Your journey begins at Odawara Station, where you will be picked up by private car and driven up into the highlands of Hakone. The centerpiece of this region is Lake Ashinoko, a long slender crater lake surrounded by lush verdant forests. On clear days, Mount Fuji can be seen rising above the northwest end of the lake, beautiful in any season but particularly striking in winter or spring with its pure white snowcap. For your Hakone tour, you can choose an itinerary of either Hakone Open Air Museum-Owakudani-Hakone Shrine (approximately 5 hours) or Choanji Temple-Owakudani-Hakone Shrine (approximately 4 hours), based on your interests and preferences. Kindly note that admission fees to these sites are not included in the price of this itinerary.

If you choose the 4-hour tour, you will visit Choan-ji, an atmospheric Zen temple amidst the forests of Sengokuhara, en route to Lake Ashinoko. Established in 1356, Choan-ji Temple is best known for the over 500 rakan statues found around its grounds, each depicting a disciple of Buddha. If you select the 5-hour tour (which requires an additional fee), you will visit the Hakone Open Air Museum instead, which hosts well over 100 sculptures by renowned Japanese and international artists on display in a beautiful outdoor setting. Both tours then take you to Owakudani, a valley where steam vents and bubbling hot pools are a reminder that this actively volcanic region still has a lot going on under the ground.

When you arrive at Lake Ashinoko, you will pay a visit to the lakeside Hakone Shrine. One of the region’s most iconic views is provided by the shrine’s red torii gate, which stands in the shallows of the lake itself. Mount Fuji is best seen from the south end of the lake, where you can also visit the site of a historic road checkpoint nearby. During the Edo period (1603-1868), this was the top of a major mountain pass on the old Tokaido Road between Tokyo and Kyoto, with the Hakone Checkpoint marking the frontier of Kanto to travelers heading east or west.

The small Hakone town of Yugawara has been famed for its soothing onsen waters for hundreds of years, with its hot springs even mentioned in the Manyoshu, an ancient collection of Japanese waka poetry. Yugawara’s beginnings as an onsen resort began during the Edo Period (1603-1868), when it was ranked among the finest in Japan. To experience traditional Hakone hospitality along with the gorgeous waters of the local hot springs, Wabunka has arranged this exclusive stay at Fukiya Ryokan in Yugawara.

Fukiya Ryokan is a traditional Japanese ryokan inn with a long history in Yugawara that has evolved to suit its guests through the years. From the moment when you first enter the building, you will notice the emphasis on Japanese aesthetics in the building’s decor and architecture combined with a desire to provide guests with every modern convenience and comfort. One of the ryokan’s most recent additions is a rooftop terrace with a footbath that opened in 2021.

To provide you with a stay in Yugawara that you will never forget, you will stay in Fukiya Ryokan’s Type S room. While the name may not sound so special, the Type S room is also known as the ryokan’s presidential suite and features beautifully-appointed traditional interior furnishings such as sliding doors, tatami mats, and low-style Japanese tables and chairs.

Your suite also includes a private terrace where you can sit indoors or outdoors to admire the room’s real masterpiece: its private Japanese garden. Featuring a stone lantern amidst a dry garden surrounded by trees and plants, this garden is beautiful throughout the year as it changes with the seasons. And for the duration of your stay, it is all yours.

Your suite is also equipped with an onsen bath where you can relax and unwind. The bathtub is made of cypress, which is known for its fragrant aroma brought out by the warmth of the water. Enjoy this private bath throughout your stay. You may also, of course, make use of the facility’s large public bath and rooftop footbath.

Dinner at Fukiya Ryokan is an ever-changing affair, with a fresh new menu of delicacies produced each month by the ryokan’s talented chefs. Not only does this allow their culinary talents to shine through, but it also allows for the dishes served to reflect the seasonal bounty of Japan, including local ingredients sourced from in and around the Hakone region.

When you sit down to your dinner at Fukiya Ryokan, you will also notice the incredible variety of flavors, colors, and textures among the many dishes that constitute your meal. While ingredients vary with the seasons, dinner generally includes sashimi and a small hot pot along with grilled fish, meat, and vegetables, as well as a delicately prepared soup.

After a relaxing night’s sleep in your suite, wake up to the beauty of your private Japanese garden bathed in the warm glow of the morning light. Start your day right with a delicious hearty breakfast featuring rice cooked in a traditional earthenware pot coupled with aromatic seaweed grilled over Binchotan charcoal. The ryokan’s meticulously prepared dashi broth is simmered just right to give their miso soup just the right flavor and fresh tofu is prepared every morning.

While Yugawara has been considered one of the best onsen resorts in Japan since the Edo period, it is also slightly off the beaten track from the rest of Hakone. To reach Lake Ashinoko from Yugawara, small back roads wind their way up dramatically into the highlands of Hakone through the dense forests of the region. Ask your driver to stop en route if you’d like to enjoy expansive views overlooking Yugawara and Sagami Bay.

As for your stay at Fukiya Ryokan, it may prove to be one of your more memorable experiences in Japan. While the ryokan preserves and celebrates traditional Japanese ryokan culture in its overall design and attention to the needs of its guests, the incorporation of modern creative inspiration gives the place a unique quality all its own. And after experiencing gourmet meals, a private Japanese garden, and a private onsen bath, the only question left will be: when will you be coming back?