Yamagaso

Yamagaso is five separate cottages scattered through a Japanese garden in Hakone Yumoto, and every room comes with its own hot-spring bath, fed straight from the source, kakenagashi style: cypress (hinoki) in most rooms, Izu stone in one. The water is alkaline and clear, known locally for leaving skin smooth. Guests also get free, anytime access to a private family bath, plus the rooftop open-air bath and large indoor bath at the sister Hotel Senkei next door. The inn grew out of Hana no Chaya (花の茶屋), a restaurant with ties to the artist and gourmet Kitaoji Rosanjin (北大路魯山人). A thatched gate still opens onto a garden of seasonal flowers, birdsong, and a running stream, and meals are served in the room rather than a dining hall.