Hakone Day 1 Spa experience

Being a spa town nestled in volcanic peaks, Hakone was the perfect spot to recover from the regatta for a few days. The temperatures were a bit cooler in the altitude with breeze that was more crisp, which was a welcome change from the intense heat and humidity in Tokyo! We booked a ryokan (spa) hotel with an onsen, knowing we might need some TLC.

First, for the uninitiated: onsens are public bath areas that are gender separated and completely naked. The whole experience was completely outside the Western comfort zone! In both ryokans and onsens, it is the common practice to walk around the hotel and the town for that matter in the yakatas (casual cotton kimonos) that are provided by the hotel. The onsen process for the hotel was to go into the locker area, strip down except for a tiny towel and enter the bath area. There are washing stations lined up around the room. Families and groups of friends were at the bath together uninhibited. After cleaning yourself (or each other), you proceeded outside to a large hot mineral bath to soak and enjoy nature. Afterwards, you clean again (all toiletries are provided) and get dressed for bed or the evening at one of the many vanity stations.

The only stress was caused by the anti-tattoo policies (both girls are inked) that are strict in the onsens. Apparently it is a discomfort with the gentile class who associate tattoos with the yakuza (mafia). It matters not that we are clearly not gang members- rules are rules. Ellie found a nearby public onsen that would make an exception for one person, but since Lexi also has one, we could not also go in. The first night we booked massages (for which tattoos did not seem to matter) and it was the perfect recovery for Lexi & I. Ellie opted for a facial. Later that first night, I used the onsen provided by the hotel to check out the experience. It was not as uncomfortable as I imagined, since it was obvious that no one is looking at each other - just doing their own thing. I did notice at least one girl who looked to have a covered tattoo (sticker), so I encouraged Lexi to give it a try the next night, which turned out to be fine. She didn’t love it, but at least can say that she had the experience.

While the hours of the spa and onsen were super late (until 11pm), the restaurants in town shut down early, many at 7 with a few open til 8-9. We found a curry restaurant open until 8:30 that we thought could accommodate our gluten-sensitive pescatarian and it was delicious! Ellie proclaimed it her best meal in Japan up to that point!

It was notable that we were one of very few Westerners here. This is mainly an experience for Japanese families!Læs mere