Hakone Kowakudani Onsen Mizunoto (Kyoritsu Resort)
箱根小涌谷温泉 水の音
Area photo — not the ryokan itself · Gōra Park, Hakone · Daderot / CC0
Kyoritsu Resort's big Kowakudani inn: two different springs, three free private garden baths and freebies from ice lollies to late-night ramen at a mid-range price — but service is patchy, dinner slots go fast, and only some room baths use onsen water
Mizunoto is an 87-room onsen inn in the woods of Kowakudani, opened in 2006 by Kyoritsu Resort, the company behind the Dormy Inn chain. It is split into two wings, each drawing a different spring: Suika-no-shō has Kowakudani Onsen, Suigetsu-no-shō has Miyanoshita Onsen. Between them there are 13 tubs, counting three private open-air baths in the garden that are free and need no booking. Both bath areas were redone in 2023–2024, and the rooms and dining rooms in April 2025. Japanese guests rate it 4.4 across 6,577 reviews on one major site, with baths at 4.7 and cleanliness at 4.6, and 4.36 across 67 on another, where service scores lowest at 4.09. Bloggers who stayed from 2023 to winter 2025–26 liked the baths most. They also praise the hinoki terrace tubs, the in-room coffee mill and the stream of free extras: 24-hour lobby drinks, ice lollies and milk after the bath, dumplings in the early evening and late-night ramen. Dinner is big, and the plans several bloggers booked included free-flow drinks. The complaints from 2025–2026 are mostly about service. Plates were cleared mid-meal, water never arrived, front-desk replies were curt, and guests queued in a cold corridor for fixed dinner slots that were already gone at check-in. Others mention a third guest laying their own thin futon, slow drains, thin walls and a new parking fee. Rates on recent reviews run from about ¥18,000 to over ¥30,000 per person with two meals; one winter 2025–26 blogger paid ¥51,500 for two in a room with an onsen terrace bath.
Room Selection Guide
What the guests who stayed here actually recommendRecommended
Suika-no-shō 'onsen' open-air-bath rooms (温泉露天風呂付和洋室 / 洋室, 35㎡)
These are the only rooms whose hinoki terrace bath is filled with spring water. The Japanese-Western version is on the ground floor. A blogger who stayed in winter 2025–26 found the bath screened on both sides and roofed against rain, and paid ¥51,500 for two with two meals. A July 2025 guest soaked looking out at green maples. Book the type with 'onsen' (温泉) in its name: the similar-looking 露天風呂付和洋室 is not spring water.
Suigetsu-no-shō Japanese-Western rooms (和洋室, 46㎡), for families and groups
Renovated in 2025, these rooms sleep up to four, and reviewers in 2025–2026 call them clean and roomy. They have a shower booth rather than a bath, which one January 2026 guest found was no problem given all the shared baths. They are in the separate Suigetsu building, close to the Miyanoshita-spring baths, but reached from the lobby by a walkway that is cold in winter.
Request To Avoid
Suika-no-shō 露天風呂付和洋室 (non-onsen terrace bath) and the 18㎡ semi-double singles
The cheaper open-air-bath rooms use heated tap water, not onsen — a June 2023 blogger and an October 2026 guest both noted it. The 18㎡ singles have only a shower booth. In April 2026 one smelled musty with black mould in the shower, and a September 2026 single had a window left open in the rain. In rooms for three or four, the extra guests lay their own futon; a January 2026 group found it far too thin to sleep on.
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Dining Deep Dive
Breakfast Consensus
4.2/5A Japanese set breakfast (7:00–9:15): horse-mackerel himono warmed on a grill at the table, miso soup or tonjiru by the pot, rice by the tub and extras such as natto, onsen egg and mentaiko. Most find it generous and good. In winter 2025–26 one blogger's burner was too weak to warm anything, a January 2026 guest waited a long time for dishes, and an October 2026 solo guest wished for a lighter Western option
Dinner course and time (17:30 or about 20:00) are first come, first served at check-in, and guests on plans that guarantee the early slot often fill it. Arriving early doesn't guarantee a slot, so book a plan with a confirmed dinner time (夕食事前確約) if timing matters. The private garden baths can't be booked: go when the lamp is off, early morning is easiest, and bring a towel because there are no washing areas. The station shuttle runs every 10–15 minutes from 14:00 to 17:00 without a call; the walk up is steep.
Dinner Insights
4.1/5Two courses, each in its own dining room with table seating since the renovation. Aburi-yaki kaiseki at Tsutsuji-tei includes wagyu, pork, seafood and vegetables you grill yourself on a table roaster. Ashigara Yūzen kaiseki at Ashigara is built around a small hotpot you choose. Both end with a kamameshi (kinmedai in June 2023, eel in July 2025). Drinks are ordered by tablet, and free-flow came with the plans several bloggers booked — check yours. Bloggers loved the volume and the grilled wagyu. Recent critics found it 'big but not high quality' (March 2026), had a lotus-root dumpling served undercooked (January 2026), and waited 30 minutes for children's food on a busy September 2026 night. A December 2025 guest with a soba allergy got no substitute; since July 2025 the inn has offered a low-allergen menu if you ask two days ahead.
Onsen & Wellness Realities
Two sodium chloride springs: Kowakudani Onsen (pure salt spring) in the Suika-no-shō baths, and Miyanoshita Onsen (weak salt spring) in the Suigetsu-no-shō baths. One booking site lists the Kowakudani water as recirculated and filtered; no treatment details are published for the Miyanoshita baths or the garden baths. In-room baths use spring water only in the room types named 'onsen'; the rest are heated tap water.
Four shared bath areas, two in each wing, with indoor and outdoor tubs, switch between men and women each day, so one stay covers all four. Suika-no-shō (B1F, 14:00–11:00, closed 1:00–2:00) has rock and hinoki outdoor tubs plus a lying bath and a stone bath. Suigetsu-no-shō (15:00–24:00 and 5:00–12:00) has a rock bath and a hinoki bath. The three free garden baths, Hiiragi, Kaede and Wakatake, open 14:00–1:00 and 5:00–11:00. You lock the door and a lamp shows they're in use; one September 2026 guest wanted a roof for rainy days, and the garden path is uneven. Reviewers say the baths are rarely crowded and the water runs hot. Other notes: a stuffy changing room (August 2026), and fruit added to the baths for a New Year event that one January 2026 guest disliked.
No policy found on the official site or Japanese booking sites — contact the inn.
Local Warnings & Nuances
- 01
Check-in 15:00 (last 24:00), check-out 11:00. Cancellation: 10% from 7 days before, 20% from 4 days, 50% from 2 days, 80% on the day.
- 02
There are no room attendants. Toiletries are picked up in the lobby, extra futons are self-service, and at busy times some 2026 guests ended up carrying their own luggage, with no trolley.
- 03
Parking costs ¥1,500 a night for bookings made from 1 April 2026. Navigation apps can send cars up a steep, narrow lane, so follow the inn's Route 1 directions; snow tyres or chains are needed from about December to March.
- 04
The Suigetsu-no-shō rooms and baths are in a separate building linked by part-outdoor walkways. These are cold in winter, and one January 2026 reviewer said they were hard going for an older parent. A barrier-free room and loan wheelchairs are available.
- 05
Children aged 3 to preschool pay a ¥2,200 facility fee even without meals or bedding. It's a busy, family-heavy house: a February 2026 guest recommends the later dinner slot for a quieter meal, and others mention thin walls and thumping from neighbouring floors.
Before your stay
Souvenirs from Hakone and practical help for your trip.
Hakone souvenirs on Rakuten
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Things to do nearby
Hakone: sights, experiences and seasonal events from Trip Gacha, our sister site.
Sources
The real blog posts and stay reports this article draws on
- 水の音（箱根小涌谷）｜客室露天風呂付温泉旅館宿泊記口コミ (アラフィフさくらの普通の毎日)
- 箱根小涌谷温泉 水の音 宿泊記｜リニューアル客室＆温泉露天風呂付客室を紹介！ (脱たぬきブログ)
- 箱根『水の音』宿泊記｜2つの源泉と１６種類のお風呂！一泊では入りきれない温泉三昧 (花channel)
- 【箱根 小涌谷温泉 水の音 温泉レビュー】2025年7月 癒しのひと時はこのお宿！ (ディスカバリー通信)
- 【宿泊記】箱根小涌谷温泉 水の音｜たくさんの温泉と貸切風呂！ (dormyinnfun)
- 水の音（共立リゾート）のクチコミ・評価 (じゃらんnet)
- 水の音（共立リゾート） - クチコミ・評判 (一休.com)
- 温泉 | 箱根小涌谷温泉 水の音 (共立リゾート公式)
- 客室 | 箱根小涌谷温泉 水の音 (共立リゾート公式)
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Read the guidePhoto credits
- Gora Kadan — the former Kan'in-no-miya imperial villa, Hakone · 663highland / CC BY 2.5
- Koiwa Station (JR East), Tokyo · MaedaAkihiko / CC BY-SA 4.0
- Senzairo, Yoro, Gifu · Asturio Cantabrio / CC BY-SA 4.0
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Photo credits: Gōra Park, Hakone · Daderot / CC0 / Gora Kadan — the former Kan'in-no-miya imperial villa, Hakone · 663highland / CC BY 2.5
Hakone Kowakudani Onsen Mizunoto (Kyoritsu Resort)
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