Best Eco-Friendly Resorts and Sustainable Stays in Hakone
Words by
Hiroshi Yamamoto
Finding the Best Eco Friendly Resorts in Hakone
I have spent the better part of fifteen years crisscrossing Hakone's winding mountain roads, and I can tell you that the best eco friendly resorts in Hakone are not the ones plastering green labels across their websites. They are the ones that have been quietly doing the work for decades, long before sustainability became a marketing buzzword. Hakone sits inside the Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park, a volcanic landscape of sulfurous hot springs, ancient cedar forests, and Lake Ashi's mirror-still waters. The town has always had a complicated relationship with tourism, balancing the demands of millions of annual visitors against the fragility of its geothermal ecosystem. What I have found, walking through ryokan gardens at dawn and talking to innkeepers over morning coffee, is that the most sustainable stays here are often the oldest ones, places that never stopped practicing what the modern hospitality industry is only now rediscovering. This guide covers eight specific properties and areas that I have personally visited, each one rooted in a genuine commitment to the land and the community.
Gora Kadan: Where Edo Period Meets Modern Sustainability
Gora Kadan sits on a quiet hillside in Gora, just a short walk from the Hakone Tozan Railway's Gora Station. This property was originally a retreat for the imperial family before it was converted into a ryokan, and that heritage of restraint still defines its character. The buildings use locally sourced hinoki cypress and cedar, materials that age gracefully and require far less energy to maintain than modern concrete structures. The hot spring water flows directly from the source into each room's private stone bath, heated entirely by geothermal energy with no additional heating systems required. I stayed here in late November, and the way the steam rose from the outdoor rotenburo while the mountain air turned my lungs cold was something I have never experienced at a larger resort.
What to See: The private open-air bath in the "Kadan" suite, carved from natural river stone and fed by a dedicated onsen source.
Best Time: Weekday mornings in November or early December, when the autumn foliage is still visible and occupancy drops by nearly half.
The Vibe: Formal and hushed, almost temple-like. The staff move silently, and the hallways smell faintly of cedar oil. One honest drawback: the traditional futon bedding takes some adjustment if you are used to Western mattresses, and the first night can be uncomfortable for anyone with back issues.
Local Tip: Ask the front desk about the walking path behind the property that leads to the old Gora Park greenhouse. Most guests never find it, and it cuts through a grove of century-old cryptomeria trees that the ryokan's owners have maintained for three generations.
Hakone Ginyu: Sustainable Hotels Hakone at Their Most Refined
Hakone Ginyu occupies a steep slope in the Sengokuhara district, about fifteen minutes by car from the main Gora area. This is one of the properties that convinced me sustainable hotels Hakone can compete with any luxury resort in the world without sacrificing a single comfort. Every suite has its own open-air onsen bath, and the water is drawn from the Hakone Sengokuhara hot spring source, which has been flowing since the Meiji era. The architecture, designed by architect Kengo Kuma's contemporary Teruhiro Yanagihara, uses massive floor-to-ceiling windows to bring the forest inside, reducing the need for artificial lighting during daylight hours. The kitchen sources vegetables from small farms in the Hakone foothills and fish from Sagami Bay, keeping the supply chain short and the carbon footprint low.
What to Order: The kaiseki dinner featuring seasonal mountain vegetables and locally caught amadai (tilefish), served in your room on Arita ware ceramics.
Best Time: Early evening in January or February, when the mountain air is crispest and the steam from your private bath creates an almost surreal atmosphere against the darkening forest.
The Vibe: Intimate and contemplative. There are only ten suites, so you rarely see other guests. The one complaint I have is that the hillside location means the walk from the parking area to the lobby is steep and can be slippery in rain or snow, so bring proper footwear.
Local Tip: The ryokan can arrange a private guided walk through the Sengokuhara marshland, which is a designated Ramsar wetland site. This is not advertised on their website, and only long-term guests or those who ask directly tend to learn about it.
Hakone Tent: The Eco Lodge Hakone Experience
Hakone Tent is located in Gora, right near the Hakone Open-Air Museum, and it functions as a hostel and community space that has become the center of green travel Hakone for younger visitors and backpackers. The building itself is a renovated traditional house, and the operators have kept the original timber frame while adding modern insulation made from recycled materials. They run workshops on composting, local foraging, and the ecology of Owakudani Valley, and they partner with nearby farms to supply their small kitchen. I spent a week here one spring, and what struck me most was how the staff treated sustainability not as a selling point but as a daily practice, separating waste into seven categories and using biodegradable cleaning products throughout.
What to Do: Join the Saturday morning nature walk to Chisuji Falls, led by a local guide who has been hiking these trails for over twenty years.
Best Time: Spring (April to May), when the azaleas along the trail are in bloom and the waterfalls are fed by snowmelt, making them far more dramatic than in summer.
The Vibe: Communal and relaxed, with a shared kitchen and a common room where travelers swap stories. The downside is that the dormitory rooms offer minimal privacy, and light sleepers should bring earplugs, as the thin walls carry sound easily.
Local Tip: Hakone Tent keeps a hand-drawn map of free onsen spots and natural hot spring seeps scattered around the Gora area. These are not listed in any guidebook, and some of them are little more than rock pools beside a stream, but they are genuinely hot and completely free.
Yama no Chaya: A Riverside Retreat in Tonosawa
Yama no Chaya sits along the Hayakawa River in the Tonosawa neighborhood, about five minutes on foot from Tonosawa Station on the Hakone Tozan Line. This ryokan has been in the same family for over a century, and their approach to sustainability is rooted in a philosophy of using only what the mountain provides. The hot spring water is untreated and unfiltered, piped directly from the source into the baths. The garden, which slopes down to the river, is maintained without chemical pesticides, and the kitchen uses river fish caught by a local fisherman who has supplied the property for decades. When I visited in October, the sound of the river from my room was so constant and soothing that I forgot I was only thirty minutes from central Hakone.
What to See: The riverside rotenburo, where you can soak while listening to the Hayakawa flow past just meters away.
Best Time: Late October, when the Japanese maples along the river turn deep red and the ryokan hangs paper lanterns along the garden path in the evenings.
The Vibe: Warm and familial, like staying at a relative's countryside home. The owner's mother still helps in the kitchen at over eighty years old. One thing to know: the rooms closest to the river are magical but can be noisy during heavy rain, when the water level rises and the current grows loud.
Local Tip: Ask the owner about the small Shinto shrine tucked into the hillside behind the property. It has been there since the Edo period, and the family maintains it as part of their stewardship of the land. Visitors are welcome to pay their respects, and it is a quiet moment of genuine connection to Hakone's spiritual history.
Fujiya Hotel: Heritage Conservation as Sustainability
The Fujiya Hotel in Miyanoshita is not an eco-resort in the modern sense, but it is one of the most important examples of sustainable practice in Japanese hospitality. Built in 1878, it is one of the oldest Western-style hotels in Japan, and its survival itself is an act of conservation. The hotel has undergone careful restoration over the decades, reusing original woodwork, fixtures, and furniture wherever possible rather than demolishing and rebuilding. The gardens span several acres and include trees that predate the hotel itself. I have visited the Fujiya at least a dozen times, and each time I notice something new, a detail in the woodwork, a painting in a hallway, a view from a window that frames Mount Komagatake perfectly.
What to See: The main dining room, with its original Meiji-era wood paneling and stained glass windows, which has hosted writers and diplomats for over a century.
Best Time: Weekday afternoons in May, when the wisteria in the garden is blooming and the hotel is quiet enough that you can sit in the lounge undisturbed for hours.
The Vibe: Grand and slightly melancholic, like stepping into a novel by a Japanese author from the early twentieth century. The rooms are spacious but the furnishings are dated, and guests expecting modern luxury may find the bathrooms and fixtures underwhelming for the price point.
Local Tip: The hotel's back garden connects to a walking path that leads up to the old Miyanoshita Imperial Villa site. The path is unmarked but the concierge will point you in the right direction if you ask. It is a thirty-minute walk through old-growth forest, and you will likely have it entirely to yourself.
Gora Hoshi: Green Travel Hakone for Families
Gora Hoshi is a small vacation rental property in Gora, operated by a couple who left careers in Tokyo to build a life rooted in Hakone's natural environment. The house is constructed from locally harvested timber, heated by a combination of solar panels and a wood-burning stove fueled by fallen branches collected from the surrounding forest. They grow vegetables in a small garden and offer guests the option of a home-cooked breakfast using only ingredients sourced within a twenty-kilometer radius. I stayed here with my family one summer, and my children still talk about the morning we picked tomatoes from the garden for breakfast.
What to Do: Rent the entire house and use it as a base for hiking the Old Tokaido Road, the historic stone-paved highway that runs through Hakone and was once the main route between Kyoto and Edo.
Best Time: Summer (July to August), when the garden is at its peak and the longer days give you more time to explore the surrounding trails.
The Vibe: Homely and unpretentious, like staying with friends who happen to live in one of the most beautiful parts of Japan. The trade-off is that the property has limited amenities, no concierge, and no on-site dining, so you need to be comfortable being self-sufficient.
Local Tip: The owners can introduce you to a local potter in Gora who makes tableware from Hakone's volcanic clay. His workshop is not listed in any tourist directory, and he only receives visitors by introduction. The pieces he makes are functional, beautiful, and a far more meaningful souvenir than anything you will find in the gift shops near Hakone-Yumoto.
Hakone Yuryo: Responsible Onsen Culture in Tonosawa
Hakone Yuryo is located in Tonosawa, just a few minutes from Hakone-Yumoto Station, and it represents a different kind of sustainability, the preservation of onsen culture itself. The facility uses natural hot spring water from the Hakone-Yumoto source, and the outdoor baths are designed to blend into the surrounding forest with minimal disruption to the landscape. They have implemented a water recycling system for their cooling and filtration processes, and they use biodegradable soaps and shampoos throughout. What I appreciate most about Hakone Yuryo is that it makes the onsen experience accessible to first-time visitors and international travelers without dumbing it down or commercializing it beyond recognition.
What to See: The "Kadan no Yu" outdoor bath area, which features a series of pools at different temperatures surrounded by moss-covered rocks and ferns.
Best Time: Weekday evenings after 6 PM, when the day-trip crowds have thinned and the forest around the baths grows dark and atmospheric.
The Vibe: Calm and orderly, with clear multilingual signage and a staff that is patient with newcomers. The one issue is that the facility can feel crowded on weekends and holidays, and the changing rooms get congested, so plan accordingly.
Local Tip: Hakone Yuryo sells a small towel printed with a map of the local onsen trail, a walking route that connects several free and low-cost bathhouses in the Tonosawa and Dogashima areas. This trail is virtually unknown to international tourists, and walking it on a cool morning is one of the most peaceful experiences Hakone has to offer.
Hakone Kowakien: Large-Scale Sustainability Efforts in Kowakudani
Hakone Kowakien is a large resort complex in the Kowakudani valley, and I include it here because it demonstrates that even big properties in Hakone are making measurable efforts toward sustainability. The resort uses geothermal energy from the nearby Owakudani volcanic zone to heat its baths and parts of the facility. They have reduced single-use plastics across their restaurants and guest rooms, and they participate in a local reforestation program that has planted over 10,000 native trees in the Hakone area over the past two decades. The Yunessun amusement park attached to the resort is a separate experience, but the main hotel and onsen facilities are genuinely well-maintained and surprisingly quiet given the scale.
What to See: The "Yunessun" outdoor themed baths are a novelty, but the traditional "Mori no Yu" forest bath area is the real draw, with large open-air pools set among towering trees.
Best Time: Weekday mornings in March, when the air is cool, the crowds are thin, and the contrast between the cold air and the hot water is at its most invigorating.
The Vibe: Resort-like and family-friendly, with plenty of space to spread out. The honest critique is that the property is so large that getting from your room to the baths or restaurants involves a lot of walking, and the shuttle bus service between buildings can have long waits during peak hours.
Local Tip: The resort's rear grounds border a trail that leads down to the Tamagawa River, where you can see the sulfurous steam rising from the volcanic vents along the riverbank. This area is technically part of the Owakudani geothermal zone, and the smell of sulfur is strong, but the landscape is otherworldly and worth the short walk.
When to Go and What to Know
Hakone's green travel scene is best experienced outside the peak seasons of late March to mid-April (cherry blossom) and late October to mid-November (autumn foliage), when crowds swell and prices at even the most sustainable properties spike. Winter, from December through February, offers the lowest occupancy rates and the most dramatic onsen experiences, with steam rising against cold mountain air. Summer is lush and green but humid, and afternoon rain showers are common. For the most authentic experience, visit on weekdays and book directly with the property rather than through third-party booking sites, as many of the smaller eco-friendly stays offer lower rates and more flexible cancellation policies when you book direct. Hakone's public transport system, the Hakone Tozan Railway and the Hakone Free Pass bus network, is efficient and covers most of the major areas, so renting a car is unnecessary unless you are staying in a remote part of Sengokuhara or the Moto-Hakone area.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it possible to walk between the main sightseeing spots in Hakone, or is local transport necessary?
Walking between major spots is possible in some areas but impractical for most visitors. The distance from Hakone-Yumoto to Gora is about 15 kilometers along the mountain railway, and from Gora to Owakudani is another 5 kilometers up a steep road. The Hakone Tozan Railway, Hakone Ropeway, and local buses connected by the Hakone Free Pass (approximately 6,100 yen for a 2-day pass) cover all major attractions efficiently. Walking the Old Tokaido Road section between Hakone-Yumoto and Moto-Hakone (about 8 kilometers) is a popular and manageable hike that takes 2 to 3 hours.
How many days are needed to see the major tourist attractions in Hakone without feeling rushed?
Two full days are the minimum for covering the Hakone Open-Air Museum, Owakudani Valley, Lake Ashi cruise, and the Hakone Shrine comfortably. Three days allow time for onsen visits, the Old Tokaido Road walk, and the Pola Museum of Art without scheduling pressure. Visitors who want to include the Fuji Five Lakes area or a day trip to the Gotemba Premium Outlets should plan for four days.
Do the most popular attractions in Hakone require advance ticket booking, especially during peak season?
The Hakone Open-Air Museum and the Pola Museum of Art do not require advance booking on most days, but purchasing tickets online can save 100 to 200 yen per admission. The Hakone Ropeway can have wait times exceeding 60 minutes during peak foliage season (late November) and Golden Week (late April to early May), so arriving before 9 AM is strongly recommended. The Hakone Free Pass itself can be purchased at Odawara Station and does not need to be reserved in advance.
What are the best free or low-cost tourist places in Hakone that are genuinely worth the visit?
The Hakone Shrine's torii gate on Lake Ashi is free to visit and photograph. The Old Tokaido Road stone pavement between Hakone-Yumoto and Moto-Hakone is a nationally designated historic site with no admission fee. The Hakone Checkpoint Museum costs only 500 yen and offers a well-curated look at Edo-period border control. Several neighborhood onsen facilities in the Tonosawa and Dogashima areas charge between 500 and 800 yen for access to natural hot spring baths.
What is the safest and most reliable way to get around Hakone as a solo traveler?
The Hakone Free Pass, available at Odawara Station, covers unlimited use of the Hakone Tozan Railway, Hakone Tozan Bus, Hakone Ropeway, Lake Ashi pirate ship cruise, and the Hakone Cable Car for 2 or 3 days. Buses run frequently between major points, roughly every 15 to 30 minutes during daylight hours. Taxis are available but expensive, with fares from Gora to Owakudani running approximately 4,000 to 5,000 yen. The mountain roads are well-maintained and clearly signed, making solo travel by public transport straightforward and safe at all hours.
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