Ichinoyu Honkan

“Charming historic ryokan”

We recently stayed overnight at Tonosawa Ichinoyu Honkan and it was exactly what we were looking for. A beautiful rustic but historic ryokan with charming staff, a peaceful location by a river and away from the busy tourist hub but easy to get around and see the sights of the Hakone area. The inclu… more

We recently stayed overnight at Tonosawa Ichinoyu Honkan and it was exactly what we were looking for. A beautiful rustic but historic ryokan with charming staff, a peaceful location by a river and away from the busy tourist hub but easy to get around and see the sights of the Hakone area. The included dinner and breakfast were very Japanese (a good thing for us but bear it in mind if you are not an adventurous eater) and included multiple dishes which we really enjoyed. Our Japanese style room was quirky but comfortable, well-equipped, warm and the private onsen was fabulous. We loved wearing our yukatas around the ryokan and the general vibe of the place. We booked the family onsen for the free half an hour that was included, also an enjoyable experience. The only downside was that we only stayed for one night.

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“Amazing Japanese ryoken with fabulous food ”

We stayed for 2 nights and had the most delightful stay- true Japanese style! We had a room with a private onsen - to sit in the onsen listening to the river was truly magical- we feel lucky to have experienced this. Enter into the spirit of the ryokan to experience this hotel at its best - wear th… more

We stayed for 2 nights and had the most delightful stay- true Japanese style! We had a room with a private onsen - to sit in the onsen listening to the river was truly magical- we feel lucky to have experienced this. Enter into the spirit of the ryokan to experience this hotel at its best - wear the traditional slippers and kimono . The meals are an experience! I'm not a fish lover but the food was presented so artfully, many courses which were worthy of a Michelin star. The staff take huge pride in serving local delicacies and the service was 5* Yes the hotel is old but that is part of its charm that does not distract from a fabulous stay

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“We loved this place!”

Yes, it's an old hotel but that's part of the charm. We would choose something like this over a newer hotel. We reserved the rooms with private onsens which had their own outdoor onsen just outside of our rooms along the river. It was amazing. The website was easy to navigate in English. We up… more

Yes, it's an old hotel but that's part of the charm. We would choose something like this over a newer hotel. We reserved the rooms with private onsens which had their own outdoor onsen just outside of our rooms along the river. It was amazing. The website was easy to navigate in English. We upgraded to the premium dinner plan which included a sashimi boat for four of us and all you can drink drinks. The dinner was wow...yum...shabu shabu with an appetizer of all kinds of good stuff, steamed vegetables, the sashimi boat, we added on a side order of lobster sashimi. It was so much food, we tried our best but could not finish it all. The service was great. You are assigned a table and that's the same table you eat every meal at. This place is located relatively near Hakone-Yumoto station but not so close that you end up with tons of people walking by. The staff were very helpful. the younger gentleman helped me complete the kuroneko luggage transport forms and our luggage reached our next hotel successfully. He also called us a taxi to get back to the station. There is a bus stop several feet from the hotel so we were able to catch the Hakone bus with our Freepass to the hotel the first night. We had our luggage sent to Tonosawa and they had it waiting in our room. The private onsen rooms we had were tatami mat style...surprisingly large. There were two closets...one with our bedding...they don't lay the bedding out for you, which was fine for us. The other closet was smaller and for clothing. There was a mini fridge, a TV, a sitting table, a couple of Japanese style (sit on the floor) chairs, split A/C/heater which we made good use of as it was still a bit chilly. There was a decent sized sitting room with a small table and two western style chairs. The bathroom was fairly large with limited counterspace. There was a indoor furo or bathtub with a shower hose. The private onsen was really what we went to Hakone for. We've stayed at hotels where you can reserve the outdoor onsens after dinner for some private time..but usually you have to reserve it the day you arrive and hope you get a good time slot. This was worth the higher nightly fee. After dinner, we unpacked and then enjoyed our private onsen at our leisure. It was awesome to hear the river running while relaxing in our onsen. In the morning, we soaked again which was nice...no running outside of your room through the lobby to get to the onsen and we could soak for as long as we wanted. Breakfast was included and was just as amazing as dinner. Luckily a smaller portion so we were able to finish all of our food. Typical yummy Japanese breakfast with fresh steamed rice, onsen tamago (soft boiled egg boiled in onsen water), grilled fish, miso soup, etc. Yes, it's old so if you're enjoying the rooms on the first floor with the private onsen...be aware the restaurant is on the 4th floor with no elevator which we did not mind...the architecture is great AND you can hear people above you walking and putting things down. Wish the hotel would requests guest on the 2nd floor and above be mindful. We almost went to the front desk to mention how noisy the people upstairs were, but then they must have gone to sleep because it was dead quiet. We chose the early breakfast time slot which to me seemed a little late, 7:45AM...but I am glad we did. Restaurant was less crowded and we didn't hear heavy footsteps above us in the morning. We would definitely stay here again.

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“Step back in time”

We stayed here for 2 nights on a full board basis near the end of our 14 nights in Japan We travelled from Osaka on the bullet train to Odawara then took the local bus on the Hotels recommendations I think everyone wanted on the same bus and after a 2.5 hour wait in the bus station we then journe… more

We stayed here for 2 nights on a full board basis near the end of our 14 nights in Japan We travelled from Osaka on the bullet train to Odawara then took the local bus on the Hotels recommendations I think everyone wanted on the same bus and after a 2.5 hour wait in the bus station we then journeyed for about 50 minutes to the Hotel which was 100 metres down the hill on the opposite side of the road Shoes off at the door and we were in Room Take with it's own hot spring pool overlooking the river The room is traditional Japanese and you have to make up your own futon to sleep on - not to my western comfort I am afraid and with the noise of the river outside both nights were disturbed sleep. Food for breakfast & dinner was Japanese set menu with no choices. My wife is a more adventurous eater enjoyed most of it but in all honesty I struggled and only had water for breakfast If you like traditional Japanese food that's not westernised you will love it Alcohol is only served for 75 minutes when eating a glass of beer wine or sake being the options but is included within the overall deal - you can get a bottle of beer for your room but it must be ordered before 8pm and the cost is added to your bill Ceilings on doorways are lower than normal so a few bangs of the head We used the Hakone travel pass and ventured to Lake Aschi on the bus about 45 minutes where there is a boat trip a cable car ride and a funicular railway down into Gora I enjoyed the experience but maybe I am too westernised as I have eaten Japanese food at home but seen nothing on the menu like the last 2 days

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