshige (1797-1858) even captured Matsuzakaya Honten in his famous woodblock prints of Hakone’s stunning local landscapes.

The guest rooms at Matsuzakaya Honten offer one of the most genuine traditional ryokan experiences in the region, transporting you back to a time when travelers on the old Tokaido Road would stop here en route to Kyoto or Edo for some much needed respite from their long journeys. Different rooms within the building were added at different times in the ryokan’s history, making repeat visits to the onsen a rewarding and illuminating experience, with rooms offering gorgeous views that change throughout the seasons.

The star attractions at Matsuzakaya Honten are the ryokan’s onsen (hot spring), which draw their water from the Ashinoyu onsen. Unlike many onsens that recirculate, filter, or dilute their water, Matsuzakaya Honten uses continuously flowing onsen known as gensen kakenagashi straight from the source to ensure the purest and most natural onsen experience for guests, including minerals with reputed health benefits, particularly for beautiful skin. Some rooms at Matsuzakaya Honten are equipped with private open-air onsen.

For your evening meal, you can relax at Matsuzakaya Honten in the hotel’s elegant Restaurant En, where your dinner will be served kaiseki style in multiple courses of delicious delicately-constructed dishes. The particular style of dinner at Matsuzakaya Honten is known as shukuba kaiseki, which developed during Hakone’s time as a post town on the Tokaido Road and uses ingredients that reflect the eight traditional seasonal turning points of the year.

As well as this sumptuous evening banquet, Matsuzakaya Honten also offers its guests an all-inclusive beverage service, a relative rarity in Japan. There is also a selection of fine local sake and wine that can be ordered from the drinks menu to enjoy with friends and family as you relax around your table at the restaurant.

With hundreds of years of experience providing rest and replenishment to guests on long journeys, Matsuzakaya Honten offers a hearty yet healthy traveler’s breakfast to get you fed and ready for your day. The breakfast includes a broad range of different ingredients, from grilled fish, rice, and miso soup to seasonal fruits and pickled vegetables—everything you need to prepare for fun and adventure in Hakone.

A stay at Matsuzakaya Honten is more than just a night of comfort and fine food, it is a rare opportunity to participate in a tradition of hospitality and travel that extends back to the days when daimyo samurai lords and their retinues traveled across the country to pay homage to the shoguns of Edo.

The zazen and suizen session at Tokoan, accompanied by live shakuhachi flute music, is the perfect opportunity for imagination and reflection. Let your mind wander back to all those generations of travelers who passed through Hakone before you, finding inspiration and solace in the region’s unique beauty. At Matsuzakaya Honten, the pure waters of the onsen baths and seasonal flavors of the traditional kaiseki meals make history tangible as a living local culture of hospitality that has endured here through the ages.