Senkyoro

177. Senkyoro, Hakone Stayed overnight. Main reason for choosing it was needing a hotel in northern Hakone with strong baths. Booked breakfast only — it was a set meal (they gave a double) in a really nice dining hall with a pleasant view of nature and a small waterfall. Service at breakfast was also good. There are private baths for 2200 (one indoor and two outdoor). The Japanese-style room was standard for this type of hotel. But the reception service was off, and there was periodically a crowd of 3-4 male staff members while there were clearly very few guests. Issues included: - Asked for an umbrella — they went to look and eventually gave me some ultra-old beaten-up yellowed one; - At checkout asked them to call a taxi to the next hotel — they called one company, no taxi available, told me to wait two to three hours or go to the bus stop in heavy rain with three pieces of luggage. Meanwhile I managed to get a taxi myself through the GO app within 20 minutes; - There was a lot of fuss over simple things like payment, check-in, purchases at the hotel merch shop. The guys kept going back and forth, clarifying simple questions. Also there was a weird thing I'd never seen before. In the evening the reception staff left and two men in what looked like security uniforms (similar to police) appeared. I went down to reception 4 times to pick up/return private bath keys, and these guys were standing in the exact same spots both in the evening and early morning. But they were super respectful and even when handing me the bath keys, they'd say the local name of each bath. Indoor bath. Milky water with white calcium deposits, hot+ temperature. Good air inside. Outdoor public stone bath. Pleasant view of trees. Milky water with white calcium deposits. Hot temperature. Private outdoor square bath (Kintoki). Took it late at night. Spacious around the bath. View of trees, but simple. Milky water with a lot of calcium deposits. Temperature slightly below hot. Private outdoor stone bath (Otome). Took it early morning. Also fairly spacious around the bath. Milky water with white calcium deposits, hot temperature. If you need a hotel for the night in northern Hakone with amazing water and you're willing to cut some slack on reception service — this hotel is recommendable. The private outdoor baths are definitely worth booking (at least one), as the vibes differ from the main outdoor bath. Breakfast was good, I think dinner should be on par too (didn't try it).