Tsukinoya

“Tranquillo ryokan”

“Loved it”

I wish we stayed longer

“Absolutely Magical”

Tsukinoya is easily the most magical place we’ve ever stayed. We stayed three nights, but wish that we’d stayed longer. The couple who own Tsukinoya are the sweetest, most helpful people. The gentleman carried our luggage up three flights of stairs to our room, and insisted on driving us to our destination multiple times. The onsen honestly was a life-changer. We used the one on the first floor and never had to wait for it. I wish we had facilities like this in the US. The individual rooms at Tsukinoya don’t have showers, but I promise, it’s for the best. My partner and I loved our nightly and morning trips down to the Tsukinoya onsen. It gave us privacy together to talk, to plan our day or to reminisce about the day, to refresh and relax. We had made plans at another onsen in Hakone to go spend a couple of hours, but traffic caused us to miss our reservation. Honestly, we weren’t even upset. We just went back to Tsukinoya and enjoyed their onsen. Our room was beautiful (we were in the Matsengu, or “full moon” room), and the AC unit kept us cool in the late summer heat. Even just the walk up the stairs to our room was always enjoyable because they’ve done a fantastic job decorating the ryokan. The view from our windows of Hakone’s roofs and the mountains was absolutely gorgeous. We loved sitting at our table on the tatami and enjoying snacks from the nearby 7-11. The room included a refrigerator so we could store our many 7-11 snacks, and also very cute little sake glasses. Of note, the 7-11 is within easy downhill walking distance, but ask about the shortcut up the stairs and through the shrine to get back - we took the hill the first night and it was rough, but after the gentleman showed us the stairs it was much easier! The owners also supplied us with hot water multiple times daily, so we could enjoy cup noodles in our room (my partner also enjoyed the tea they supplied). They also supply yukata for the onsen! Tsukinoya is a really special place. This is easily one of my favorite places I’ve ever stayed in my life. If you’re considering it, don’t pass it up. And if you’re Western and not used to an onsen-style bath, just keep an open mind and try it! Don’t let the lack of showers in each room put you off. Take the time to go with your travel companions down to the onsen and really enjoy it. It is SO worth it.

“Great ryokan! ”

I stayed here for 1 night and I was amazed by the staff kindness. The ryokan is clean and the private onsen which you can use for 50 mins for all yourself is really a great value for your money. I'd like to visit it again if ever had the chance.

“The best budget ryokan in the area!”

Best highlight of this ryokan is just the hospitality of the owners. They really helped us a lot with navigating around Hakone area. Everytime we go and come back we got greeted warmly. The oji-san even made a reservation and drove us to a small great restaurant because it was quite late and the place is quite a distance. Their hospitality simply made this stay a 5 star experience. Wish we stayed for more nights. There are two private onsen available on the premise. You're free to use them whenever and the onsen are great! Just be mindful of others when the ryokan is packed. You can only shower in onsen area, so make sure you don't use the onsen too long. But otherwise you're free to use them whenever. Price is also really great, nothing to complaint. The room I got was very nice. Yes, a bit old but that's the kind of ryokan experience I want to get! Not some luxurious hotel ryokan. They provided many things inside the room. Chilling with cold beers after onsen at the tatami area is just simply amazing. However, do note that the place is quite difficult to access, especially with heavy luggage. You either have to climb old mountain stairs, or hike a driveway. Only use the stairs when you're not bringing anything. Other than that, the location is quite good with 2 bus stops available. You can easily catch a bus back to train stations and Odawara stations, go down to famous Hakone shrine and the lake, or go up and use the cable car to volcanic area. Now I know why this ryokan is very popular in Agoda. It's just simply, great!