Tokinoyu Setsugetsuka Review: Private Open-Air Bath Ryokan in Hakone, Japan

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^{Hakone, near Tokyo, Japan
Tokinoyu Setsugetsuka
Words and photos by Sseoz}

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^{Hi everyone,
let’s head out together again—
I’m travel blogger “Sseoz,”and today I’m sharing one of my favorite stays.}

^{On my Tokyo trip last winter,
I spent one night in Hakone.}

^{The place I stayed
was Tokinoyu Setsugetsuka.
It’s literally right in front of Gora Station,
and with a private open-air bath in the room,
it was the perfect place
to slow down and fully relax for a day in Hakone.}

^{From kaiseki dinner to breakfast,
I got to enjoy the full ryokan experience.}

1. A ryokan 1 minute from Gora Station

^{When you’re booking a Hakone ryokan,
location matters more than you’d think.}

^{A lot of onsen town properties require you to take the mountain train in,
and quite a few are perched on steep hills.}

^{After making the trip all the way from Tokyo to Hakone,
the last thing you want is to drag a suitcase uphill.
Honestly, that sounds exhausting before the trip even starts.}

^{But Tokinoyu Setsugetsuka
is just a 1- to 2-minute walk from Gora Station,which is a huge plus.}

^{You step out of the station and it’s basically right there,
so there’s no need to wrestle your luggage around.}

^{Just take the mountain train from Hakone-Yumoto
and get off at Gora Station—that’s it.}

^{If you want a well-located Gora Station ryokan, this one is hard to beat.}

2. Private open-air bath in the room

^{The room I stayed in
was a Deluxe Japanese-Western Style Room
for two people.}

^{It had a tatami sitting area, a bedroom, and a table,
plus a private open-air bath out on the terrace.}

^{This was easily my favorite part.}

^{Even if you skip the public bath,
you can still soak anytime in total privacy
and enjoy the onsen at your own pace with family or your partner.}

^{And it’s not just the in-room bath—
there’s also a large public bath and three private reservable bathson the property.}

^{The main public bath includes indoor baths,
and there’s also an outdoor bath
where you can soak while looking out at the natural scenery.}

^{One soak in the room,
another in the public bath,}

^{and by the time I’d done morning and evening rounds,
my skin felt unbelievably soft.}

^{After your bath, there’s ice cream
and yogurt too, which makes the whole onsen experience even better.}

3. From kaiseki dinner to breakfast

^{If you’re staying at a ryokan,
you really can’t skip kaiseki, right?}

^{At Setsugetsuka, dinner lets you choose
either hot pot or shabu-shabu as your main dish.}

^{Kaiseki is a traditional Japanese multi-course meal
with lots of small, beautifully prepared dishes,
and getting to enjoy it at a ryokan just makes the stay feel extra special.}

^{The next morning, breakfast was served
in a comforting Japanese home-style spread.}

^{My favorite was definitely the grilled salmon.}

^{If you’re coming all the way to Hakone for a ryokan stay,
I really recommend booking a plan
that includes kaiseki dinner too.}

^{That way, you don’t have to head back out to look for a restaurant,
and you can just enjoy dinner and then ease into a relaxing evening in the onsen.}

^{Check room rates with kaiseki included}

4. Lowest rates by date

^{When I visited,
this Gora Station ryokan was roughly in the $451–$721 range,
and the price varied quite a bit depending on the date.}

^{Weekdays were definitely cheaper than weekends,
and rates were lower if your stay didn’t overlap with Japanese holiday periods.}

^{So once you’ve decided on your travel dates,
I definitely recommend comparing room prices for that exact day first.
Even shifting your stay by just one or two days
can make a surprisingly big difference, so it’s worth checking to get the best deal.}

^{I actually chose a Thursday–Friday stay on purpose
because those dates were the cheapest.}

^{Especially if you want a room with a private open-air bath
or a plan that includes kaiseki,
it’s much easier to search by the exact conditions you want.}

^{and even a late-night snack in the evening—
plus there’s a convenience store about 10 minutes away,
so I didn’t run into any major inconveniences during my stay.}

^{Next time,
I’d love to bring my parents here.}

^{If you’re planning a Hakone onsen trip
and looking for a ryokan with a private open-air bath,
Tokinoyu Setsugetsuka is absolutely worth a look.}

^{Travel with Sseoz—
every moment of the journey}

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