Tenzan Tohji-kyo

What it is like

Five minutes' drive up the old Tōkaidō from Hakone-Yumoto Station, beside the Sukumo River, Tenzan is a day-spa complex spread over about 2.6 hectares. Its relocated farmhouse buildings and terraced open-air pools stepping up the hillside make it a perennial top pick among Hakone day baths for water quality and atmosphere. The same grounds hold the simpler day-use annex Ikkyū (¥1,200, open-air and indoor bath only) and the lodging Hagoromo, with Tenzan as the centrepiece. Inside are a floor-heated tatami lounge, a nap room with mats, a reading room with deck chairs and a second-floor balcony for cooling off, plus the soba-and-kamameshi restaurant Yamabōshi and the café Ukaregumo, which brews coffee with the drinkable spring water — plan on half a day or more.

Facilities, what to bring & tips

• Washing stations have bar soap only (no body wash); shampoo and conditioner are provided at only some stations, so bring your own if particular. Hair dryers available.
• Towels are sold, not rented — bring one to save money. No loungewear.
• Ticket machine takes cash only (as of 2025); there is no ATM on site.
• Guests with tattoos are not admitted (stated officially).
• Children of elementary age and under must be accompanied; infants not yet toilet-trained may not bathe.
• Free parking for 140 cars, but on weekends and in autumn-leaf season it fills by around 11 am — arrive at 9 am opening or after 5 pm.
• Busiest 11 am–4 pm on weekends and holidays. Weekday mornings are the quietest, when you may have an open-air pool almost to yourself.

Getting there

From Hakone-Yumoto Station take the Hakone Tozan Bus from stop 4 (old-highway route towards Hatajuku/Moto-Hakone) about 5 minutes to Oku-Yumoto Iriguchi, then walk down the slope and across the Sukumo River bridge, 3–5 minutes. Alternatively the ryokan shuttle 'Course B' (¥100) from the station forecourt stops right outside. On foot it is about 2.2 km uphill, roughly 25 minutes. By car, about 15 minutes from Hakoneguchi IC on the Odawara-Atsugi Road via Route 1; parking is free. Return buses are infrequent, so check the timetable.