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The perfect Japanese
spa experience is found here. This ryokan is
located within a forty minutes Tokaido
Shinkansen, the Japanese bullet train, ride of
the capital of Japan, Tokyo to Odawara Station
and then about half-an-hour drive to Gora by
taxi or cab. This place is a well known active
volcanic spot and the sight here is mainly made
up of steaming holes spewing sulfur mist.
 There are thousands
of hot springs in Japan and at almost two
thousand of these hot spring areas, onsen
resorts have sprung up because of the Japanese
who love a relaxing hot bath. Both locals and
visitors come here to rejuvenate both the body
and mind. Bathing among the mesmerizing
landscape is common here while the locals prefer
to pamper their body with a aromatic plant oils
massage. Shiatsu or Swedish-trained fingers
Photo: Hot spring bathing in Hakone will
work amazing wonders on your aching muscles. Located in
the Hakone National Park, Gora Kadan is a member
of the Relais and Chateaux Group and all its
specially designed thirty-seven rooms
are equipped with unique bathrooms while
some come with a private rotenburo. It started
off as a resort house house and later it was
converted to a public ryokan with outstanding
design in this hot-spring area of Hakone, which
originated in the old Nara. It is well known for
its spa, also known as Kako meaning Fragrance of
Flowers, is house in a specially created villa
and among the facilities provided to guests
include facials, body treatments using Swiss
herbs and salt therapies and to cater for
general use, there are two onsen and two
rotenburo. The major attraction here is that
four of the guest rooms here have open air baths
which is equipped with steam sauna whereby the
new open air baths are carved from one plate of
stone. After taking a thermal bath, you can stay
relax to the gentle sound of therapeutic music
and pamper yourself to a variety of massages and
treatments in an oriental atmosphere.
Tourists will have
the opportunity to enjoy koyo, a hand
aromatherapy massage using high quality aromatic
oils for both facial and body massages or
zangetsu, a treatment using different types of
cosmetic products selected according to
different types of skin condition. An organic
herb aroma massage will surely help to ease your
aching body while an esthetic treatment will
improve your skin conditions. You will also have
the chance to revitalize your skin using animal
and plant cells through skin revitalizing
cellular treatment. Other spa experience found
here include stimulating the blood flow in your
body through stone therapy, or relax with an
after-shower full body massage through thalasso
therapy and have your skin smoothen through Dead
Sea treatment using mineral rich Dead Sea water. All its thirty-seven spacious guest
rooms has a relaxing atmosphere and comes with
low tatami beds, futon, low tables for dining
and thin seat cushions known as zabuton. Other
facilities that may be enjoyed by guests are a
heated indoor swimming pool, a jacuzzi, a
fitness center and a karaoke bar. Other
activities that you may participate include
boating on Lake Ashi which is nestled in dense
forest, hiking along the trails at
Mount Myojogatake, the site for the Daimonji
Festival which features a bonfire built on the
mountainside in the shape of a huge Chinese
pictogram, Mount Sengen and Mount
Komagatake, visit the magnificent Hakone
Open-Air Museum or sightseeing at Owakudani
(Greater Boiling Valley) with its plumes of
sulfurous steam gushing upward but the main attraction here is
the natural hot spa which is also known as the
outdoor bath.
Located at : 1300 Gora, Hakone-machi,
Ashigarashimo-gun,
Kanagawa-ken
250-0408,
Japan.
Telephone : 81
(0)460 2 3331
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