This article is based on a visit made on Saturday, 12 May 2018.
Edit 10 October 2019: Updated prices to reflect the increase in Japan's national sales tax.
When one visits Hakone, one should never miss the chance to try bathing in one of its hot springs. Nearly every hotel in Hakone has an onsen attached, with some of them allowing non-guests to use them for a fee. There are also dedicated public bath facilities, one of which I visited in between my bouts of
museum-
hopping.
But first, there was something I just had to do. Right beneath Hakone-Yumoto station, there is a gift shop called Eva-ya (えゔぁ屋), which sells merchandise from the anime franchise Evangelion. You can't miss it; it's the one with a statue of Rei Ayanami out front (to the right in this shot). Why would there be a place like this here, you may ask? It's only because the show is set in Hakone, or rather its near-future counterpart, "Tokyo-3". So, you may see natural landmarks like Lake Ashi along with the local towns, before they get all stomped up amid the giant robot fights.
You can preview of most of Eva-ya's goods by visiting their (Japanese-only) website; I have it linked at the end of this article. This being Hakone, there are plenty of items relating to onsen bathing. This means you'll see a lot of stuff with pictures of the five main characters in yukatas, or more hilariously, the Unit-01 robot with a towel on its head. The full-size bath towels were quite expensive (¥4,500), so instead I got a smaller
tenugui (手拭い) for only ¥800, with a picture of Asuka Langley Soryu on it. I tried using it with me when I went into the bath right afterwards (see below), but it was really thin and not much use for drying off with. Apparently, tenugui are traditionally made that way, but they are used for many other purposes, so I'm sure I shall think of something else to use it for. I actually prefer the selection at
Evangelion World better, but then again, you don't need to pay to get into Eva-ya.
Now, where was I? That's right; a trip to the spa. The one I wound up going to was Hakone Yuryo (箱根湯寮), accessible by a short, free shuttle bus hop from Hakone-Yumoto.
There was a bit of a line to check in, but it moved quickly enough. It did give me a chance to take in the rustic accouterments they decorated the place with. Despite their presence, Hakone Yuryo is a newer place, having opened only in 2013.
Once inside, you follow a path around this garden, passing the restaurant and relaxation rooms along the way, until you reach the building with the baths themselves. I don't have pictures of the bath area, for obvious reasons, but I'll give you an idea. The tub in the indoor section had a wooden-grated floor for the water to flow up from beneath, and floor-to-ceiling windows to look out over the forested valley below. The outside section was a pavilion with multiple pools, allowing even closer views of the valley. Up in the back, there were a couple of deep single-person tubs. They were cooler than the other baths in the place, and while it felt a bit silly to lie in them with my arms and legs hanging out, it was even more relaxing to do so.
Today's sign-off selfie comes from Eva-ya, accompanied by Rei-chan. My shirt, featuring her opposite number Asuka, was one I purchased when I was at Evangelion World on my last trip. Of course this was intentional. But for now, I've got one more stop before leaving Hakone. Find out where, next time on Sekai Ichi!
Hakone Eva-ya
Hours: Open from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM. No regular closing days.
Costs: Free to enter.
Address: 707-1 Yumoto, Hakone-machi, Ashigara Shimo-gun, Kanagawa-ken 〒250-0311
Access: Eva-ya is located directly beneath Hakone-Yumoto Station at street level.
Website:
(Japanese)
Hakone Yuryo
Hours: Open from 10:00 AM to 9:00 PM; closes at 10:00 PM on weekends. Admission ends one hour before closing. No regular closing days.
Costs: ¥1,500, or ¥1,300 with an active Hakone Free Pass. Bath towels cost ¥450; face towels cost ¥250. Private rooms cost ¥4,300-6,300 to rent for 60 minutes, and can be reserved in advance by calling +81 046-085-8411 (Weekdays 10:00 AM - 9:00 PM JST, weekends 10:00 AM - 10:00 PM JST).
Address: 4 Tonosawa, Hakone-machi, Ashigara Shimo-gun, Kanagawa-ken 〒250-0315
Access: From Hakone-Yumoto, a free shuttle bus runs to Hakone Yuryo every 10-15 minutes, taking 3 minutes. The bus stop is in front of the station's west exit. This bus also stops at Hakone Forest Adventure along the way.
Website:
(English) (Japanese)
