Following our 2 days at DisneySea, we headed straight over to Hakone by car to relax a little bit!
Hakone Kowakien Ten-yu
My MIL booked this hotel based on a recommendation from a friend. My husband and I have driven through and made brief stops in Hakone before, but this would be our first time staying overnight, and the hotel looked really nice! We spent the first night just settling in and relaxing at the onsen/hotel after our busy 2 days at DisneySea.
The grounds and lobby
There is some parking available on the same level at the lobby but overflow parking is slightly down the hill in a separate lot off the main road.
The lobby is elegant while still feeling a bit cozy with lots of full length windows so you can take in the beautiful changing colors during the fall.
The room
MIL was gracious enough to book us a separate room for both nights and the entrances were right next to each other.
The room itself is quite large, especially by Japanese hotel standards and includes a small entry way before the main bedroom (straight through, past the wardrobe) and the bathroom (to the right)
Our room included two double beds, side by side, with a modern headboard that has all the most convenient charging ports and light switches. There was also a small, low table with two low chairs and pillows in a large area at the foot of the beds, mini fridge, Amazon Alexa, TV, dresser drawers and complimentary water.
Bathroom included a separated sink / toilet / shower stall area and the sink area was quite large with a nice mirror. There was also a lot of storage space below and opposite the sink.
The beds face a large glass sliding door/full length glass wall that has blackout curtains. At night, it was nice to have it open to see the trees and view without having to worry that anyone could see in.
Private outdoor bath with hot spring water
Just outside the glass door/wall, on the patio, there is a small rounded tub that you can fill with hot spring water on demand, including buttons for running the water for 3 or 15 minutes.
I opted to use it for sunrise on the last day of our stay. The wall offers safety and a sense of privacy but you can take in the scenery.
Sunrise
Sunset
Lit up at night!
5th and 6th floor onsen
There are two different bath areas - 1 on the 5th floor and 1 on the 6th floor. One is always allocated to men and the other to women on alternating days. They each have a sauna, indoor bath, outdoor bath and a small cold water bath. The outdoor bath on each of the floors has a different view and layout. For our first night, women had the 5th floor. On the second night, I used the sixth floor bath. For obvious reasons, I do not have pictures inside, but our group seemed to prefer the sixth floor because the outdoor bath is a lot larger and looks out into the open sky. It's beautiful during the day and night (and I'm sure, in particular, at sunrise).
Our room had yukata and a shirt/pants set in various sizes to use inside the hotel. Our room bathroom also had also some woven baskets for carrying your items to and from the bath which was really convenient!
Breakfast buffet
Our two night reservation came with breakfast on both days, and it was a pretty impressive spread! There is a check-in desk with staff that will guide you to a specific table, so you don't have to worry about finding a place to sit as it's typically a bit busy.
There was a lot of variety besides the typical things you'd find for a Japanese hotel breakfast (more than I could really take a picture of). We also had a nice view right next to our table on the second day.
This hotel is a bit pricey (although certainly not the most expensive in the area), but the accommodations and amenities are really nice! Price notwithstanding, I would definitely consider staying again because the room was very comfortable and so big too - it really helped with the relaxing atmosphere to not be so squished into a tiny space and the glass wall assists in that illusion as well.
Hakone Museum of Art
Just a short drive from our hotel, on an on-off rainy day, we went to check out the Hakone Museum of Art, in particular for the Japanese Garden.
Lots and lots of fall colors, best experienced in person and probably not on a rain cloud looming day, but was still quite nice despite the weather.
The staff did warn us about it when we were paying for tickets, but, while beautiful (in likely an season), the garden area is not wheelchair accessible at all. GMIL was navigating somewhat successfully with her folding walker, but there are quite a few instances of stairs that are a bit steep and other narrow areas. I don't think a solo traveler requiring a walk-assistance device would be able to navigate it easily at all.
We did manage to make our way all the way around it and ended up at the main building with the actual art pieces. It didn't really seem like photography was allowed inside, and things were a bit sparse/spaced out anyway. There are two floors (requiring stairs), but I stayed on the ground level with GMIL and just enjoyed the view out the window.
There was this large tree with like 4+ different colors of leaves on it ranging from deep green to light green, yellow to golden orange, red and deep red all at once. It was a great representation of fall colors!
As someone who knows very little about fine art, I think the museum itself is not entirely worthwhile, but the garden is definitely gorgeous and worth checking out if you're in the area and can handfle the slightly uneven terrain and stairs.
Hakone Open Air Museum
Because of the rain, we had initially planned to reschedule the Open Air Museum to the following day, but since we just happened to pass it on our way to Odawara, we changed our plans in the moment and decided to stop.
The weather somehow cleared up a LOT, and we didn't see any rain at all while we explored the vast outdoor area and exhibits with a rented wheelchair. Most of the walkways are paved but there are steep hills (up and down) througout.
This seemingly innocuous tower was actually filled with stained glass on the inside!
And the view from the top was spectacular as well. (No wheelchair access - stairs only and they're actually quite numerous and steep.)
There was also a large, indoor Picasso exhibition with lots of different pieces and information inside. No photos were allowed though!
The grounds are filled with lots and lots of diverse and interesting pieces and also different trees and flowers. In good weather, this is absolutely a museum worth visiting!
We even opted to have lunch on the second floor next to the gift shop and got a table with a great view!
Hakone Siteseeing Cruise (Pirate ship)
This cruise was highly recommended as a "must-do" to my MIL by one of her old coworkers. We chose the port near the Hakone checkpoint (which we were familiar with from our weekend trip in September) and bought first class tickets for the next available boat.
"First Class" allows you into a "VIP" seating area which is separated from the main cabin (which is essentially the back portion of the boat), but no assigned seating. You can otherwise freely explore the boat at any time from the bottom, middle and deck level.
Unfortunately, the clouds hung around for almost the entire cruise and we didn't get any glimpses of the sun, blue skies or Fuji, but it was a nice way to explore Lake Ashinoko. It was quite cold on the deck while the boat was moving though!
Tokino Sumika Illumination (Gotemba)
Wanting something seasonal to do at night/once the sun set, we sought out the nearest large illumination in Gotemba at Toki no Sumika.
We had ideally wanted to eat dinner in this resort area as well, but unfortunately nothing caught our eye or looked particularly appetizing. So once we got our fill of the lights, we sought out something on the way back to the hotel.
Shofuku Ramen (Gotemba)
Shofuku Ramen is a small regional chain that my husband and I tried in Numazu in September and enjoyed. It just so happened that there's a location in Gotemba not too far from Tokino no Sumika and this seemed like the perfect place to stop and close out our full day in Hakone.
Izu Panorama Park
At breakfast on Day 2, I checked the weather forecast and the live camera at Izu Panorama Park (previously visited with friends in October) and was elated to see a completely clear view of Fuji. We got ready, checked out the hotel and started to make our way over.
Since it was a Sunday and with such clear skies, the crowds were a bit intense and we easily spent 45 minutes just waiting to get tickets and then onto the gondola.
But the wait was mostly worth it! The clouds did start rolling in while we were in line, but we could still see the snow-capped top and Fuji is there in the background in most of the photos we took.
Got a dango snack at the top, freshly heated + sauce.
We were able to rent a wheelchair here, but much of the outdoor area away from the terrace is uneven and not really wheelchair friendly although one of the routes is supposedly accessible to an extent. The steepness of the ground does make it quite difficult both coming and going.
Still got to see some really nice koyo/autumn colors for the areas we were willing to go to though. I did expect the tree covered walkway to be entirely red at this time, but actually it was just a small bit at the beginning lol.
We saw lots of people trying to get a cool water reflection picture from this area. I didn't try that hard but at least Fuji can be seen!
Compared to the previous day's weather, Day 2 was much nicer and the crowds definitely reflected that. The pictures came out a lot cleaner though :)
Mentai Park
Another repeat from October, Mentai Park is just a short drive away from Izu Panorama Park and along the way back home.
We made a brief stop here to check out the displays, learn a little about mentaiko and get a snack!
Gotemba Premium Outlets
Last stop on our way home was Gotemba Premium Outlets. Since we didn't want to get home too late in the day, we didn't stay long, but the parking areas were all a mess! We somehow managed to park in one of the closer garages but there were like 17 overflow parking lots open too.
I got a bite to eat at Shake Shack, but we didn't end up doing much else here except some very brief browsing and getting a watch from Seiko for my husband's cousin at his request.
It was a packed little weekend, and I'm glad the rainy weather didn't slow us down too much on the first full day! We were able to accomplish a lot more than I anticipated although the views were not quite ideal, and it was balanced out by seeing Fuji really clearly on the second morning. I'm really glad we were able to both relax and get things done for these two days before my husband and I returned the work the next day.
By the way, my MIL really loved this shampoo (the scent in particular) from the hotel, but apparently they don't sell it (she asked lol). If anyone knows anything about it or knows how I might be able to get some, please let me know!
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