Gora Kadan
A former imperial summer retreat with private open-air baths.
Gora Kadan was built in 1952 on the grounds of the Kan'in-no-miya imperial summer villa, and the gardens still carry that lineage — sculpted pines, stone lanterns, and a moss carpet that deepens in colour through the rainy season. The ryokan itself is a careful balance of traditional and modern: tatami rooms with futon bedding alongside suites with private open-air onsen baths. The kaiseki dinner is the centrepiece, a multi-course seasonal meal that shifts entirely between months. Spring brings bamboo shoots and sakura-masu trout; autumn, matsutake mushrooms and persimmon. The presentation is exacting but never rigid. Hakone's appeal for Nordic visitors is the landscape — volcanic mountains, hot springs, and forests that recall parts of Norway or Iceland. Gora Kadan distils that landscape into a contained, deliberate experience.
Good to know
- Former imperial summer villa grounds
- Private open-air onsen baths in select rooms
- Multi-course seasonal kaiseki dinner
- Traditional gardens with sculpted pines
- Mountain setting in central Hakone
Location
- 1300 Gora, Hakone-machi, Ashigarashimo-gun, Kanagawa 250-0408
- Nearest station: Hakone-Yumoto Station
- From Tokyo: ca 1 h 25 min med Romancecar eller shinkansen + lokalbana
- Best time to visit: Best from afternoon check-in