For our one night in Hakone, we wanted the full traditional experience, so we booked a ryokan with Jackson, who was 5 at the time. We stayed at Mount View Hakone in Sengokuhara, slept on futons on tatami mats, soaked in a hot spring, and ate a kaiseki dinner we still talk about. The photo we took of Matt and Jackson at this dinner wearing their yukatas rightfully earned a spot on our trip gallery wall at home.
If you're still deciding where to base yourself, start with our Where to Stay in Hakone With Kids guide. For the rest of our Hakone stop, see Is Hakone Good for Kids? and What We Spent in Hakone.
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What Is a Ryokan?
A ryokan is a traditional Japanese inn. Instead of a regular hotel room with beds, you usually get a tatami mat room where futons are laid out on the floor for sleeping. Many ryokan, especially in hot spring towns like Hakone, have their own onsen (hot spring baths), and many include a multi-course dinner and breakfast in the price. You'll also find a yukata, a light cotton robe, to wear around the inn and to the baths.
Hakone is one of the most popular places in Japan to try a ryokan because it's an easy trip from Tokyo and full of natural hot springs.
Why We Chose Mount View Hakone
We picked Mount View Hakone for one main reason: they could accommodate our gluten-free diet. Matt and I both eat gluten-free, and a ryokan dinner is a long, traditional meal where soy sauce shows up everywhere, so this was the deciding factor for us.
That said, we wouldn’t have booked it on that alone. It also has strong reviews. If the reviews had been bad, we would have kept looking, gluten-free or not.
Our Room: Tatami Mats and Futons
Our room was a traditional tatami room with three futon beds laid out on the floor, one for each of us. Staying in a traditional tatami room and sleeping on futons on the floor was such a fun experience.
A few things we loved:
The tea set in the room. A small thing, but it made the room feel welcoming and was relaxing after a busy day.
The yukata and slippers. We wore them all evening and loved them.
Good to know: kids’ yukata weren’t included with our room. We rented one for Jackson at the front desk, so ask when you check in.
Our room didn't have its own bath, which was fine because of the private baths (more on those below).
The Onsen: Private and Public Baths
The hot spring water at Mount View Hakone is milky white, called nigori-yu in Japanese. Much of the hot spring water in Sengokuhara is made at Owakudani, Hakone’s volcanic area, where water is mixed with sulfur-rich volcanic steam and piped down the mountain. Those minerals give the water its cloudy, milky look (and a little sulfur smell).
Private Bath: Worth Paying For
Mount View has private hot spring baths you can reserve for a fee, and it was definitely worth it for us. A private bath means your family can soak together, and you don't have to worry about a young kid and shared bath etiquette. You can’t book them in advance, only at the front desk on the day you check in, and the time slots go quickly. Reserve yours as soon as you arrive, or there may not be any left. Each slot is 45 minutes.
The Public Bath
The public baths are free for guests, with separate baths for men and women. The milky hot spring water is in the outdoor baths, so head outside for the real thing. We went early in the morning and had them completely to ourselves. If you want the onsen without other guests, early morning is the time to go.
Onsen Basics If It's Your First Time
Wash and rinse off at the shower stations before you get in.
Public baths are enjoyed without a swimsuit.
Keep your small towel out of the water, and tie up long hair.
Tattoo rules vary by ryokan, so check ahead if anyone in your family has one. A private bath can be an easy option. We also packed tattoo cover stickers from Amazon just in case. We never needed them, but they were nice to have.
In-Room Massages
We also booked in-room massages, which we found really affordable and completely worth it. Jackson watched a show while Matt and I had our massages, which made it easy with a kid along. They book up quickly, so ask the front desk as soon as you check in. We paid the massage therapist directly after the massage, and it was cash only at the time of our visit.
Kaiseki Dinner and Breakfast
Dinner was a traditional kaiseki meal and breakfast was a traditional Japanese breakfast, and both were so, so good. This was one of the highlights of our stay, and absolutely worth it.
Our dinner included raw and smoked fish, crab legs, tofu, vegetables and meat cooked in a hot pot, rice, salad, and chestnuts. The menu changes with the seasons, so yours will be different, but the style will be similar.
One honest heads-up: if your family doesn't like fish or seafood, or your kids only eat familiar Western food, you may go hungry here. Kids’ meals are available for an extra charge, but we skipped it because we knew Jackson wouldn’t eat it. He was served rice at dinner, and we picked up food for him from the Lawson convenience store down the street, which he ate in our room. Don’t bring outside food into the dining room where dinner is served, since that isn’t allowed.
You need to check in before 6 p.m. to have dinner at the hotel, so plan your Hakone day around that.
Gluten-Free at a Ryokan
Mount View Hakone accommodated our gluten-free needs for both dinner and breakfast. We reached out to the ryokan before we booked to make sure they could meet our dietary needs, and they were very kind and accommodating. Their website says special meals for food allergies need to be requested in advance, so contact them before you arrive, not at check-in. If you have celiac disease, ask specific questions about soy sauce and cross-contact, and bring a dietary card written in Japanese from a trusted source.
Traveling Gluten-Free?
Build a personalized dietary card that lists exactly what you can’t eat, so you’re ready to communicate your needs. Always double-check ingredients too.
What Surprised Us
The ryokan felt a little dated in places, but that didn’t detract from the experience. The older feel fit the vibe of a traditional Japanese inn, and it never bothered us. The service, on the other hand, was outstanding. Every staff member we encountered was kind, welcoming, and helpful.
Would We Stay at Mount View Hakone Again?
Yes. For a gluten-free family that wanted a real, traditional ryokan night, it was exactly what we hoped for: a tatami room, milky hot spring baths, a private soak as a family, and a dinner we're still talking about.
Good to Know
Mount View is in Sengokuhara, a quieter part of Hakone that isn’t walkable from a train station, so you’ll rely on buses. We cover getting there, and how it compares to other areas, in Where to Stay in Hakone With Kids. We forwarded our big luggage straight from Tokyo to Kyoto and brought one small overnight bag.
Read More: Luggage Forwarding in Japan With Kids
Hakone Ryokan FAQ
Is a ryokan good for kids?
Yes, as long as your kids are up for something new. Sleeping on futons in a tatami room was a fun experience for our family, and we rented Jackson his own yukata. A private bath makes the onsen much easier with young kids. The biggest challenge is the food if your child is a picky eater.
Do you need a ryokan with a private onsen?
Not necessarily. Our room didn't have one, and reserving the ryokan's private bath for a set time worked perfectly for our family. The water is really hot, and we don’t think a longer soak would be comfortable, especially for a kid.
Can a Hakone ryokan do gluten-free meals?
Some can. Mount View Hakone accommodated us, but it has to be arranged in advance. Contact any ryokan before you book to ask what they can do.
Is one night at a ryokan enough?
For us, yes. One night gave us the full experience: the onsen, kaiseki dinner, sleeping on futons, and a morning soak before breakfast. With a young kid, one night of a very traditional stay felt just right before moving on to Kyoto.
From Hakone, we took the Shinkansen from Odawara to Kyoto.
Odawara to Kyoto Shinkansen TicketsBook ahead so you can sit together→ Next Stop: Is Kyoto Good for Kids?→
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