Sengokuhara, Hakone is an area that has developed from ancient times as a villa retreat, and nowadays, it has many museums and art galleries. KAI Sengokuhara, at the heart of a land of art, is a Japanese hot spring ryokan built around the concept of an “atelier” where guests can enjoy nature. Located at an altitude of 700 meters in the middle of nature rich Sengokuhara Highlands, and with every room equipped with a private outdoor bath, KAI Sengokuhara offers a stay where guests’ artistic expression will be stimulated. Before its opening, a special program, “Artists in Residence – Hakone-Sengokuhara,” was organized, and twelve artists from inside and outside Japan were invited to stay at the inn. In return, those artists offered KAI Sengokuhara artworks that were inspired by Hakone and are now displayed in the guest rooms and inside the inn.
KAI Local flavors
The inn’s menu, with a careful selection of dishes and serving styles, revolves around the theme “hot spring inn atelier,” an artist workshop inside a Japanese traditional hot spring inn. For example, the appetizer consists of instant smoked salmon paired with seasonal fruits. As the lid of the dish opens, smoke escapes and spreads around, resembling the white fumes of Owakudani volcanic zone.
The assorted delicacies and sashimi assortment, brought together on the “Houraku” platter, present unique entertaining features, such as plates imaging the smokes of Owakudani or in the shape of a paintbrush box.
For the spring and summer special dinner, the main dish consists of “surf and turf on a stone grill” with various ingredients from the land and the sea. Two lava-looking stones are heated up to 200℃, then beef and duck meat on one side, shrimp and abalone on the other are grilled separately.
*The ingredients change every season.
KAI Cultural Discovery – Tenugui Towel Art
Every KAI establishment offers guests an activity to introduce them to the regional culture. At KAI Sengokuhara, every day, guests can participate in a workshop where they will learn how to decorate and paint a “tenugui,” a traditional Japanese washcloth designed by the dyer artist Mitsuko Ogura. Guests can pick from six different types of "tenugui," for example one with the landscape of Hakone post town, another with a design featuring wild birds and flowers inspired by the fields of Sengokuhara, or even just a blank "tenugui" to freely decorate.
KAI Signature Rooms
All guest rooms of KAI Sengokuhara reflect the unique local characteristics of the region. The rooms are decorated with the works of twelve artists from Japan and abroad who participated in the “Artists in Residence – Hakone-Sengokuhara” program. These works will accompany the guests throughout their stay, and will be able to witness how the works appear differently at day and at night, and see the artists’ brushwork from up close. Glass lampshades designed by the Odawara glass artists Hiroshi Hamadate and Mio Murakami (“Ipada glass production unit”) are decorating the rooms as well.
All rooms are equipped with an outdoor bath and are partly lined with Ryukyu tatami on which lies a sofa, for a Japanese-Western modern type of room. Guests can admire the exceptional landscape of Sengokuhara from the large terrace window or their outdoor bath. Owakudani Onsen’s spring waters are filled with mineral deposits, commonly known in Japanese as onsen flowers (“Yu no hana”), similar to flower petals dancing on the hot water. Guests can enjoy this natural “onsen” in the outdoor bath in their room, as well as in the public bath.
Special Features
Atelier Library
Surrounded by majestic mountains and away from the hustle and bustle of the city, Sengokuhara has been loved by many writers and artists as a place where they can self-reflect and immerse themselves in their work and writing. Taking advantage of this, the theme of the KAI Cultural Discovery at KAI Sengokuhara is to experience art rather than to just admire it. The inn thus provides a place where guests can freely express the inspiration they took from the works of artists displayed in guest rooms and the vast landscape outside the windows.
Public Hot Springs
The water drawn from Owakudani is a slightly cloudy, sulfate and chloride hot spring with an acidic pH of 2.0. Its main characteristic is that just with a short bath, the skin will be smoother and the body warmed up. The public indoor baths are equipped with two bathtubs of different types: the hot bath with acidic water to first warm up and the lukewarm bath to soothe the skin after the acidic hot bath. In the outdoor hot spring, guests can enjoy bathing while gazing at seasonal sceneries of spring cherry blossoms, "momiji" autumn red leaves, or rich green foliage of other trees. At the water garden, flowing outside the outdoor hot spring, luminous stones paving the bottom store light during the day and shine beautifully at night like a starry sky.
* A pH of 2.0 is about the same level of acidity as a lemon.
Overview of KAI Sengokuhara
Address: 817-359 Sengokuhara, Hakone-cho, Ashigarashimo-gun, Kanagawa
Number of Rooms: 16
Facilities: Lobby, Dining, Atelier Library, Shop, Public hot springs
Starting Room Rate: Starting from 55,000 JPY per night (per person for a 2-person room, includes tax, service charge, breakfast, and dinner)
Directions: 15 minutes by car from Gora Station
About KAI Brand
"Japanese Auberge" in classic hot spring regions
KAI is a leading brand of hot spring ryokan where every establishment offers a contemporary take on traditional Japanese inn whilst keeping Western comforts. KAI invites one to discover the multifaceted aspects of Japan through natural hot springs, exploration of local arts and entertainment, and classic Kaiseki-style course meals using local and seasonal flavors. Experience Washoku, Japanese cuisine, presented on carefully selected ceramics for full exposure to culinary sensations.
About Hoshino Resorts
Hoshino Resorts was first established as a Japanese inn/ryokan in 1914 in Karuizawa in Nagano Prefecture before it began the operation of other resorts in Japan. Today, it has evolved into a highly influential hotel management company and is run by 4th-generation family member Yoshiharu Hoshino. Providing a unique experience focused on the local charms of each destination and a high level of omotenashi, Japanese-style hospitality, the company has expanded rapidly out of Karuizawa since 2001 and now operates more than 60 accommodations both in and outside Japan with one of the following categories: luxury hotel brand “HOSHINOYA,” hot spring ryokan brand “KAI,” countryside resort hotel brand “RISONARE,” city tourism hotel brand “OMO,” free-spirited hotel brand “BEB,” or other unique lodgings.
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