Gora Kansuirou

Loved this place! The garden was beautiful, the staff was so friendly and kind, the room was clean and it was a really cool experience staying in a traditional ryokan! Can’t forget about how the food was so amazing!

The open air bath was really nice and quiet you really felt like you were in the middle of the forest. Highly recommend!!!

We had a wonderful and almost nostalgic experience during our stay at this traditional Japanese ryokan.

Meals were beautifully presented AND huge portions. We were stuffed! Staff were friendly and welcoming.

The whole building and the garden were built like mazes and we had a ton of fun exploring the history of the place.

You can tell the ryokan is aged however I think it's very well maintained and clean. I like the historic marks left here and there.

Natural private and public onsen were phenomenal as well. Thank you to all the staff who made us feel at home.

Love from Taiwan 💕

I thoroughly enjoyed the Gora Kansuirou experience. Built a century ago, the Ryokan is rich in history and atmosphere that transports you to a rare old world, unlike anything I’ve seen before.

The staff were exceptional and attentive the whole time, curating an unique experience from start to finish.

We stayed in the Sakura room with a private onsen filled with spring water from the source. The room itself was spacious. Paper sliding doors framed views of the beautiful, long established Japanese garden. It was peaceful and thought provoking; ingredients that nourished conversation over equally nourishing tea.

We’re travelling with a 7 month old baby, who was welcomed with open arms and the staff loved interacting with her and making sure she was comfortable.

In another review someone mentioned dining with other guests, but we dined in a private room, presumably to keep the baby and other guests comfortable. We loved it too.

Both dinner and breakfast were superb, with the freshest ingredients artistically presented over several dishes.

I had felt somewhat nervous reading mixed Google reviews before I booked, but our experience was memorable for all the right reasons. If you’re expecting modern 5 star hotel chain luxury, then stay at a new hotel. If you love history and unique curated experiences, then stay at Gora Kansuirou.

Wonderful food and experience. The staff are friendly and welcoming. The breakfast and dinner are tasty and big amount. We were very full every day after food. The hot spring was good too, and you wouldn’t want to miss the open air onsen during the day time - it has a wonderful scenery!

However, do be prepared that the facility and the building are old. You will see the wall paper peeled off somewhere and the corridors in the building are generally very cold in winter even with heaters.

This ryokan is hidden down a side street in the centre of Gora, close to the Hakone Tozan Railway. I implore you to ignore all of the complaints about the building being old or run-down - in my view, it only served to enhance the fabulous traditional experience we had. The staff were incredibly friendly, had great attention to detail and nothing was too much trouble. At dinner and breakfast, the food was beautifully presented and had a great range of traditional flavours that we had never tried before - the service was also fantastic there. Our room Kasei was so charming and we slept very well on the futons provided. However, it was the incredible onsen attached to the room that was the real highlight - the hot springs are easily the best reason for coming to this ryokan or indeed Gora in general. The open-air pools were also lovely. I highly recommend this place for a great traditional experience.

Very cool historic ryokan with great food and incredible garden. The staff were really nice and helpful. My criticism is that I felt that for the prices they charge for rooms, the rooms and public onsens should be better maintained. This feels like a place whose heyday was a couple decades ago but is now a little dingy in many places, with things like mold and rotten wood in the windowsills in the onsen rooms and stains on the dining room walls.

Make sure that if you take the bus or train, you get off in Gora—we walked like 800 meters up steep stairs because we got off at the wrong bus stop, but that’s our fault not the ryokan’s.

Authentic Ryokan, with perfect service & meals. Quiet and relaxing. Onsen are very nice.

Everything was simply OUTSTANDING.

- the rooms were really traditional, minimalistic. They respected the original architecture of the place and it was full of wood, there was such a great energy, with the forest around that you can see from your room….
- the food was amazing, i recommend you stay open because it can be very traditional and surprising but overall amazingly delicious, prepared with special care, with beautiful layouts, and tableware.
- the service was amazing as well, the personnel was extremely polite, helpful, kind

I would 100000000% recommend

This Ryokan is situated in a beautiful and secluded area, but yet it is only a short walk from Gora Station. All staff are extremely friendly and try to communicate in English when the Japanese of the guests is lacking. The premises and rooms are very clean, even though they have kept their traditional appeal. You will also find an indoor and outdoor public hot spring. I recommend checking out the one outdoors as you can bathe while enjoying the view of the garden. The food is of extremely high quality and depending on your booking you are served multiple traditional multi-course meals each day. If you have any dietary restrictions the kitchen staff will gladly accommodate them. All in all I fully recommend this ryokan for a it's hot springs, food and great service!

Our tour company booked this place as we wanted total Japanese ryokan stay. What a wonderful experience we had. The people work here are extremely polite and meet any need you have. We had a room with a private bath ( hot spring tub and a separate toilet). The room is very charming with a great view. We sat at the little nook and looked at the garden while drinking green tea they provide in the room. It was so quiet and peaceful stay. We enjoyed our private hot spring tub very much but what highlights this place is the FOOD. 9 couse dinner was amazing. We were so full but couldn't stop. Our breakfast with soft tofu and eggs that were streamed at the table were fantastic. Everything was delicious 😋 This place is old and outdated but thats what it should be. Our futon and comforter were clean and comfortable. The room air conditioner worked well and toilet was not only western style but also had a bidet. Come on, this place was above our expectation. If you are used to hotel chains and airbadb and looking for a touristic high demand place then skip it. Also walking on the dadami floors with bamboo slippers and eating meals wearing kimonos not your style then go somewhere else.

We enjoyed it very much! The staff went out of their way to make things convenient for our family. We had one small baby with us and they were very accommodating; they even provided a baby bath that we could take to the onsen/rotenburo for the baby. I would recommend this for anyone who is looking for a very traditional Japanese experience. The food here was amazing; our first dinner was an amazing 11 course meal and our breakfasts were nothing to cough at either!

Look no further if you're looking for a ryokan with an old traditional vibe (what I wanted, much like creaky wooden floors complete with a tiled tub reminding my of Mei and satsuki's house in my neighbor totoro) with the kindest people. The service here was top-notch. It gave me a great breakaway from reality, and I felt like passing the time by starting out the sliding screen doors. I will say that people looking for western style amenities and Western style rooms (those asking for updated appearances) shouldn't stay in traditional rukoans and just stick with large western chains. This was the real deal and meant for people who wanted a taste of older style Japan. The clear broths in the kaiseki meals made me aware of all the unnecessary junk I ate and how clean eating should be. Life changing, to say the least,

Delectable dinner and breakfast. The staff were very nice and always professional. Also, the open air hot spring was really relaxing
Traditional tatami room with a nice view.

Historic ryokan with amazing staff and delicious meals. A must visit.

It’s hard to describe the very special atmosphere of this place! And the meal was spectacular. I love it!

The service is phenomenal. They really try to meet your needs. The food was amazing and very carefully prepared. The bathing areas are clean. The rooms are set up where they each have their own bathing area. The water is from a natural hot spring so it is very warm. The outdoor bathing area is beautiful and so very serene. They provide yukatas that are very comfortable. Their dutons and comforter, which they set up for you, are soft and easy to sleep on.

Cute little traditional Japanese Ryokan. Almost all rooms had shared bathroom, was quite difficult to find a Ryokan in Gora with a private bath, or which is still not westernised. This one was well priced and still in traditional style. The bath had hot spring water from 2000ft below ground and was very spacious. The group onsens were quite small, with room for 4-5 people only (keep that in mind).
Included traditional Japanese breakfast, which was an experience (don't get this is you don't like seafood). Unfortunately we weren't sure what a lot of the food was or how or what to eat in what order... So it was a bit of trial and error.

Wouldn't recommend if you don't enjoy the futons which are placed on the floor. I found them quite comfortable as did my friends. They even provided double comforters as it was quite chilly still outside, which I thought was a nice touch. Great place to just switch off with such wonderful hosts!

This was my first experience at a Ryokan, and I loved it. I felt transported to a different era at a different place. The accommodations are traditional Japanese without compromise except for basic electric appliences. The best thing about Gora Kansuirou is that your space is really private, as the lush vegetation of the expansive gardens keeps the outside world away (and your privacy shielded).

The in-room hot spring bath is a lovely touch. The dinner and breakfast were both delicious and large, and I loved the typical flavors. The fish and meat were overcooked for my taste, though. The room was excellent, though two of the doors needed some work.

All in all, an excellent experience, worth the visit to the area, and I would be back. There aren't many traditional ryokans left, so I encourage everyone to try one.

Since there isn't a lot to do on-site and in Gora, I recommend planning a trip in the hakone area or bringing a pile of books.

I night stay in private hut with onsen, I liked it very much. The privacy, the quiet landscape, the dinner and breakfast were wonderful. There are also indoor and outdoor onsens.

My wife and I stayed here for two nights. It is an amazing experience. Here is truly a real Japanese Ryokan with more than 150 years old history behind. The location is great just 2 mins far from main Gora station. This station connects you to main tourist attractions around and Adowara station for Shinkansen.
The house design is very traditional with all Ryokan style including main room and bedroom separated with sliding doors. A beautiful balcony with jungle view. And the most important thing is very own private onsen (natural hot spring bath). This is a whole new level of experience. We spent pretty much all of our time at the onsen.
The service and foods they provided were extremely great.