Famous for:
AtmosphereSecluded
StyleTraditional Elegance

Hotel description

What is a ryokan? These are the traditional Japanese travelers' inns, located along Japan's country roads, dating back hundreds of years, long ... more

Eighty-five minutes outside of New York and you could still be in North Jersey, or partway across Long Island; eighty-five minutes from central London and you’re lucky (in a manner of speaking) to be in Luton. But somehow, just eighty-five minutes outside Tokyo you could be at Gora-Kadan, a one-time imperial family retreat, now a first-class ryokan inn in the middle of the Hakone national park, a rural idyll in the shadow of Mount Fuji. Forget carbon footprints and all that — if Gora-Kadan doesn’t make you a believer in high-speed rail then nothing will.

The construction is contemporary, but the style, of course, is traditional, and everywhere you turn there’s a magnificently framed view of the Hakone countryside. Rooms come in semi-Western as well as typical tatami styles, and some have open-air wooden or stone baths. The spa goes beyond the classic onsen and dips into international treatments such as thalassotherapy and Dead Sea Salts; most impressive, however, is again the natural setting, a mineral pool ringed with enormous rocks. Dine on seasonal, local classics, expertly curated by Gora-Kadan’s chef, and enjoy the utter silence of the Hakone national park — it feels a long, long way from Tokyo.

Contact & location

1300, Gora, Hakone-Machi, Hakone, Kanagawa

+81 460-82-3331

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Gora-Kadan

This travel guide also includes text from Wikitravel articles, all available at WikitravelView full credits

This travel guide also includes text from Wikipedia articles, all available at WikipediaView full credits

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