Ichiitei Hakone

The place is a bit far away, but the staff were nice, the food was good, and everything else was fine.

The toilet lock in my room was broken, though I'm sure it'll be fixed by my next visit. I often stay in Sengokuhara, and unlike the water at other inns there, the spring here doesn't have a strong sulfur smell. Both the open-air bath in the room and the large public bath had excellent water. The hot spring helped me relax and unwind from everyday fatigue, and I left feeling refreshed. The food was incredibly delicious, from the vegetables, soup, and meat to dessert, all high quality. Breakfast often includes horse mackerel, but here it was barracuda. The homemade furikake (seasoned rice crackers) was exquisite. I asked whether I could buy some, but it wasn't for sale. I couldn't forget Ichiitei's furikake, so after getting home I tried high-end furikake from a department store, but none tasted better than Ichiitei's.

I went for a special occasion, and the stay was relaxing with a great location. There are only a few guest rooms, so I didn't run into anyone else. The large public bath is private too, and guests can use it, but there's a 40-minute limit. Nakai-san was calm, and the food was delicious. We had puffer fish tempura, sashimi, and wagyu steak.

The staff were quite friendly, but the food wasn't anything to rave about for a traditional Japanese inn. I suppose that's to be expected given the room size. There are just two private baths, and four of the six rooms have their own baths. Since everyone uses the private ones, they get crowded, and with the time limits it's hard to get a turn.