Gora Kadan

Gora Kadan is a ryokan (traditional Japanese inn) in Gora, in the mountains of Hakone, on the grounds of the former summer villa of Prince Kan'in, a member of the Imperial family. It suits couples or families who want, for one or two nights, baths fed by the estate's own springs, a ryokan room that often has its own open-air bath, and a kaiseki dinner (a seasonal Japanese meal of many small courses) served in the room.

An Imperial villa turned ryokan

The estate belonged to Prince Kan'in, of the Imperial family, who used it as his summer residence; the villa served as an Imperial residence until 1948. The ryokan blends Japanese tradition with contemporary design. The Kaiseki Kadan restaurant occupies a Western-style villa associated with the Imperial family. The latest addition, the Bettei Suite Shinonome, opened in August 2025.

The baths

The water comes from private springs on the estate, plentiful and mildly alkaline, and flows straight from the source.

• The public baths, one for men and one for women, switch sides at 3 am, so you can try both during your stay. The men's side has a dry sauna, the women's a steam sauna.
• A private open-air bath, with a steam sauna, can be booked for 40 minutes at no extra charge: the answer for a family, or for couples who prefer to bathe together.
• The bedrock bath, on natural rocks that give off infrared heat, completes the set.

The public baths are taken naked, Japanese-style; our guide to onsen etiquette explains the customs.

Gora Kadan also has a pool, open from 8 am to 6.30 pm by reservation, a 24-hour gym, and Kadan Spa, open from 9 am to 10 pm, which also offers in-room shiatsu massage from 8.30 pm to 12.45 am, local time.

Choosing a room

The official site does not publish a total room count; the room table sets out eight types. The choice starts with the bath:

• Indoor wooden bath: the standard Type B rooms, 48 m² with a 20 m² garden, for two, and Type A, 71 m², for four. They have futons (mattresses laid on the tatami) and leave you free to use the public baths. Type B is the ryokan's least expensive room.
• Open-air stone bath: the 58 m² Room with Open-air Big Stone Bath, for two, with its bath in a small garden and a steam sauna. This is the room for a couple who want their own bath without booking a suite.
• The Kadan Suites: Aoi, 89 m², has the largest private garden of the suites, 114 m², with a rock bath; Yugao, 91 m², has a square wooden bath facing the landscape, for four.
• The Annex pavilions, set apart from the main building: Meigetsu, 59 m², for two, with beds rather than futons; Kakou, 94 m², for up to six.
• The Bettei Suite Shinonome, 254 m², facing a dry stone garden and the Hakone ridgeline, for up to six, with an open-air stone bath, a private sauna, a tea room and a 25-tatami dining room with a private chef's kitchen.

The ryokan welcomes children of all ages.

Dining

The kaiseki dinner changes every month. It is usually served in the room, at 6 or 7 pm; some rooms, such as the Meigetsu pavilion, dine at the Kaiseki Kadan restaurant. Breakfast, Japanese or Western, is served at 8, 8.30 or 9 am, local time. Children up to 12 have their own menus. The Sushi Kadan counter rounds out the offer.

Our April 2027 rate includes kaiseki dinner and breakfast, consumption tax and service; the onsen tax, levied by the town, is paid on top.

Location and what to do nearby

The ryokan is at 1300 Gora, Hakone. Its free shuttle reaches Gora Station, on the Hakone Tozan mountain railway, in about 5 minutes; just call on arrival. Check-in is from 3 pm, check-out by 11 am, local time.

Gora is one of the stops on the Hakone loop. The Hakone Open-Air Museum, a sculpture garden of about 70,000 m² open from 9 am to 5 pm, and Gora Park are near the station. From Gora, the cable car climbs to Sounzan, where the ropeway leaves for the Owakudani crater and Lake Ashi.

Ropeway closures: the Owakudani-Sounzan section is closed from 7 to 24 December 2026, and the Togendai-Owakudani section from 12 January to 26 February 2027, for maintenance; replacement buses run and are very crowded. Our Hakone page covers the loop and its timetables.

How it compares in Hakone

Our selection has three ryokans in Hakone. Gora Kadan is the only one with a pool, a spa open until 10 pm and separate pavilions of up to 254 m², and the most expensive of the three. For a lower price, Hakone Ginyu, in Miyanoshita, gives every room its own open-air bath, which Gora Kadan's entry rooms lack. KAI Hakone, in Hakone-Yumoto, is the closest to Tokyo and the least expensive.

Gora Kadan is the Hakone stay in our Tokyo, Hakone, Kyoto and Osaka in 12 days and Japan honeymoon in 11 days itineraries.