KAI Hakone

Hotel review

If you sometimes feel that Western society is becoming increasingly homogeneous then a trip to the KAI Hakone hot springs ryokan just one hour from Tokyo is an otherworld experience that will take you so far outside your comfort zone that you might never want to get back. The modern building is situated at the bottom of a valley through which a river roars in full flood, although that may have had something to do with the recent departure of typhoon Hagibis from the area. You fall asleep with the noise of the river in your ears and you wake up to the same, soporific background rumble. There are western styled rooms but you should opt for an airy and spacious Japanese suite which boasts everything you could wish for. The ryokan itself resembles an English midland’s university, only the bricks are white rather than red, although the building boasts huge glass windows which flood it with light. The place is awash with staff who are unfailingly helpful and polite; some even speak English which is a blessing. The main business of the KAI Hakone is the “onsen” (baths) powered by the natural hot springs that pepper the surrounding area. Japanese communal bathing is utterly alien to western sensibilities. Sexes are separated but all bathing, hot and cold baths, sauna, is undertaken in your birthday suit. Incidentally, they strongly advise you to place a towel on top of your head to prevent headaches. The experience is a little daunting at first but you soon adjust. Copy the locals, which means scrubbing yourself like Lady Macbeth, before plunging into anything communal. Once you overcome the initial stage fright, it is almost impossible not to relax in the large hot bath which opens onto the natural wilderness outside. In keeping with the puritan streak that permeates Japanese society, the ryokan has no communal bar although individual room fridges are stocked with beer and water. After dinner you can participate in an arts/crafts lesson using locally sourced materials to make a miniature wreath. Almost everyone did. The food at the KAI Hakone was a thing of wonder, so beautifully presented that you don’t know whether you should tuck in or simply hang it on the wall alongside the other art. The seven course traditional Japanese dinner was accompanied by sake served in inverted miniature pewter ‘Mount Fujis’ (they would sell like hotcakes if anyone thought to stock them in the little shop on the ground floor). Just one of those seven courses consisted of eight separate amuse bouches. And even if the fermented intestines of a squid might not be to everyone’s taste, remember that this is Japan. They do things differently here, thank goodness.

Iain Morrison Review published: 03/12/2024