Day-trippers tend to pass through Gora, using it as little more than a transfer point between the Hakone Tozan Railway and Hakone Tozan Cable Car, but this little mountain town is a wonderful place to stay. As well as offering excellent access to local sights such as Owakudani, Lake Ashinoko, and Dogashima Gorge, Gora is blessed with laidback small town charm, beautiful natural scenery, and top-class accommodation. 

Because Gora is located in a particularly geothermically active area of Hakone, the town has long been renowned for the quality of its hot springs, with generations of visitors choosing to relax and bathe in its outdoor onsen (rotemburo) after a day in the mountains. Small roads meander off into the forest where hidden sanctuaries like MONS GORA offer luxurious private accommodation in natural surroundings.

A stay at MONS GORA in Hakone is an event to remember in and of itself, with two stylish modern villas amidst the forested slopes of Gora. The upper floor is ready-made for fun and relaxation, with a wood stove for staying cozy inside and a balcony for cooling off in the fresh air. The bar is stocked with local wine and sake, along with a state-of-the-art sound system to make best use of the villa’s excellent acoustics. Through a door behind the bar, you will find a private onsen gazing out onto expansive views of MONS GORA’s mountainous surroundings. 

The ground floor of MONS GORA looks out onto a large wooden terrace, perfect for enjoying the outdoors with friends and family. While the views are breathtaking throughout the year, autumn is particularly stunning as the trees blaze into a kaleidoscope of red, orange, and yellow. 

The villa SOLIS has a sauna on its ground floor, while the other LUNA has a footbath—both of which have windows facing out towards the trees. With a large 280-cm bed upstairs and a double bed downstairs, as well as a tatami room that can accommodate four futons, each villa can accommodate up to eight people, making MONS GORA a great fit for groups of friends, small business retreats, or family gatherings.

According to master chef Kigawada, each piece of sushi must provide a feast for your eyes before it reaches your lips. And what better way is there to appreciate the skill and craftsmanship involved with constructing a perfect plate of sumptuous sushi than to watch a master chef prepare it right in front of you. Pull up a chair on the ground floor of MONS GORA and let master sushi chef Kigawada dazzle you with precision and innovation as he slices, sears, and shapes his delicious culinary creations just for you.

After honing his skills through many years in Tokyo, master chef Kigawada now plies his trade at the Gora restaurant Yamahiko Zushi. He insists on only the freshest ingredients, primarily sourced from the nearby fish market in Odawara. Kigawada’s selection of seafood is never set in stone, but is rather based on the time of year to correspond with the seasonal patterns of nature’s bounty. 

Making a single piece of nigiri sushi seems simple enough. All you need to do is take a small ball of rice, a dab of wasabi, and a nice thin slice of fresh fish, and put them all together. However, as any master sushi chef will tell you, the quest for perfection when it comes to sushi is one that lasts a lifetime. Still, every journey needs a first step, so why not take yours at MONS GORA in this exclusive Wabunka sushi-making experience

Fortunately, master chef Kigawada makes the whole experience light and enjoyable. While he takes care to model each precise movement at a speed that you can follow, Kigawada’s straightforward manner and love of a joke will keep you laughing and smiling throughout your initiation as a sushi chef. You can prepare as many (or few) nigiri sushi as you would like, then sit down with a pair of chopsticks to see how they taste or eat them the traditional way, with your hands.

Whether you have always wanted to try or have never considered it until now, learning to make your own sushi is a fascinating and humbling experience. What seems like such a simple combination of basic ingredients becomes a challenging act of artistry and craftsmanship. To learn from a master sushi chef is a once-in-a-lifetime chance that should not be missed.

With private onsens, expansive designer interiors, and state-of-the-art amenities, the two luxury mountain villas of MONS GORA offer ultimate relaxation and comfort amidst Gora’s gorgeous natural surroundings. Combined with an afternoon of making and eating sushi alongside a master chef, an overnight stay at MONS GORA can be the highlight of any Hakone trip.