Staff shooed me away from this historic inn. I’d still give it five stars

The hotel

Matsuzakaya Honten, Hakone, Japan

Check-in

We’ve just arrived at Matsuzakaya Honten, a 364-year-old traditional Japanese inn nestled on the slopes of the Ashinoyu Onsen district, and we’ve already committed our first faux pas.

Our taxi ride from Odawara station gives us a first taste of omotenashi – the Japanese philosophy of wholehearted hospitality – courtesy of a driver who’s taken it upon himself to be our tour guide. As he speaks, the 25-minute journey unfolds like a moving canvas: historic village landmarks, white-water streams and ancient, dense forest.

We pull up three hours early, hoping to explore the historic ryokan. Big mistake. Check-in time isn’t a suggestion; ryokan hospitality follows a strict schedule formed over centuries. We manage to offload our backpacks before a smiling staff member politely ushers us off the property, towards the nearest bus stop. In any case, the blunder results in a brilliant impromptu side-trip to nearby Lake Ashi.

The look

Established in 1662, the sprawling property is a patchwork of eras. The late-19th-century lobby is a shrine of European-Japanese nostalgia, featuring a fabulous retro blend of crimson carpet, bay windows, glittering chandeliers and antique Meiji-era furnishings. The property contains just 21 rooms split across five pavilions, each overlooking its enchantingly mossy 13,200-square-metre gardens. Kinnotake Resorts completed a room revitalisation in 2024, upgrading beds and amenities while preserving the original architecture and traditional aesthetic. Matsuzakaya Honten’s standing among the elites is written into the walls; past guests include members of the Japanese Imperial Family, and today you can stay in the same 1887 villa that hosted Emperor Taisho, or a room that formed part of the summer retreat of Prince Kanyin.

The room

A practised welcome includes tea and a tour. We’re staying in a premium Akashi room teeming with traditional touches, like tatami flooring and futon beds. It’s enormous, featuring a separate living room and sunroom – both with low wooden zataku tables and zaisu chairs – and a striking private hexagonal open-air onsen.

The twin futons sit on a raised platform, so you don’t have to crouch too low to get in and out of bed, though our sobagara makura pillows (stuffed with buckwheat hulls) feel lumpy and take some getting used to.

Heating in every room is a welcome touch against the biting mountain air. Mini-bar items, pyjamas, toothbrushes and an astonishing array of lotions and grooming amenities are also provided. Slipping on a traditional yukata robe before exploring the grounds is all part of the fun (a room manual offers wear instructions and onsen etiquette tips).

Food + drink

Guests can help themselves to unlimited snacks, sake, wine, beer and more at the self-service station, best enjoyed in the relaxation lounge around the corner facing the gardens.

Dining is a main event, anchored around a multi-course “shukuba kaiseki” menu (post-station kaiseki), a homage to the inn’s roots as a rest stop along the historic Tokaido highway – though I doubt those 17th-century travellers were treated to such elegantly plated delicacies. Along with bottomless drinks, dinner highlights include blue fin tuna sashimi, seared bonito with citrus ponzu sauce, spring vegetable tempura and grilled Ashigara sirloin. Though the included menu is remarkably generous, the addition of a pre-ordered Japanese black wagyu beef hotpot – decadent as it feels – steals the show.

Breakfast is similarly sumptuous, featuring homemade natto, stewed beef with pepper, boiled tofu with ginger, whole horse mackerel (excellent with a homemade miso sauce), and a signature onsen egg, soft-boiled in the inn’s own mineral-rich sulphur springs.

Out + about

A short bus ride gets you to Lake Ashi, where you can take a scenic stroll to the Hakone Shrine and the famous torii gate rising from the water. In spring, the historic Odakyu Hotel de Yama’s public garden features a profusion of nearly 3000 azalea blooms and, on a clear day, a spectacular Mount Fuji backdrop. Don’t leave without a scenic sail to Togendai Port, where you can catch the Hakone Ropeway cable car to Owakudani (“Hell Valley”) for the famous black, sulphur-boiled eggs, volcanic sulphur vents and sweeping views of Fuji.

The verdict

Strict check-in times may irk the modern traveller, but when a ryokan has been perfecting its hospitality schedule since the Edo period, you willingly play by their rules. Matsuzakaya Honten masterfully bridges 17th-century heritage with modern luxury, making it a perfect blueprint for Australian travellers seeking deep cultural immersion without sacrificing comfort.

Essentials

From 88,934 yen ($780) a night for a premium room with open-air hot spring bath, including daily kaiseki dinner and breakfast for two. No wheelchair-accessible rooms due to heritage constraints. 57 Ashinoyu, Hakone, Ashigarashimo District, Kanagawa, Japan. Phone: +81 460-83-6511. See kinnotake-resorts.com

Our score out of five

★★★★★

Highlight

Rooms with private onsens, constantly topped up with hot spring waters, are a saviour for those who are self-conscious about stripping down in the two public onsens.

Lowlight

Wall sockets are scarce and nowhere near our futons for phone charging – admittedly a rather modern gripe for centuries-old sanctuary.

The writer travelled and stayed at her own expense.