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.

If it is true that every culture in the world has its own signature appetizers and main dishes, it is also the case that each boasts its own special take on sweets. Japan’s most traditional sweets are known as wagashi, a general term that describes the countless varieties that can be made using such materials as white bean paste, yam, mochi, sugar, and seasonal ingredients. 

Unlike desserts in Western cultures, which are usually served at the end of a meal, wagashi are traditionally eaten as a complement to matcha, with their textures and flavors said to enhance the experience of drinking Japanese tea. The importance of wagashi within the Japanese tea ceremony (sado) has meant that skilled Japanese artisans have handcrafted special wagashi for centuries such as nerikiri, delicate works of art as beautiful as they are delicious.

In this exclusive Wabunka experience, a wagashi artisan from the Temari teahouse will visit you at MONS GORA to guide you through the steps of making nerikiri, the most traditional variety of wagashi sweets. Simple ingredients like white bean paste, rice flour, wheat flour, and yam will transform before your eyes into beautiful personal pieces of culinary artwork.

*Booking for the wagashi-making experience must be made at least 14 days before the experience date. 

The experience will begin with a demonstration, with the wagashi artisan modeling the process of using intricate techniques to create shapes and designs that come together as nerikiri sweets in seasonal motifs such as Japan’s famous sakura cherry blossoms or snow-capped Mount Fuji. You will then embark upon your own creative journey, shaping your own nerikiri sweets under the guidance of the artisan. After you are finished, savor a cup of freshly-prepared matcha as the perfect complement to delicious nerikiri sweets.

With Mount Fuji rising above the mirror-like waters of Lake Ashinoko, Hakone is understandably known for its dramatic outdoor landscapes, but luxury mountain villas like MONS GORA also offer time and space where you can slow down the pace of life for a few days. 

Learning to make traditional Japanese sweets from a wagashi artisan is a wonderful way to engage your creative, artistic side while delving into the country’s culture and culinary history. At the end of the experience, sit back and enjoy the natural beauty around MONS GORA while you sip a warm cup of matcha and savor the taste of delicious wagashi sweets.