Akihiko Seki - Ryokan: Japans finest spas and inns

GORA KADAN Hakone, Kanagawa

The Eden-like intimacy of bathing among the trees and forests of bamboo where pine alone bear witness. A gentle massage with the purest of aromatic plant oils. Shiatsu or Swedish-trained fingers kneading meridians, opening channels of potential energy, slipping from hot, hot waters to open-air bathsa relief, a release, a spa as the sophisticated and the over-scheduled have come to know and appreciate. Welcome to Gora Kadan.

A member of the exemplary Relais & Chateaux group, Gora Kadan knows how to please guests with the most exacting standards. Set in onsen-rich Hakone National Park, Gora Kadan was originally a resort house for relatives of the Imperial family. In 1952 it became a public ryokan, and in 1989, its main building, a luxurious triumph of bamboo, stone, tile and native woods, was built by a series of prominent architects. Its spa, called Kako, or Fragrance of Flowers, is housed in a traditional Japanese villa and provides facials, revitalizing cellular body treatments using Swiss herbs, and therapies using salt from the Dead Sea. The inns chief of guest relations greets guests by name and unobtrusively reminds visiting foreigners of ryokan rites and wrongs.

All of the 37 rooms come with unique bathrooms en suite and mini-bars, and seven rooms have private rotenburo . There are two onsen and two rotenburo for communal use. The rooms are grand in size, serene in lighting, minimalist in design. Some rooms have low tatami beds; some are pure Japanese with futon, low tables for dining and thin seat cushions (zabuton). There is a sky-lit heated indoor swimming pool long enough for many a lap, a Jacuzzi, fitness center, sun deck, conference room, reading room and karaoke bar. The 10- or 11-course feast that is dinner can be taken in ones room or in a private dining room. Coffee and newspaper are room-delivered along with Japanese breakfast overlooking lawns and trees of green.

The dramatic entrance to Gora Kadan.

The heated year-round swimming pool.

Tranquil garden views from a guest room.

The simple guest rooms offer luxurious comfort to guests.

Common hot spring bathing area.

The town of Gora is approximately 60 miles southwest of Tokyo, a 40-minute Shinkansen ride to Odawara, then a 30-minute drive through the mountains to Gora. This is a very active volcanic area and here and there steam holes spew sulfur mists. Mount Fuji is nearby. People come to play golf, go fishing or boating on Lake Ashi, hike in the hills of the less famous surrounding mountains, Mount Myojogatake, Mount Sengen and Mount Komagatake (which has a cable car service). The famous Hakone Open-Air Museum featuring the sculptures of Picasso and Henry Moore, among others, is only minutes away, as are several other museums of interest.

Down a stone path, amidst maples red and green, here is a balance of Eastern and Western understanding of the many nuances of the concept, spa.

Address: 1300 Gora, Hakonemachi, Ashigarashimo-gun, Kanagawa-ken 250-0408, Japan.
Tel: 81 (0)460 2 3331.
Fax: 81 (0)460 2 3334.
Website: www.gorakadan.com.
E-mail: info@gorakadan.com.
Rooms:
Access: 40 min from Tokyo to Odawara Station by Tokaido Shinkansen and 30 min drive to Gora by taxi.

Corridor leading to the guest rooms.

A treatment room in the spa.

SENKYORO Hakone, Kanagawa

The humbling fragility and power and colors and textures of nature are everywhere to behold. Swaying pampas grass in winds of autumn, mauve wisteria, popping pink azaleas, elegant stands of bamboo, the volcanic drama of Mt. Fuji, the blue-gray splendor of Lake Ashi.

Senkyoro is ideally located in the heart of Hakones numerous natural and artistic attractions. The Hakone Botanical Gardens are within walking distance. Art works by Chagall, Monet, Van Gogh and Renoir, along with collections of glasswork, modern Japanese ceramics and Edo-and Meiji-era cosmetic accessories are all on view at the nearby Pola Museum of Art. The Hakone Open Air Museum, Venetian Glass Museum, Museum of Saint-Exupery and the Little Prince, not to mention 3D Space Dinosaur World are all within a short drive.

Senkyoros owners, the Ishimuras, are fourth generation innkeepers, and Asayo Ishimura is Senkyoros current okami , hostess extraordinaire. Depending on the season, the 41 guest rooms offer views of fiery autumn red and rust, wintry snow white, spring camellia or cherry pink. The six guest rooms in the new wing, opened in 2005, are the rooms of choice, traditional Japanese in style, each with its own private rotenburo and indoor Jacuzzi. A male and a female communal rotenburo and a male and female indoor onsen are available for all guests, as well as three kazukoburo . With a pH of 2.9, the high acidity of the mineral spring waters is particularly beneficial for healing.

The gate to Senkyoros new wing.

View of the Okuno Kigi guest room.

Hot springs in the front garden.

A view of the garden from a private hot spring bath area.

Corridor leading to the guest rooms.

The common hot spring bathing area.