Fukuzumiro

Throughout a 2-week family holiday in Japan, this particular 1-night stay has topped the list of my family’s Japanese highlights even after being back home for a month.||You don’t stay here for the ‘luxury’ 5* FourSeasons type approach albeit the ryokan is spotless, comfortable, well furnished and in beautiful grounds - you stay for the full ‘Japanese’ experience. It’s one of, if not the oldest, Ryokans in the Hakone region and as such, comes with oodles of history and tradition.||Tip; Get the RomanceCar out of Tokyo (front and back carriages have incredible full size windows allowing uninterrupted views of Mount Fuji). On arrival into the station at Hakone Yumoto it’s a 15-min walk up through the town and over the bridge. ||The welcome at Fukuzumiro is warm, and it’s nice and refreshing for one night (but not for a full 2 week holiday!) to have the challenge of making yourself understood as English is mainly managed through Google translate on the phone! Great, great fun!||The onsen protocols were explained; you could book a private onsen for a specific time, or join the male-only or female-only onsen at your convenience.||After all the instructions / welcome, we were then shown to a traditional Japanese room overlooking the river below - nothing better than the sound of rushing water outside your window. The room we chose, purposefully slept all four of us (my wife and I and two early 20’s kids) - can’t remember the last time we all slept in one room together, let alone on Tatami mats, with Shoji screens, and Fusuma sliding doors. What a blast! ||First job on getting to our room was to put away our western clothes until the morning checkout and dress in traditional Japanese kimonos - with help provided to ensure everything was correctly attired and fastened.||The traditional Japanese dinner was just unbelievable - course after course after course washed down with sake and beer. The accompanying photos will hopefully do the job better than any of my words could. Breakfast was another treat with a Japanese and more western style (eggs/bacon, etc) option.||Us Westerners mostly all want modernity and familiarity with our hotels - but to go to Japan and have at least one night living the traditional old-school Japanese way and feeling part of the culture was an experience that none of my family will ever forget.||And I haven’t even mentioned the owners and their staff - GREAT sense of humour, warm, friendly, attentive and committed to ensuring that we all loved our stay. ||Thank you to you and your team Mama-san!

My wife treated me to a night in this fantastic ryokan for my birthday. If you’re looking for a conventional hotel stay, you will be disappointed. If you’re looking for an authentic experience following in the footsteps of travellers from a bygone era, you will have an incredible time here. Convenient location, a short walk to the bus stop (which had space for our luggage). Outstanding hospitality & an unforgettable kaiseki dinner. I recommend trying different onsens at night & in the morning so you can compare them (much more exotic than a boring shower in your room). Restorative, restful, relaxing.

Anyone who would give any part of Fukuzumiro anything less than five stars has no sense of magic, whimsy, culture, history. From the moment you step through the doors it's like you've been transported to another time, even another place--it really does feel like magic, how the building unfolds as you walk down the halls. I've been fortunate to travel extensively in my life but I've never been anywhere so richly meaningful, and I loved everything about it: all of the unique and thoughtful design flourishes, the patient and generous staff, the beautiful private and public baths, the sound of the river right outside my room. I'm vegetarian, and I'd come from a stay somewhere renowned for their vegetarian cuisine; the food at Fukuzumiro was better, and it wasn't close. I hope everyone who visits truly appreciates what an immensely special place it is. And I hope someday I'm able to return :)

A Unique Step Back in Time—But Not Without Its Flaws Staying at this ryokan truly felt like stepping into 1800s Japan. The traditional atmosphere and architecture were immersive—almost like historical glamping. The tatami rooms, sliding doors, and garden views created a peaceful, nostalgic charm that I genuinely appreciated. Service was absolutely impeccable. The staff were gracious, attentive, and clearly take pride in maintaining the spirit of omotenashi (Japanese hospitality). Every interaction felt thoughtful and warm. However, the onsen was a disappointment. While I understand and even value preserving original character, cleanliness should never be sacrificed for authenticity. Moss growing on the walls and an overall lack of hygiene made it difficult to enjoy what should have been a relaxing experience. There’s a fine line between rustic charm and neglect, and unfortunately, the onsen crossed it. With some attention to cleanliness, this ryokan could be truly exceptional. It's worth trying once but not again

Fukuzumiro Ryokan is fantastic! That is, if you are looking for an old fashioned ryokan experience. If you are looking for a luxury all mod cons kind of ryokan, search else where. The kaiseki dinner and Japanese breakfast were amazingly delicious, the futons comfy and the puffy duvets dreamy. I even liked the traditional buckwheat hull pillows, though my sister did not. The duvets were the puffiest I’ve ever experienced which was especially welcome as there wasn’t much heat in the rooms. We splurged on a Sakura room with a river view and loved the back ground sound of the rushing river below. Perfection. From Fukuzumiro ryokan it is an easy (uphill) walk to Yuryo public onsen (one reason why we chose it) where we spent a dreamy 4 hours.

What an incredible place! We were looked after the moment we stepped into the Ryokan and all the staff were very kind and patient as we tried to speak to them in Japanese. The room was absolutely incredible, such a quiet and beautiful place to rest place in the middle of our trip. Our private onsen bath with all the amenities was just what we needed and it was wonderful to be able to go in whenever we wanted. The private garden which came with the room was beautiful and had a fantastic view of the river. The food we were served in our room was delicious and we ate everything! It was the best place we stayed on our trip. I'm so glad we booked this immersive traditional Japanese experience. どうもありがとうございます!

We had an outstanding stay at this hotel. Maiko who looked after us was amazing and despite the language barrier we communicated well using Google translate. She recommended things for us to do in Hakone and also had suggestions for us in Kyoto. The food was great but be aware that if you are a fussy eater there are some interesting bits! The ability to book a private onsen for the family was great and we made the most of this facility.

A stunning authentic Japanese ryokan, I have never been so amazed by a hotel. The hosts are fantastic, incredibly polite and accommodating. The food and service were fantastic, I highly recommend this to any couples travelling through Japan.

If you're looking for a modern, lavish, updated ryokan, this is not the place for you and you will not be happy here. If you're ok with staying in a very old but very beautiful, historic building that lacks today's bells and whistles and insulation, that has some charm and quirks, you'll probably have an enjoyable stay here. We spent a night here in late October, right when the weather had just started to get cold and crisp -- definitely jacket weather. I'd recommend packing some warm socks and pants; the ryokan provides each guest with a yukata, haori, and tabi, but once it starts to get chilly they may not be enough to ward off the cold. The room had a heater, but between my extremely limited Japanese and Google Lens, I was barely able to navigate the screens to get it on. And even when I did, it would only go on for 30 minutes at a time until I pressed some buttons and then it stayed on all night. Once it did, it got the room very warm, and the fluffy futons provided a lot of warmth. We stayed in a room on the top floor next to the river, which afforded amazing views. The covered balcony was a really nice place to just sit and listen to the water, and at night you could shut the shoji to close off the balcony from the room (which also helped with keeping the heat in overnight, but the other rooms were pretty cold in the morning). The entire time we were at the hotel, we were treated with warm hospitality. When we arrived, we were given a comprehensive tour of the facility and told how to reserve private onsen. The gentleman who waited on us took a lot of time explaining amenities to us, and when he brought our meals he was very gracious and explained every single dish. He served our rice, poured our drinks, and told us how to contact him when we were finished. After dinner, he cleared the dishes, moved our table and cushions into the room at the entrance, and brought out and set up our futons. In the morning, he put the futons away and set the table back up in the main room before bringing us breakfast. The food was delicious. Dinner was a traditional Japanese meal with many small dishes and interesting fare I hadn't had at Japanese restaurants back home. While it looked like there wasn't much on each plate, everything added up (especially by the second course) and I was very satisfied by the end. For breakfast, I got the western while my husband got the Japanese. It was very interesting seeing a "western" meal interpreted through a Japanese lens: salad with Italian dressing, coffee, two dinner rolls with jam and butter, a small omelette with a few tiny sausages, and yogurt topped with fruit. Unconventional, but actually quite good. I wasn't thrilled about the fact that the bathrooms were shared, but luckily everyone cleaned up after themselves. But the sink in the bathroom never fully turned off, and I really didn't like the infinity towel on the roll, which felt kind of gross. Really should've had paper towels instead. The bathroom was also *very* cold in the morning; I can't imagine how cold it would be in there in the winter. The private onsen were nice. We went into two: one was an all-wood room with a big round bath, and the other room looked like it was carved out of rock with the walls built around it with a smaller bath. However, be aware: in the wood room, which has multiple windows that were kept open all night, bugs can fly in -- like very, very large moths. There was a moth on the inside of the doors that I initially thought was supposed to be cutesy decor, but that I realized later was most likely very real and I was only lucky didn't start flying around the room. You *are* in a semi-rural place, so bugs aren't out of the ordinary, but large moths with the wingspan of small birds aren't welcome guests when you're naked and defenseless. The courtyard in the middle of the ryokan and the koi pond running along the main hall were beautiful details that contributed to the peaceful nature of this place. They stood in stark contrast to the very loud family staying a floor below us, with small kids they were allowing to run up and down the hall of their floor and yell at the top of their lungs, early in the morning. I was incredibly annoyed that the ryokan staff weren't saying anything to them. At a place that's all about peace and relaxation, I was baffled as to why they were letting a single family disrupt the quiet in such an egregious way. This wasn't a perfect ryokan, but we were treated so well and everything was so charming that I had a great time. Just adjust your expectations and enjoy the steaming hot baths and hospitality.

Established in 1890, this ryokan is over a hundred years! So one can expect this ryokan to feel and look old. We knew this before booking and we enjoyed our stay very much. This was also our first time at a ryokan. It was only a 15 minutes walk from Hakone Yamamoto Station. We stayed in room, Sakura 5 which was on the top floor and next to the river. It was huge for just the 2 of us. It's cheaper if you book directly from their website and payment is only required after checking out. Our attendant, Mori was wonderful. He made us feel welcomed and was very courteous and polite. We checked in around 5pm and had our in room dinner at 6pm. Dinner and breakfast are included in the room price. Alcoholic beverages is extra. They have plum wine that is made in house but we opted for a bottle of sake. We both picked the Japanese kaiseki set. Everything was delicious. After resting we went to use the private onsen. There's 5 onsens: 3 private and 2 public separated by male and female. We scheduled one at night and one before breakfast. It was so relaxing! If only we could stay longer but our stay in Hakone was short. It was an unforgettable experience and I highly recommend staying here.

I was expecting a lot more from this ryokan after seeing a lot of positive reviews on the web. In fact, one of the main reasons we wanted to visit Hakone was to spend some time at this famed ryokan. Here are some of my experiences: PROS: - Sakura 3 was a gorgeous room right next to the river. - some of the staff do speak English - the manager/lady of the house heard me out when I had complaints and was really apologetic for the poor service we got. CONS: - super duper expensive. We were supposed to pay close to $670 a night but got comped a $100 after the manager heard of the poor service we got. - service was awful from a young girl helping us (obviously mad about having to work on a Sat). She was abrupt, curt, and downright sassy. I speak fluent Japanese and she probably did not expect me know what she was saying, which was her error. The manager was appalled to learn she never served us our rice or poured or drinks, ignored our request to have glasses for our sake, snapped at me when I asked about making the room cooler (it was hot and the A/C did not work well) and scolded us for leaving the cover of the rice bucket off. - the food is way over rated. Beware if you are a vegetarian. Even if you eat meat and fish, the food was mediocre at best (not very fresh or filling). The dessert was a small slice of poorly cut watermelon, which was shocking to me, since Japanese are into presentation (see my pics). - as other reviewers have said, this place is really nice in the pictures and a historical monument, but in real life expect things to be dusty, moldy and just plain old. - the Onsen that was open to me was a wooden "tub" in the ground. I've been to many onsens before, and having to soak in a tub with old mold stains was a bit unnerving. I kept telling myself it was historical. - A/C was taped down and you could not make it any cooler than what they set it as. I tried tinkering with it, but they have it locked in controls, so I woke up sweating. - If you open the windows to get cooler, it's still humid in the summer, and all these bugs came in. - NOT NON SMOKING: the persons in the room next to us were obvious smokers and it reeked of cigarettes, so if you are a smoker, you are in luck! - the bedding did not smell fresh, which was gross. I often wonder if they really do clean the sheets between guests. I would think a lazy worker would not want to drag all those heavy comforters down those steep stairs. NEUTRAL: - shared toilet and sink. If you need to go, you may have to go to a different floor, unless you rent the only room with a private bath for a lot more money. - super steep old wooden stairs with short foot spacing and limited hand holds, so if you have balance problems, stay in a room downstairs. - location of hotel is out of the way. We walked about 12 min from the station in the blasting heat of day trying to dodge the traffic, which was crazy busy for a small town, sweating profusely. Cars came non-stop around corners. You can catch a micro bus or taxi too. I would recommend this. - thin walls and floors so you can hear people talking and stomping around. - the roar of the river is loud and the manager has said people complain about it, so they stock earplugs at the front desk. We didn't mind it at all and my husband loved the sound of the rushing water. - far from any stores so a glass of coke cost 500 yen (approx $4.80 USD), or bring your own drinks. - the Western breakfast is a tiny omelet with a blob of ketchup on top with some fruits, so if you are expecting a hearty breakfast, think again. We love old historical places, and would have rated this place much higher (a 3-star) if it wasn't for the poor service, which ruined our night here. If you don't speak Japanese and don't know the mannerisms you may be OK if you get the same server which gave us such a hard time, but for a Japanese-speaking person, the experience was one of disrespect and disappointment. If we are ever back in Hakone, we will book a more progressive ryokan with non-smoking rooms, easier to get to, clean bathing spaces, clean bedding, clean private bathrooms (shared bathroom was dirty), better food and better service; everything Fukuzumiro fell short on.

Sorely disappointing and not worth the $600+ USD we shelled out to stay here for a night. I will say that the service was friendly enough. The issue was just that it was a bit of a dump and a far cry from the lovely ryokans we stayed at in Kyoto and Koyasan on the same trip, one of which was half the price. The private onsen in our room was a little frightful, more like an uninviting hole in the ground. Our bathroom toilet room smelled rather strongly of sewer. Every time I went, I tried to hold my breath the whole time (harder than it seems I might add, but perhaps y'all are better at multitasking than I am), to no avail. I've actually had nightmares about it since. As for the sink, it had no shelf on which you could rest anything. It was more like a laundry tub, albeit a rusted, old one you could probably find by the side of the road from decades past. The room itself was fairly dated. On to the food, which could have saved the whole thing. Half of the dishes were fine, but the other half were really just mediocre, at best. The tamago here is overcooked and not that flavorful, the tofu is hard and tasteless, the tempura heavy and again lacking in flavor, the sashimi just not that fresh. We weren't able to sleep because there was a lot of light and noise coming through from the rest of the ryokan (this is an insulation issue, not a case of rowdy guests). Also the sheets they have on the quilts don't go all the way around the quilts; instead, they're fitted sheets put on the bottom side of the quilts which meant that as I tossed and turned, the fitted sheet came off the quilt. Really, this is quite avoidable by using an actual quilt cover. Do yourself a favor and skip this. Thank me later.

I haven't written a review in months, but this place was so bad that I had to sign on to warn everyone. We stayed in 3 ryokans throughout Honshu (in Kyoto, Koyasan, and here), and this was by far the worst. Worst food, loudest room, and most expensive. The view was great, the service was great, and the onsen was hot, but the food was totally mediocre, and the onsen, sink, and toilet area were in need of upgrades. And it was difficult to sleep due to the noise throughout the rest of the ryokan.

Amazing experience! From the moment you walk in they take good care of you. They take your luggage to your room and hand your your slippers. The rooms are spacious and very traditional with beautiful views and relaxing sounds of the adjacent river. You then change into your robe and switch to relaxation mode. They have private, male and female onsens. The onsen was perfect after walking for so long in Tokyo. The food was an awesome experience, the dinner had many courses. Also, we opted for the Japanese breakfast and that was very good as well. Highly recommend this relaxing and beautiful Ryokan!