Yojokan Haru no Hikari

I’m really sad that I can’t get a reservation after May and that the inn is closing. Thank you for such a restful, lovely stay. It was just right for a solo trip where I wanted to be left to myself. The hot springs were wonderful every time, and the food was simple but superb, carefully made with the innkeeper’s deep knowledge of fermented foods.

The food portions were more filling than I expected. I’d been worried after reading reviews about simple meals, but I was about 90% full each day. There’s an izakaya right next door and a convenience store along the road if you want a snack. The photo shows breakfast. I learned a lot about how healthy ingredients can still fill you up. The inn’s atmosphere in the lobby and dining area is exceptional. They burn insect-repellent incense throughout the building. It smells like mosquito coils, though it wasn’t so strong that it made me choke. People sensitive to those scents should be aware. There were fewer bugs than I expected, about what you’d expect at a nature-rich hot spring resort. There are quite a few stairs, so take care if your legs aren’t strong. My room was enormous for a single-person stay, much bigger than the photos suggested. It had two beds, though only one was made up, with the other useful for putting clothes on. The tatami area could fit three futons comfortably, so there was plenty of room to lounge. There were wooden floors, broad windows, and a small study. The Wi-Fi was excellent, with a connection in each room, and I played online games at night. There’s an apartment directly opposite, so I closed the curtains or the bedroom sliding door when changing. I brought one of those popular push sprays because I didn’t want to see bugs. I got rid of one on the first day, but didn’t have a recurring problem with spiders or anything getting out of hand. The meals weren’t small after all, and the whole stay suited me. Service felt like eating in a restaurant. Yukatas and towels for the entire stay were provided at the start, and staff otherwise left me alone unless I asked. That worked for me. I’m socially awkward and feel uneasy trying to get friendly with waitresses. There are other inns with more attentive service, so it comes down to what kind of space you prefer. For a solo-stay plan, I’d recommend this place if regular hotels or inns feel like too much, you want healthier food, and you mainly want to soak in hot springs. I suspect there’s a Hakone brand premium, though I didn’t feel it was good value, so I’m giving four stars. Hakone’s hot springs all seem so hot. Most facilities and inns were around 43-45°C, and I usually like long baths, but at that temperature I’d get a hot spring reaction after more than ten minutes. This was the only place where I could take a lukewarm bath. The tubs are cleverly designed, and the women’s bath, which is for men only before breakfast, was genuinely lukewarm. I could soak as long as I wanted, even in summer, without getting a hot spring reaction. They also have hot springs, so you can warm up before bed. The inn closes from breakfast until lunch for cleaning. I guess other places that regularly refill their baths may do that too.

I can’t understand how this place has reviews above four stars. It was an awful inn, and I absolutely wouldn’t recommend it. They impose a lot of small rules in the name of “recuperation,” which felt like nothing but the inn’s own negligence. Here’s what went well and what didn’t. I stayed alone for one night in early May, with breakfast and dinner, and paid just under 20,000 yen. My room was one of the Shochikuume options, a standard Japanese-style room of about 10 tatami mats. The one good thing was how quiet it was all day. You can definitely get away from the noise and bustle. The staff’s attitude was very poor. They rushed through the check-in explanation without leaving room for me to speak, and when showing me to the room, they didn’t even try to carry my bags. I could clearly hear a male staff member in the back of reception speaking rudely about a guest. The oshibori cloth smelled intensely of sweat when I entered the room, and I had to wash my face again with water. Their handling of it was completely unacceptable. The appliances in the room also seemed neglected. The humidifier had thick, hardened scale all over it, and it seemed certain it hadn’t been maintained for about six months. The meals were small, without especially good taste or freshness. There were plenty of vegetables, which is fine, but serving a lot of salad without much effort felt lazy. Dessert and tea were brought out separately during meals, but staff weren’t paying attention to guests and wouldn’t act until I called them. At the same time, they were in a hurry to clear everything away, which was unpleasant. Dinner started around 7 p.m., but the 9 p.m. curfew was so early that going to nearby shops or taking a walk in the evening wasn’t possible. There are two baths, and the inn basically prioritizes women. At night, women use the larger bath, with three temperature options, while men get the smaller one, with two. They switch over in the middle of the night. The smaller bath felt cramped and dirty. There were lots of dead insects in the tub and on the window frames, and it was so small I couldn’t avoid seeing them. It was a terrible experience. Incense and joss sticks are burned throughout the building, which could be hard for people with asthma. The staff were clearly short on both numbers and training, and the place wasn’t being managed properly. They didn’t apologize for that, and instead ran things by imposing rules on guests. I can’t see any reason to pay 20,000 yen for a place like this.

I spent one night here and came away feeling rested, both mentally and physically. I took my time soaking in the bath, lounging on the bed, and settling into the reading room. In the morning, I read with a cup of coffee on the comfortable sofa. From the rattan chair, I could look out at the view and unwind. The room was spacious and uncluttered, and early in the day I spotted freshwater crabs wandering around in the hot spring on the first floor. The meals were simple and just the right amount. It was a quiet, leisurely stay that felt like a reset for my body and mind.