Soak in Hakone, Japan

Soak in Japan

Travel

By JULIE EARLE-LEVINE

April 1, 2013, 1:28 pm Comment

For centuries, travelers have streamed into Hakone, Japan, to bathe in the bubbling hot springs at traditional ryokans. Kai Hakone, a new high-design hotel and thermal spa on the banks of the Sugumo river, offers a luxuriously modern take on this relaxing tradition. Guests wear chic, black-padded kimonos with their wooden clogs and bob in a series of hot pools that all have views onto pristine woods. Deluxe rooms come with their own little tatami-floored teahouses, and the food — ridiculously fresh sashimi or spring flowers with sesame — is delicate yet nourishing. Bustling Tokyo, reachable in 45 minutes by bullet train, seems a world away.
Rooms from about $320 per night; hoshinoresort.com.