This onsen hostel was exceptional. We had a private ryokan room for 3 and the beds were very comfortable. The large living room was very welcoming and comfortable, with a splendid view and relaxing music that enhanced the ambiance. The outdoor onsen was amazing, relaxing, and very clean. The location was great because there was a bus stop closeby (although bus stops at around 5pm). We took a cab with our suitcases upon arrival (after bus service stopped) for about $10USD, which was worth it due to the steep incline. Overall, really a great place to stay with good value.

Upon arrival, our whole day coming from Osaka was rushed and stressed to make the 7:30pm check-in deadline. It would have been nice to have a flexible check-in time later in the evening (9pm) to avoid rushing, especially that staff lives on-site (call staff number when arrive). I crossed another guest arrive the next day exhausted and stressed to make the 7:30pm check-in time.

The hostel is located approximately 20mins away (by foot) from Hakone-Yumoto station, in a quieter part of the neighbourhood. The staff are very friendly, welcoming and helpful. They also promote the local culture by encouraging the guests to speak basic Japanese phrases! The facilities are great and the onsens are really good too.

People with long legs (like myself) may find that the toilets are abit small. Word of caution: the drivers around Hakone area tend to speed and drive recklessly. When going to K's house, be wary of the blind spots that cars will tend to cross over.

Easily the most positive surprise during my trip as I booked the last available bed quite late. Very good bed(double in the dorm room), comfortable with quite a lot of storage space and your own window! They change towels daily as well which was a big plus. Toilets outside of the room which is always great, the onsen was such an amazing thing to have right in the hostel after a day of hiking, it’s small but can fit about 8 people and is a very relaxing experience. The staff were very nice and helpful with good tips for hiking and food in the area. The common areas! They were truly amazing with nice decor and good facilities, the kitchen well-stocked and two guest fridges. The main living room is spacious with plenty of seating and various board games to be played and a terrace! Overall it was an amazing stay and I didn’t not expect to meet such great people. The walk to the hostel from the station is not that bad! Just a steep incline for about 5 minutes other than that pretty easy if you just have a backpack.

Nothing that comes to mind!

We stayed in Room 301 which is a traditional Japanese tatami room. The room was large and comfortable, with blackout curtains on the windows, which kept it reasonably dark in the morning. There are five futons in the closet, along with the number of linens for how many people are staying that night. Five would be tight, but workable. Certainly, a family of four would be comfortable in the space. The extras in the hotel were very nice: the outdoor onsen is beautiful and tranquil, the lounge very comfortable and a good place to read or talk with other travelers, and the patio adjacent pleasant in the cooler evenings. There is a kitchen where brewed coffee is made between 7.30 and 11. All other times, hot water is available to make tea or instant coffee. You can store food in a communal refrigerator and use the stove, cutlery, and dishware as long as you clean up. The place was booked while we were there, but all of the patrons were considerate and quiet. The staff spoke English and was on-site between 8 am and 8 pm. They were very helpful. The location is generally good. It is about a 15-minute walk down a steep hill to get to the bus and train station, but there is a convenience store just down the road. Since we had a lot of luggage, we hired a taxi to take us from the bus station to K's and it cost about 660 yen. I would recommend the Hakone Free Pass if you are using bus and train to get around the area. There are also attraction fees that it covers as well. The bus is 1080 yen to get to Lake Ashi.

K's was great and this is no reflection on them, but this is just some information that could be useful.... While we were there (early September), many of the cafes did not open until 10 or 11 am and restaurants were sometimes closed a day or two during the week. For example, a restaurant that we ate at on Wednesday was very good, and we wanted to go again on Friday night, but they were closed. It was difficult to get breakfast out earlier than 10, so we bought yogurt at 7-11 the night before. By the end of our trip, we found this to be true in many places that we stayed in Japan.

Onsen: if you want a simple onsen experience and avoid the crowd, this place has an outdoor and indoor onsen which you can use. Host: Employees are very fluent in english, will not have any issues.

Location: They do warn you when you book the place, but you would need (or at least recommended) to get a cab/bus there that comes every 30 mins. if you attempt to walk up on your own with all your luggage (which I did) it is extremely exhausting. Maps/google maps also like to give you an alternative way of going to the place which requires you to scale up very steep stairs which is not viable if you have a suitcase.

Beautiful setting among the trees. Lovely balcony. The room we stayed in was spacious. The hostel was extremely clean. It was pretty close to hakone Yumoto station and restaurant options. Very good value for money. Nice coffee provided in the morning. We had a great stay here. There were plenty of things to do around Hakone and being based near Hakone yumoto station was a convenient spot to visit the sights and hot springs.

The hostel is uphill from hakone yumoto station so we took a taxi, the walk would be too hard with luggage.

Nice commmon facilities. Lovely outdoor onsen. Our room was very large and comfortable for our family of 4.

Some may find the location a bit far away from the main attractions but we found it lovely to be up on the hill with the sounds of the river and away from the crowd.

1.Have Onsen attached 2.Have very relax & clean& well designed public area for people to connect(Kodatsu!!!) 3.Have places(and env is quite silent during daytime) in case you have to work 4. Tatami room available in case we want Japan style living experience 5. Last but also most important, this hotel attracts the most friendly/interesting people around the world!!!(no matter staff or traveller) ;)

Only provide 2+ days reservation. Would be nice in case we have Yukata(👘)renting service~

Quiet, clean and comfortable hostel in walking distance of the station. I liked the pod style dorm beds with power, reading light, hooks and hangers, privacy curtain, a decent size shelf to put things as well as a lockable storage box. Staff were welcoming and helpful. Indoor and outdoor onsens were both nice and two out of three times I had it to myself (which was good as I’m not quite used to bathing naked with other people yet!!)

Limited floor space being used up by people travelling with large suitcases

Staff was extremely attentive and helpful and happily answered all of my annoying questions! Didn't try the indoor onsen, but the outdoor one was incredible. Don't be put off by the capsule-style dorm beds--I had THE best night's sleep of my stay here (perhaps because I spent an hour soaking in the onsen, but still...). Each bed has a its own curtain, light, hangers, shelf w/ outlet and lockable storage box. The room lights are motion-activated, so I was worried I'd get woken up by other guests--thankfully this was not the case, thanks to the curtains and orientation of the beds. Note that there's an AC/heating unit controlled by the guests, so make sure it hasn't been set too high, especially if you're in an upper-level bed. Spacious common areas, including a porch/balcony with a nice view. Fresh-brewed coffee every morning. Right on the K line bus route, which you can take to the train station or to Lake Ashi (great views of Mt. Fuji, without having to do the typical, time-consuming tourist loop). Only downside is that the bus only comes once every half hour during the day. Tons of helpful information for tourists, including food recommendations, hikes, etc.

As noted in the listing, it's a 15-minute uphill walk from the train station, so you'll want to take a bus or taxi upon arrival. That said, walking downhill TO the station was fairly easy, even with a large pack. The men's bathroom only had one toilet, so you might need to wait or go to another floor from time to time.