We booked the Hotel Kagetsu-en at the last minute while staying in Tokyo. It was the only hotel available during our planned two-day trip to Hakone which, in itself, might have tipped us off about the following:

While the hotel Kagetsu-en is a very adequate two-star tourist hotel in the Hakone lake area, on the last stop of the gondola ride up from the train station (2 hours) or by bus (one hour) from Odawara Station, it was fairly obvious that this was a hotel that caters strictly to Japanese and not Gaijin (foreigners). We were the only Gaijin staying there (American or otherwise). Check-in was a little difficult, mostly using hand signals and presenting our passports as no one at the front desk spoke English (or French, or Spanish...our other two languages). Not that we expected fluent English to be spoken there!

Basically, the rooms consist of two hard-as-a-rock twin beds (with buckwheat hull pillows), a pre-fab plastic bathroom enclosure from the 1970s (with fancy heated toilet/bidet, incredibly small shower stall, and two extremely small bath towels fit for extremely tiny people). No complimentary shampoo or hair dryer, so bring your own.

The Kagetsu-en has its own hot spring baths, however. There is a male and female communal bath area and they are ALWAYS TOTALLY SEGREGATED. On the plus side, they also have PRIVATE hot spring rooms which we chose to use rather than offend the Japanese staying there.

The hot spring private baths were fabulous, however. We were able to spend a few hours soaking and cooling off, naked as jaybirds, without the locals staring us down in the communal, segregated baths (also naked). The water temperature hovers around 112 degrees and comes directly from the sulfur-laden hot springs in the area. After a day's travel on the local trains, it was like heaven. We were really happy to unwind there! (Talk about wet noodles!)

Speaking of the baths (whether communal or private), it is IMPERATIVE that you bathe before you get into the hot tubs. There are plastic seats and buckets, with soap and shampoo in containers, that you are supposed to use BEFORE getting into the rock-lined hot tubs. This was true of anyplace in Japan, however. Even in Tokyo, the shower was to be used AFTER soaping and rinsing off before-hand. It's just tradition there.

I would NOT, however, recommend going to the communal baths: just use the private ones. They are wonderful!!!

In the communal sitting area (where the vending machines and massage chairs were), we were distinctly AVOIDED at all cost, even though we were wearing our yukatas (robes) and slippers. We Americans are just TOO foreign and big for the Japanese. While they were never overtly rude to us, they did tend to leave the area when we showed up, even though we bowed, and said hello and good evening in Japanese. We are just too big and, I think, overwhelming for them. You should always be on your best behavior in Hakone, and try to keep your voices down and modulated as best you can. The Japanese take their baths VERY seriously and we are definitely outsiders there.

Signage throughout the Hakone area is only in Japanese, so it's a good idea to bring a Gaijin map with you. None of the bus/train/gondola stops are in English or otherwise.

Our "package" at the hotel Kagetsu-en included dinner and breakfast in the main restaurant. There is no choice of breakfast/dinner items: food is served strictly at 8 AM for breakfast and 6 PM for dinner. We were a little bit late for for dinner seating and they called us on the room phone saying "Dinner, dinner" (the only English I heard there for two days). BE ON TIME!

The food was typical Japanese fare and really good! Dinner was three courses: beer or sake was extra. No Western silverware: learn how to use chopsticks before you go. If you want a typical Japanese meal, you'll get it at the hotel Kagetsu-en. We loved it. Everything was prepared beautifully. A few of the "oldsters" there nodded at us in a pleasing manner, I think because we behaved ourselves and could use chopsticks. Even so, I felt like a kid trying to eat at the "grownups" table!

I would totally recommend the hotel Kagetsu-en if you're not intimidated by tradition or custom; are not acting like "Spring-Breakers" here in the US; are respectful and know how to bow; and above all, know how to say please and thank you in Japanese. A few polite words can go a long way in Japan, wherever you are staying.

Go to Hakone and stay at the Kagetsu-en if you want a traditional Japanese hot-spring experience, and leave your prejudices and bad behavior at the front door. You won't exactly be welcomed, but you will leave a good impression on the Japanese staying there.

All in all, I can recommend the Hotel Kagetsu-en if you are willing to be flexible with customs and recognize that YOU are the outsider there. The price was right (especially with dinner and breakfast included), and the rest of the lake region is absolutely BEAUTIFUL. If you're lucky, it will be a sunny day and you'll be able to see Mount Fuji. Just try to remember that a hotel room is just a hotel room: nothing else. You sleep there and spend the rest of your time hiking and seeing the sights. And, when your feet are tired out, you can soak to your heart's content in the wonderful hot-spring sulfur baths. You'll sleep like a baby, I promise!

Deb in Colorado Springs