Published date: November 30, 2025
A Trip to Hakone Enjoying the Golden Glimmering Susuki at Sengokuhara and the Evangelion Sacred Site! The All-You-Can-Drink Lounge Was Amazing
Room Type Stayed
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Experience of the stay
I stayed at Lime Resort Hakone through HafH! It’s a 10-minute walk to the beautiful golden susuki at Sengokuhara, making it a perfect hotel for sightseeing in Hakone.
We reserved a Standard POD room (room only) through HafH. The hotel’s architectural design was done by Kenmei Okabe, a leading Japanese architect involved in the design of the Odakyu’s new Romancecar VSE, MSE, and GSE vehicles.
The circular facility, surrounded by a courtyard, had excellent flow, allowing for relaxation no matter where you were.
The best feature of this hotel is that the lounge is available at all times with unlimited beer, wine, local sake, soft drinks, and coffee. Moreover, it was very convenient that drinks could be brought back to the room, making it incredibly user-friendly. The lounge also had two types of gran rivier rusk as snacks, which was nice. I enjoyed draft beer after the hot spring...
There were a few books in the lounge, so I could relax and read even when the weather was bad.
The room was clean, with effective air conditioning, and I could relax comfortably. I was worried about the mattress being hard, based on some reviews, but we didn’t find it bothersome and slept well.
The large public bath was simple, and the quality of the hot spring water was good, which left us satisfied. The view of the brilliantly colored autumn leaves from the open-air bath was fantastic.
After bathing, I enjoyed draft beer and wine while sitting by the large fireplace.
One thing that concerned me was that there were many steps within the facility, which may not be suitable for elderly people. If selecting a room, I would recommend a suite with fewer steps rather than a POD.
We accessed the hotel via the Hakone Tozan bus from Hakone Yumoto Station, getting off at the "Minami-Sengokuhara" bus stop, which was a 4-minute walk. There were more bus services than I expected, which was great.
In any case, the free lounge was incredibly convenient, ensuring that I will return to this hotel. Although the POD room was nice, I’m thinking that next time I would love to stay in a suite with an open-air bath. Sengokuhara is highly recommended for first-time sightseeing!
Experiences during the trip
On the first day, I arrived at Hakone Yumoto Station around 12:45 pm via the Odakyu Romancecar, and first headed for lunch.
I visited Nisshin-tei Main Store. I had been there before and loved their homemade handmade noodles, so I returned. It was a public holiday, so I thought I might have to wait, but due to the large number of seats and quick turnover, I was seated within 5 minutes.
I ordered ramen and a chahan (fried rice). The ramen came with flat noodles that slid down my throat smoothly, and the clear soy sauce broth was elegant and delicious. The chahan was characterized by its very sweet sauce. The crispy fried egg contained onions, naruto, and chashu, giving it originality.
The owner, who had a strong sense of service, might be polarizing, but he was entertaining (I can’t help but wonder if the owner will still be lively the next time I visit Hakone).
After eating, I walked through the shopping district to pick up dinner at Tai Gohan Kaiseki Yoraku. I had reserved a tai gohan bento for 1,500 yen in advance, so I went to pick it up. It was about a 6-minute walk from Nisshin-tei.
Once I successfully picked it up, I took the bus from the bus stop "Tōnozawa" right in front of Tai Gohan Kaiseki Yoraku to my accommodation, Lime Resort Hakone.
The mountain road had many steep curves, so if you can't sit down in the vehicle, it consumes some of your stamina. If you are prone to motion sickness, it might be a good idea to take motion sickness medication. The autumn leaves and the susuki at Sengokuhara were beautiful as I viewed them from the bus... After about 40 minutes, I got off at the nearest bus stop to the hotel, "Minami-Sengokuhara," and it was a 4-minute walk to the hotel.
After checking in, I rested a bit in the lounge before taking a stroll to watch the sunset at Sengokuhara. The most direct path was to walk along the national highway, but because there was no guardrail and it was dangerous, I took a longer, safer back road. The back road had no traffic, allowing us to walk safely to Sengokuhara.
Sengokuhara can be freely enjoyed without any entrance fee. The susuki illuminated by the sunset was beautiful and became a memorable landscape.
Directly in front of Sengokuhara, there is a Lawson convenience store, which is known as the "Lawson Hakone Sengokuhara Store (Third New Tokyo City West Store)" and is a sacred site for Evangelion fans.
The convenience store was decorated with Evangelion wrapping, making it enjoyable even for those who are not fans. Just at that time, we had been binge-watching Evangelion on Amazon Prime, so it was fantastic! We bought dinner and breakfast for the next morning and returned to the hotel.
After returning to the hotel, I enjoyed the onsite hot spring and had a free draft beer in front of the fireplace... it was irresistible.
For dinner, I had the tai gohan bento and a salad and side dishes purchased at Lawson. It was very convenient that the alcohol from the lounge could be brought back to the room, so I didn't need to buy drinks.
The next morning, I took a morning bath, had the breakfast I bought the day before, and checked out. I took the bus a bit early (in the late 9s) back to Hakone Yumoto Station using the same route as coming in.
I stopped by the Evangelion goods shop "Evaya" at Hakone Yumoto Station, took pictures by the river, bought souvenirs, and took the train home.
I have visited Hakone many times, but this was the first time I stayed in the Sengokuhara area. Although it's a bit far from Hakone Yumoto Station, it’s quiet and allows you to enjoy nature. Lime Resort Hakone is recommended for families, those who love alcohol, and architecture lovers! Have a great trip!