Hakone has been welcoming travelers for centuries, its hot springs offering respite to weary samurai descending from the mountain passes of the old Tokaido road. But while most of Hakone’s accommodations cluster along busy roads and well-worn tourist routes, ESPACIO exists in a category entirely its own: a collection of villas hidden 100 meters down in a secluded valley, accessible only by private monorail, where the only sounds are the river’s murmur and the whisper of wind through ancient forest.
This is Japanese luxury hospitality operating at its most refined and exclusive, a member of The Leading Hotels of the World where just a handful of guests experience Hakone’s therapeutic waters, seasonal cuisine, and profound tranquility each night. The name ESPACIO, Spanish for “space” or “universe,” hints at what awaits: not merely accommodation but an entire realm designed for restoration, contemplation, and connection to the natural and cultural heritage that makes this region sacred.
The approach sets expectations immediately. You’ll arrive at the Upper Reception, a striking contemporary structure that serves as gateway between the everyday world and the sanctuary below. Here, following the ritual of samurai warriors who once removed their armor before bathing, you symbolically shed the tensions of modern life. Staff guide you down into the valley, descending through lush forest that transforms with each season: spring’s fresh green, summer’s dense canopy, autumn’s fiery maples, winter’s delicate snow-frosted branches.
Then the villas reveal themselves, positioned along the valley floor with the Dogashima River flowing nearby. The architecture defies simple categorization: contemporary forms executed in materials and proportions that honor Japanese aesthetic principles, creating structures that feel both utterly modern and deeply rooted in cultural tradition. Floor-to-ceiling windows dissolve boundaries between interior and exterior. Private terraces extend over the forest. Heated pools allow you to soak while contemplating the mountain slopes rising on all sides.
Each villa bears the name of a mythological guardian: Kirin, Phoenix, Tortoise, and Dragon. These aren’t arbitrary designations but carefully considered assignments, with artwork throughout the villas depicting their namesake deities through various artistic interpretations. Traditional craftsmanship appears everywhere: kumiko woodwork’s geometric precision, washi paper’s subtle texture, lacquer’s lustrous depths, plaster’s organic variations. Yet the execution remains resolutely contemporary, proving that honoring tradition needn’t mean replicating the past.
The villas themselves provide space that most hotel rooms cannot match. Living areas flow into dining spaces, which open onto terraces overlooking the forest and river. Bedrooms achieve that particular Japanese balance of minimalism and warmth, where every element serves both aesthetic and functional purposes. Bathrooms incorporate both Western fixtures and traditional ofuro soaking tubs, allowing you to experience the thermal waters in whatever format appeals.
But the true bathing experience happens in your villa’s private onsen, where Hakone’s famous mineral-rich waters fill pools positioned for maximum privacy and natural beauty. The therapeutic properties of these waters have been celebrated for over a millennium: alkaline springs that soften skin, ease muscle tension, and provide the kind of deep relaxation that modern spa treatments attempt but rarely achieve. Soaking while watching mist rise from the river, or snow fall silently through the forest, or fireflies dance on summer evenings creates moments that justify the journey alone.
The kaiseki cuisine served in your villa represents another dimension of ESPACIO’s excellence. A private chef prepares multi-course meals celebrating seasonality in ways that Western fine dining aspires to but Japanese tradition has perfected over centuries. Spring brings mountain vegetables and sakura-infused dishes. Summer delivers delicate preparations showcasing pristine seafood. Autumn features matsutake mushrooms and the harvest’s bounty. Winter brings hearty hot pots and preserved ingredients that concentrate flavors.
Each course arrives as visual composition as much as culinary creation, plated with the attention to color, texture, and spatial arrangement that characterizes Japanese aesthetic philosophy. The ingredients come from specific sources: this fish from Odawara’s morning catch, these vegetables from a particular mountain farm, this sake from a brewery that’s been operating for twelve generations. The specificity isn’t pretension but evidence of the relationships that ensure quality and the respect for ingredients that makes kaiseki profound rather than merely pretty.
Dining in your villa allows complete privacy and pace control. No restaurant schedule dictates when courses arrive. Your chef adjusts timing to your preferences, allowing you to savor each dish without rush, to appreciate the progression from light to rich, from raw to cooked, from subtle to bold. Wine pairings can accompany if desired, though sake selections better honor both the cuisine and the setting.
The spa treatments available reflect similar attention to detail and cultural depth. Therapies incorporate Japanese techniques and ingredients while creating experiences calibrated to contemporary luxury travelers’ expectations. Treatments might use yuzu, green tea, rice bran, or other traditional ingredients in preparations that feel both familiar and distinct. The treatment rooms maintain the tranquil aesthetic that characterizes the property, ensuring continuity of experience rather than jarring transitions.
Hakone’s position just 90 minutes from Tokyo makes ESPACIO remarkably accessible despite feeling utterly remote. The region offers numerous attractions: the Hakone Open-Air Museum’s sculpture collection set against mountain views, the Pola Museum of Art’s Impressionist holdings, Lake Ashi’s scenic beauty with Mount Fuji views on clear days, and the various other hot spring towns that dot the area. The historic Hakone Checkpoint museum explains the region’s role controlling passage along the Tokaido road during the Edo period.
But the property’s design encourages minimal external exploration. Everything you might need exists within the valley: the therapeutic waters, the exceptional cuisine, the forest trails, the profound quiet. This isn’t isolation born of inaccessibility but intentional removal from distraction, creating space for the kind of rest that requires surrendering to stillness rather than filling time with activities.
The exclusivity matters here in ways that transcend mere luxury branding. With only a handful of villas, you might encounter other guests at the Upper Reception but will likely never see them once you’ve descended to your villa. The valley becomes effectively yours, shared only with the staff who anticipate needs without intruding on privacy. This level of seclusion, this close to a major metropolitan area, represents genuine rarity in contemporary travel.
ESPACIO appeals particularly to travelers who understand that Japanese hospitality culture operates according to different principles than Western luxury hotels. Service here is impeccable but discreet rather than demonstrative. Formality balances with warmth. The emphasis falls on creating conditions for your own restoration rather than entertaining you with activities and amenities. If you’re seeking bustling resort energy or constant stimulation, Hakone has other properties. ESPACIO offers something more introspective: the opportunity to experience therapeutic waters, seasonal beauty, and cultural depth at a pace that allows genuine absorption rather than mere observation.
The seasonal transformations deserve multiple visits. Cherry blossoms in spring create pink clouds against the evergreen forest. Summer’s verdant density and the river’s increased flow from mountain snowmelt. Autumn’s famous koyo season painting the mountainsides in reds and golds visible from your terrace. Winter’s occasional snow transforming the valley into monochrome elegance. Each season brings distinct kaiseki ingredients, different qualities of light, and altered relationships between the villas and their forested setting.
You’ll leave ESPACIO genuinely restored rather than just relaxed, carrying memories of soaking in mineral waters while watching seasons change, of kaiseki courses that demonstrated what seasonality actually means, of profound silence broken only by natural sounds, and of experiencing Japanese hospitality culture at its most refined. The journey back to Tokyo, though brief, will feel like transitioning between different realities, the valley’s tranquility lingering even as the city’s energy reasserts itself.
ESPACIO proves that true luxury increasingly means access to experiences that cannot be replicated or scaled, that privacy and exclusivity derive their value from what they enable rather than what they exclude, and that the most memorable hospitality creates space for guests to discover their own rhythms rather than imposing predetermined programs. This is Hakone beyond the tourist circuit, Japanese refinement beyond stereotype, and accommodation that transcends category to become sanctuary.
The Details:
- Located in secluded valley in Hakone’s Miyanoshita area
- Member of The Leading Hotels of the World
- Limited number of private villas named for guardian deities
- Each villa features private onsen with Hakone thermal waters
- Private chef-prepared kaiseki cuisine served in villa
- Contemporary architecture honoring Japanese aesthetic principles
- Artwork featuring traditional craftsmanship and mythological themes
- Spa treatments incorporating Japanese techniques and ingredients
- 90 minutes from Tokyo via train or car
- Four distinct seasonal experiences
- Year-round operation
- Advance reservations essential given limited capacity