We were looking for a ryokan that offered private onsen in our rooms, and found the perfect one. Facilities, staff, and Kaiseki meals for dinner and breakfast were wonderful. They have a rooftop deck with a nice relaxing view, and private onsen are available for rent for a larger group. Overall, a great experience!

Location is a bit far from the restaurants and shops of Hakone Yumoto, so one either needs to talk a long walk up/down steep streets, or have a car, or take a shuttle ride. This is obviously not the fault of the ryokan, who try to make things more convenient by offering a free shuttle bus. But something to be aware of when making a booking.

Lovely staff, beautiful clean room and as advertised.

This is such a bad thing to complain about but the meals were epic! So big, so much. Which was actually such a delight. It's very traditional and different to western / white people food but we loved the adventure and flavours. The pillow was thick, firm and lumpy .. I don't know if this is cultural but most people would expect a better quality pillow at a 4-star stay. However... I woke up refreshed and well everyday - so the pillow didn't affect my stay much... Perhaps they are onto something

Wonderful place. The main photo doesn't do it justice. Enormous mountains in front, dotted with cherry blossom and a beautiful pink/purple sky surrounding it. The room was very large and comfortable. The private bath in the room was warm and deep. I loved everything about the place. The breakfast and dinner includes enormous and meant I needed little to eat during the day. I would say - one note. There's a lot of hiking in the area. The staff on the front desk had little knowledge of taxis, buses or local attractions in the nearby area. I asked about hiking and they said there wasn't any. There is a lot. They did try to help, but they didn't know much... Otto in the restaurant was very friendly, learning more English, and me learning more Japanese! The private rooftop baths under the stars are worth every penny!

We wanted to stay in a ryokan with meals with private onsen, and Aura Tachibana provided all of these with exceptional service. Staff was extremely courteous and polite throughout our stay from the moment we stepped in. We stayed for two nights, with two dinners and two breakfasts provided. Dinner was a 10-course meal and breakfast was a huge spread of Japanese food, all delicious and fresh. You will feel full but feeling healthy cause the ingredients and cooking methods were generally quite light. Loved the private onsen in our room, we used it 3 times during our stay. We also tried the public onsen and it was quite comfortable although the outdoor tub was a bit small. They also provided kimono for you to wear during mealtimes which is a nice touch. Our room was spacious and had a great view, TV was placed nicely that we can watch TV in the onsen as well :P They provided shuttle bus to and from Hakone-Yumoto station (we only used it going to the station) which was helpful cause the hotel is located a bit uphill. Plus point is, it is located in a relatively quieter area. They have a quiet cafe/library down in the second floor too - great place to unwind and relax. While this is our most expensive stay during our Japan trip, it was definitely worth it!

Some furnitures were a bit dated, but for us personally it adds to the charm. One of our room lamp had a bit of stain, likely due to age. We felt that the second dinner and breakfast was a bit of a downgrade from the first day, in terms of information provided in the menu card and presentation. Food and service were still impressive, but perhaps due to the excellent first dinner and breakfast, our expectations were high. Meal times are rather inflexible because you have timeslots, which may affect your travel plans.

Our room’s view along with the private onsen in room alone made the price so worth it. But then we had dinner and were surprised to be served a 10 course fine dining meal that blew our expectations completely out of the water. The staff were all so helpful with luggage and any questions we had during our stay, and the shuttle service they offered was so convenient and made traveling from the train station to the hotel a breeze!

NA.

Great environment, food was excellent. Awesome Onsen experience! We booked a room with a private open air Onsen instead of using the public Onsen. We also got breakfast and dinner included. It was an amazing experience and they were able to accommodate my food allergies.

Bed was slightly uncomfortable - I needed more pillows. Really meant for a back sleeper instead of a side sleeper. Location is at the top of a very steep hill. There was a shuttle bus to the train station from the hotel (not sure if it runs from the station to the hotel as well - we walked 😓)

The private bath was great. The room is large and spacious, with a sofa and table. There are beds, and futons can be set on the floor. The view to the mountain and city is amazing, we can see the Tozan Line train leaving the station. Finally, the food is great, both breakfast and dinner were great for traditional Japanese food lovers like us. Though if you don't like this kind of food (rae fish, rice, dumplings hot pot, etc.) then do yourself a favor and don't go to any ryokan/traditional hotel.

They mention "double bed", but it's two twin beds. Not sure there are beds for couples.

Breakfast and dinner were tasty multi-course, colorful, artistically presented experiences somewhat like a Japanese tapas style. The private onsen on the rooftop at an additional cost was very enjoyable. Clean, wife & I were not offended by any offensive, musty, mold-like odors as some reviewers have stated, just the natural smell of tatami matting we've experienced at other Ryokan establishments. Staff in the dining room and reception area readily acknowledged us & other guests with a smile and greeting.

Would prefer an extra towel for use when utilizing the onsen instead of having to use the one bath towel provided in the room. The futon floor mattress could be thicker like we experienced at other Ryokans on this trip. Climbing the hill to reach the Hotel is a Beast! Even if check-in officially isn't till 3:00 p.m. a shuttle for early arrival and early luggage storage would be nice.

The best accommodation during all our trip in Japan. My partner and I were already looking forward to Hakone, because of all the nature, onsens, vulcanic activity and Aura Tachibana. In our itinerary, we were supposed to go to a bunch of places in Hakone, but when we got inside Aura... we abandoned our plans, just so we could relax in the private inbedroom onsen. Definitely it was the best decision ever, specially after our "speedrun" through Tokyo. Not only the private inbedroom onsen was incredible, the food was amazing and the staff was so nice. Aura also became a really special place for me and my partner, because it was there were we got engaged. We will come back in some years to celebrate again.

It would be nice to have some instructions when using the public onsen, since it was my first time I was kind lost at first.

It was a nice location away from the busier area but within walking distance. The beds were comfortable and the private and public onsen’s were lovely. The staff were very friendly and accommodating. They were helpful suggesting the hakone free pass which gave us 2 days of transport around the area. There were shuttle services to and from the train station if you needed them. We stayed 2 nights and had the Japanese style breakfast the first morning which was a new experience for us and had a very large range of different foods. We asked for the western style breakfast the second day to have a bit of a change. It was also lovely with breads, omelette, yoghurt for ‘dessert’. It was very convenient staying in Hakone-Yumoto to then get around the area without our luggage. The place is a bit tired but still very comfortable with everything you need and few big rooms.