The Tsutaya Guesthouse is a historic reformed ryokan founded by Heizaemon Tsutaya in the Edo period (1600-1868). The Tsutaya is located in the Sokokura area of Hakone and is considered one of the original 7 hot spring spots of Hakone. These famous thermal waters can be enjoyed in the outdoor or indoor baths at Tsutaya Guesthouse.
The hot springs have been known as a hidden hot spring since ancient times, and is said to be the hot spring where warlords healed their wounds. The most famous of these stories is of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, one of the three great unifiers of Japan, bathing here during his siege of Odawara Castle in 1591. Visit their site here: https://hakone-tsutaya.com/en/
The Tsutaya Guesthouse offers three types of rooms that continue the history and tradition of the original Tsutaya Ryokan.
The Superior Japanese styled private rooms with mountain views over the flowing river valley below can accommodate up to 6 people and have private bathrooms and balconies. The rooms are designed in the simple and rich Japanese aesthetic with tatami mat areas to relax in.
The standard private rooms can accommodate up to three people with some also including balconies.
And there are three types of dormitory style rooms that are divided between an all female room, private, and cabin type.
Guests have the ability to enjoy the famed hot spring waters in the spectacular natural surroundings. Amenities like natural oil shampoos, toothbrushes, towels, and hair dryers are also available.
Hakone has a long history as a hot spring resort, with hot springs gushing out in various places due to volcanic activity over the years. In the Kamakura period (1185-1333), “hot spring resorts” gradually began to form. In the “Hakone Nanayu” (Map of Seven Hot Springs in Hakone) of 1842, there were four inns in Sokokura: Tsutaya, Manya, Umeya, and Sengokuya. The Tsutaya is the only long-established ryokan that has been inherited to the present day.
Tsutaya had been a traditional Japanese inn since the Edo period (1603-1868), but it was taken over by the Sawada family in 1890. While running the inn with his wife as proprietress, he also contributed greatly to the development of the area by bringing doctors to Sokokura, where there was no medical care. His son, Yoshi, became a natural history teacher and planted alpine plants over several thousand square meters in the mountains behind the inn and operated it as the “Alpine Garden Tsutaya Ryokan” for a time.
The Tsutaya Guesthouse was recently renovated to include all the modern amenities with traditional Japanese aesthetics. The guesthouse ryokan includes private rooms, dormitory rooms for females, and mixed dormitory rooms to accommodate the modern traveler. There is a spacious common area with books, games, and views over the flowing river valley below. The well appointed kitchen is free to use and was designed to be a communal space for interactions and enjoyment for guests.
One of the many highlights includes the hot springs. The natural waters can be enjoyed indoors or in the outdoor bathing area called a rotenburo. The indoor bath is decorated with modern traditional art conveying the ambiance and values of Tsutaya. The guesthouse is centrally located in Hakone and you have easy access to Hakone`s trains and buses to visit the many sites of the area.
https://hakone-tsutaya.com/en/
