Footbaths, superb views, and an outstanding atmosphere. Stylish Hakone cafes packed with charm
From enjoying hot springs at inns or day-trip baths to visiting art spots in the forest and strolling through town, a trip to Hakone is full of fun. We have compiled a list of wonderful cafes where you can take a break, rest your feet, and refresh yourself in between activities. These are all places where you can spend a rich, relaxing time while gazing at the nearby murmuring of the river or immersing yourself in historic buildings. Here are six special spots worth making a trip for.
1NARAYA CAFE
Be soothed by a nostalgic space that is one with the nature of Miyanoshita
Located right by Miyanoshita Station, this atmospheric cafe blends perfectly into the hillside scenery. A must-try when visiting is the "Narayan" monaka (wafer cake). When Toyotomi Hideyoshi had his soldiers recuperate at the hot springs in Miyanoshita during the Siege of Odawara, the gourd—derived from Hideyoshi's horse insignia—became a symbol of the town. The cafe uses original wafer shells shaped like gourds, crafted by a monaka shop in Odawara. The fillings also come from an Odawara bean paste shop, with four types to choose from, including smooth red bean paste and green pea paste. The menu is extensive, also featuring items like oven-baked pizza made with dough sourced from Kumamoto Prefecture.
A comfortable atrium space that conveys the spirit of a good old ryokan
Right next to the cafe is an attached footbath and general store, creating a space where locals and travelers can naturally interact. This site was originally the employee dormitory for the "Naraya Ryokan," which operated in Miyanoshita for 300 years, and the cafe was created by renovating and repurposing a building that used to be a sheet metal shop. Furnishings and lighting fixtures once used at the inn have been reused inside the cafe. On the second floor, there is a space selling antiques, such as tableware used during the inn's era, where you might just find a hidden gem. You can even enjoy cafe menu items while soaking in the footbath, making it easy to lose track of time.
- NARAYA CAFE
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404-13 Miyanoshita, Hakone-machi, Ashigarashimo-gun, Kanagawa Prefecture MAP 
A short walk from Miyanoshita Station on the Hakone Tozan Railway
Take a bus from Hakone-Yumoto Station on the Hakone Tozan Railway, get off at "Miyanoshita," and walk for about 3 minutes
10:30–17:00
Wednesdays, 4th Thursday (Closed from mid- to late January)
0460-82-1259
Free
2Kaikatei
An elegant time enjoying specialty udon while gazing at a Japanese garden
Opened in 2013 along National Route 1, about 1 km from Kowakidani Station, the Okada Museum of Art houses a large collection of Japanese and East Asian paintings, ceramics, and more. You can enjoy meals and tea in a charming Japanese-style house located in the garden on the premises. For lunch, they serve udon noodles made with ingredients from the mountains and the sea. The dashi broth is prepared from scratch by the staff every morning, and it is said that many people visit specifically for the udon. You can enjoy dishes such as the "Seasonal Fish Tempura Udon," topped with seasonal fish tempura, and the limited-quantity "Beef and Burdock Udon." It can also be used as a cafe, where you can enjoy creative Japanese sweets from "Wagashi Hana" in Hayama, Kanagawa Prefecture. The elegant flavors, made with carefully selected ingredients, will soothe your heart.
A charming building surrounded by the flow of spring water and seasonal flowers
The name "Kaikatei" comes from a hotel of the same name for Westerners that stood on this site during the Meiji era. The building is a valuable structure that has been restored by utilizing a Japanese-style house that existed since the early Showa era, while retaining traces of the past in its wood and glass. The garden surrounding the building spans 15,000 square meters, and the rich natural forest creates a beautiful sense of unity with water features such as waterfalls and ponds. The colors of seasonal flowers and plants, such as peonies, hydrangeas, and Japanese maples, are also spectacular. You can spend a quiet tea time while feeling the nature of Hakone up close.
- Kaikatei
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- Inside Okada Museum of Art, 493-1 Kowakudani, Hakone-machi, Ashigarashimo-gun, Kanagawa Prefecture MAP
- Approx. 16-minute walk from Kowakidani Station on the Hakone Tozan Railway
- Take a bus from Hakone-Yumoto Station on the Hakone Tozan Railway, get off at "Kowakien," and it is a short walk away
- Meals 11:00–17:00, Cafe time from 14:00 (L.O. 16:30)
- December 31 and January 1, during the museum's exhibition change period
- 0460-87-3931
- 500 yen per use for those using the art museum, Kaikatei, footbath cafe, or museum shop
3Cafe de Motonami
Enjoy Japanese sweets made with slowly simmered adzuki beans and coffee
The menu features original items that are colorful, cute, and enjoyable to both look at and eat, which you won't find anywhere else. The adzuki beans used in the sweets are "Toyomi Dainagon" from Hokkaido, simmered patiently with beet sugar and brown sugar. The sweets, which feature a smooth and gently sweet bean paste as the star, pair well with the flavorful coffee brewed using a French press. If you follow the shop's concept of "eating adzuki beans and drinking coffee" and combine the two, you might discover a surprisingly delicious flavor. It is sure to become an unforgettable memory of your trip.
A historic building that was once a bus waiting area
The menu features a wide variety of sweets made with various ingredients such as shiratama (rice flour dumplings) and gelato, in addition to azuki beans, making you want to visit again and again.
It is conveniently located along the Tokaido road in Miyanoshita, opposite the Fujiya Hotel, making it a great place to stop for tea while sightseeing. The 100-year-old, two-story building, which served as a bus waiting area in the early Showa period, is filled with nostalgic charm. Because it is family-run, the friendly atmosphere is another reason why you can relax here.
- Cafe de Motonami
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- 366 Miyanoshita, Hakone-machi, Ashigarashimo-gun, Kanagawa Prefecture MAP
- Approx. 4-minute walk from Miyanoshita Station on the Hakone Tozan Railway
- Take a bus from Hakone-Yumoto Station on the Hakone Tozan Railway, get off at "Miyanoshita," and walk for approx. 4 minutes
- 10:00–18:00 (L.O. 17:30), from 9:00 on Saturdays and Sundays
- Thursdays
- 0460-87-0222
- None
4Cha no Chimoto
A set of famous sweets and fine tea served at a long-established Japanese confectionery shop
At the entrance to 'Yuba,' heading west from the shopping street in front of Hakone-Yumoto Station, there is a Japanese-style confectionery cafe with an elegant noren curtain hanging at the entrance. Opened as an annex to 'Chimoto,' a Japanese confectionery shop with about 75 years of history, you can enjoy the famous 'Yumochi' that has long been loved in Hakone, as well as warabimochi made with authentic bracken starch. For the tea in the 'Chimoto Confectionery and Tea Set,' you can choose from matcha sourced from Marukyu Koyamaen in Uji City, Kyoto Prefecture, or sencha, iced sencha, or Japanese black tea from Takanashi Tea Garden in Tanzawa-Hadano.
An interior with a gentle atmosphere, designed with cherry blossom patterns and curves
Chimoto's Japanese sweets use strictly selected ingredients such as azuki beans, sugar, rice flour, bracken starch, walnuts, peanuts, and agar. They continue to cherish the freshly made flavors created by skilled craftsmen. The cafe, which is a renovation of a corner of a building constructed in the early Showa period, is designed with soft curves inspired by cocoons. Cherry blossom patterns, which are associated with the Kabuki play 'Yoshitsune Senbon Zakura'—the origin of the name 'Chimoto'—are subtly scattered on the tables and other areas. The gentle atmosphere, with the entire space wrapped in pale colors, is also a charm.
- Cha no Chimoto
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- 690 Yumoto, Hakone-machi, Ashigarashimo-gun, Kanagawa Prefecture MAP
- Approx. 5-minute walk from Hakone-Yumoto Station on the Hakone Tozan Railway
- 10:00–16:30 (L.O. 16:00), until 17:30 (L.O. 17:00) on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays
- January 1 *Irregular holidays may occur
- 0460-85-5632
- None
5Timuny.
A cafe in a back alley, a 3-minute walk from Hakone-Yumoto Station, serving as a base for your travels
A hidden gem of a cafe located down an alley from Hakone-Yumoto Station, facing the Hayakawa River. It opened in 2012 with the goal of providing a place where travelers can easily enjoy coffee and light meals during their trip. All beans used are from Sarutahiko Coffee, a specialty coffee shop in Ebisu, Tokyo. You can choose from four types of flannel-drip coffee, depending on your preference for bitterness or acidity. The menu also features light meals perfect for when you get a little hungry while exploring, such as the Reuben sandwich, which combines pastrami beef with sauerkraut and cheese, and the grilled cheese sandwich.
The interior features retro furniture and a relaxed, slow-paced atmosphere
In addition to flannel-drip coffee, we also offer cold-brew coffee, which is slowly extracted over about five hours, providing a smooth, clear taste without any harshness. We also have a wide selection of non-coffee drinks, such as homemade ginger ale and lemonade. Our handmade baked cakes and gateau chocolat are also highly acclaimed. You can spend a relaxing "Hakone time" lounging in the classic sofa seats on the second floor or enjoying the refreshing view of the Hayakawa River from the window. The first floor also sells hats and accessories selected by the owner.
6Hakone Cafe
The fluffy-textured "Hakone Roll," also popular as a Hakone souvenir
Conveniently located just to the left after exiting the ticket gate at Hakone-Yumoto Station. A popular item in the shop is the "Hakone Roll," which has become a familiar new souvenir of Hakone. It is a treat made by wrapping melt-in-your-mouth cream blended with Wasanbon sugar in a fluffy, chewy dough made with Choju eggs and rice flour. With its gentle sweetness and light aftertaste, it is popular among a wide range of generations.
In addition to the standard plain flavor, seasonal flavors are also available. Another appeal is that you can purchase it by the slice at the cafe and enjoy it easily.
Sofa seats with a view of the trains are popular with families with children
The sofa seats by the window offer a view of the Romancecar and Hakone Tozan Railway arrivals and departures, making them very popular with railway fans and families. You can spend your time waiting for your train with peace of mind while watching the operations. The interior is decorated with old models of the Hakone Tozan Railway and Swiss mountain railway models, filling the space with a fun atmosphere typical of a station at the foot of the mountain railway.
Bread, drinks, and more can be enjoyed inside the shop or taken out, making them perfect for eating on the train.
- Hakone Cafe
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- Inside Hakone-Yumoto Station, 707 Yumoto, Hakone-machi, Ashigarashimo-gun, Kanagawa Prefecture MAP
- Immediately outside the ticket gate of Hakone-Yumoto Station on the Hakone Tozan Railway
- 10:00–17:00 (until 19:00 on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays)
- Open every day *Subject to occasional maintenance closures
- 0460-85-8617
- None
MAP
- Nearby Hoshino Resorts facilities
Local supporter in charge of this article
- Yui OzasaHakone Gourmet Girl
KAI Sengokuhara
Sengokuhara Onsen, Kanagawa Prefecture
All guest rooms overlook the magnificent nature and come with private open-air baths. Encounters with art pieces will stir your inner desire for expression.
Access Approx. 15 minutes by taxi from Gora Station on the Hakone Tozan Railway
- Accommodation rate example
- Per person per night From ¥57,500
KAI Hakone
Hakone Yumoto Onsen, Kanagawa Prefecture
A hot spring inn where you can experience "Hakone-gokochi," allowing you to fully enjoy the charm of Hakone.
Access Approx. 7 minutes by taxi from Hakone-Yumoto Station on the Hakone Tozan Railway
- Accommodation rate example
- Per person per night From ¥38,000