I Looked Into Onsen Hotel Gorakan

This blog is where I keep researching accommodations for those days when I think "let's do a hokance" (hotel + vacance) instead of camping. I mainly look into places with facilities that indoor types like me tend to find appealing, such as open-air baths and private baths.

This time I looked into Onsen Hotel Gorakan, located in the Gora area of Hakone. What got me interested was learning that you can enjoy milky-white cloudy hot spring water sourced from Owakudani in a private open-air bath with a view, so I figured this was worth checking out ahead of time.

What kind of inn is Onsen Hotel Gorakan?

This inn is located in the Gora area of Hakone Town, Kanagawa Prefecture, and appears to be about a 2-minute walk from Gora Station on the Hakone Tozan Railway, which seems fairly accessible. It's a small-scale property with just 8 rooms total, and the rooms are mostly traditional Japanese-style, apparently offering views of the outer rim mountains of Hakone.

Room rates for two adults sharing a room with two meals included appear to start around 11,700 yen per night on weekdays, and roughly 13,800 to 18,000 yen on nights before holidays. That said, prices seem to vary depending on the booking site, so it's probably a good idea to check the latest rates on each site when actually making a reservation. Check-in is at 3pm and check-out at 10am, which seems to be fairly standard timing. Reservations appear to mainly go through major travel booking sites like Rakuten Travel, and phone reservations might also be possible, though I couldn't confirm the details. Also, credit cards apparently aren't accepted—cash only—so anyone planning to stay might want to prepare for that in advance.

Komorin

Only 8 rooms total is smaller than I expected. For an indoor type like me, a quiet-seeming place like this feels like it'd be pretty relaxing.

The Private Open-Air Bath with a View and the Milky-White Cloudy Water

What seems to be the biggest feature of this inn is the milky-white cloudy hot spring water sourced from Owakudani. Not only is it available in the large communal bath, but you can also enjoy this cloudy water in a reservable private open-air bath with a view, and apparently guests can use it for free. Being able to soak in the hot spring without worrying about other guests around felt like a pretty appealing point, even for an indoor type like me. Both the large communal bath and the private open-air bath are apparently drawn straight from the source, but I couldn't confirm finer details like whether the communal bath is separated by gender or what the usage hours are. If you're curious, it might be a good idea to contact the inn directly before booking.

It seems day-trip bathing is also accepted, but I couldn't find specific pricing or hours in the official information. It might be worth inquiring about this ahead of time as well.

Facilities and Rooms Worth Noting for Indoor Types

It seems 2 of the rooms come with a private bath and toilet, while the rest share facilities. Since all the rooms are Japanese-style, it seems like you'd get to enjoy that calm, traditional ryokan atmosphere. Meals are apparently served Japanese-style, though I wasn't able to look into the specific menu or number of dishes.

There appear to be 8 parking spaces, but I couldn't find any mention of whether it's free or paid. Anyone driving there might want to confirm this in advance. Also, since I myself am not really a confident driver, I found myself thinking that in a case like this, I'd probably choose to get there by train plus walking. Being just a 2-minute walk from Gora Station makes this seem like a relatively accessible inn even for someone like me who doesn't drive. I couldn't find any information about in-house Wi-Fi, so if that matters to you, checking in advance is probably a good idea.

Rakuten Mobile Signal Conditions

When I checked this inn's location using the official My Area Connectivity Simulation tool, the overall rating came back as "C." I'm sharing this result as-is, straight from the official Rakuten Mobile tool.

Given the C rating, it seems like a good idea to check the connectivity situation in advance. The Gora area of Hakone is also nestled in the mountains, so I got the impression that signal conditions could vary quite a bit depending on the exact spot. If you're planning to use mobile data during your stay, it might be reassuring to factor this result into your preparations.

Komorin

Honestly, the C rating is a bit of a concern. Since I only use Rakuten Mobile, I think I'll need to mentally prepare myself before heading to a place like this.

Nearby Sightseeing and Dining Spots

The area around Gora Station seems to be packed with sightseeing spots, with places like the Hakone Open-Air Museum, Gora Park, and the Hakone Museum of Art relatively close by. Venture a bit further and places like Hakone Kowakien Yunessun, the Sensuji Falls, and Hakone Shrine could also be options. That said, distances and travel times seemed to vary depending on the source, so it's probably more reliable to check actual travel times using a map app once you're there.

For dining, spots like the tonkatsu restaurant Tamura Ginkatsu-tei, its dessert-focused sister shop Ginkatsu Kobo, the natural food restaurant Cafe Restaurant Shunko, and the Japanese tea specialty shop Chaseki were mentioned. There also seems to be a souvenir shop right as you step off Gora Station, so it might be worth stopping by before or after check-in.

Wrapping Up

To sum it all up, my impression of Onsen Hotel Gorakan is that you can enjoy the milky-white cloudy hot spring water sourced from Owakudani in a private open-air bath with a view, for free. The small scale of just 8 rooms and the 2-minute walk from Gora Station also feel reassuring for indoor types like me.

On the other hand, the Rakuten Mobile signal came back with a C rating, so that's something worth looking into beforehand for peace of mind. If you're curious, you can check it yourself using the official Rakuten Mobile tool, so it might be worth a look when considering a stay here.

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Related Links

• Official Site