Reason for reinvesting in the town of Hakone in Kanagawa Prefecture

The Hakone Kowakien Hotel closed in 2018 due to infrastructure deterioration. It underwent a complete reconstruction in July 2023, and was reborn as a new facility.

There are three main reasons why we decided to reinvest in this area. The first is that Hakone is an international tourist destination that is well-known worldwide and has great potential for continued development. Secondly, it is conveniently located in close proximity to major consumer markets, approximately 90 minutes from the Tokyo metropolitan area. Thirdly, we have a strong bond with this area. In 2025, our company will celebrate its 70th anniversary. Hakone Kowakien is the birthplace of the business, and Hakone Kowakien Hotel has long been a much-beloved hotel in Japan and abroad. Inheriting and preserving this brand is one of the pillars of Fujita Kanko's business.

By harnessing the Hakone Kowakien Yunessun hot spring and day spa facility on the premises and the garden that stretches out right in front of the hotel, the new hotel will offer a lodging experience for families that will allow them to fully enjoy the hot springs, nature, and dining that Hakone has to offer. We look forward to building a new history together with our past customers, local residents who have been supporters of our business, and new visitors to come.

Support from Kanagawa Prefecture

Subsidies have allowed us to digitally transform our facility, showing us significant and tangible benefits. Firstly, the introduction of multilingual automatic check-in and in-room information systems,has created a stress-free environment for our international guests.

In addition, a digitalized system was introduced to track and display in-room availabilities of the hotel's restaurants and public baths. Not only that, but a new reservation system for private baths utilizing QR codes has been put in place and has been well received, especially by guests traveling with their families. By utilizing “Select Kanagawa NEXT”, we were able to broaden the scope of our investment, improve guest convenience, and save labor in facility operations.

During the application process, we faced challenges posed by the outbreak of COVID-19 during our planning, which led to great uncertainty in our prospects. We had to take unexpected measures in response, including a major revision of the project plan, and we are very grateful to the prefectural government officials for their flexible support in this process.

Future business outlook

With the opening of Hakone Kowakien Hotel, it is now a comprehensive resort with four lodging facilities, centered on the Hakone Kowakien Yunessun hot spring and day spa facility, and is visited by approximately 800,000 people each year.

Hakone is like a theme park in itself with its variety of attractive points, including not only high-quality hot springs, but also eye-catching seasonal nature, rides such as mountain trams and ropeways, sightseeing spots such as Owakudani and Lake Ashi, and historic restaurants. Among them, Hakone Kowakien is located in the heart of Hakone and is also a terminal for local buses. We intend to harness this strong location, combine the various attractions within Kowakien and hidden tourist attractions in the immediate area to provide a new value-added experience, aiming to create a facility that will make both domestic and international visitors want to stop by when they come to Hakone.

Currently, we are promoting the Hakone Kowakien Discovery Tour to our guests, which takes advantage of the history and natural environment by combining three nationally registered tangible cultural property buildings on our premises, the garden of Hakone Kowakien Hotel, and the adjacent Horaien Garden, famous for its azaleas. We also offer hiking tours that extend to nearby Chisuji Falls and Mt. Sengen. The staff of Hakone Kowakien will personally guide guests through these tours, which are especially popular among international guests because it allows them to experience the rich nature of Hakone in a casual manner.

Looking ahead, we are planning to hold new festivals in the seasons when cherry blossoms, azaleas, and autumn leaves are at their best, utilizing the vast garden on the premises, for the enjoyment of not only our guests but also our local residents. We also see potential for developing tourism content, such as tours of hidden local attractions, in cooperation with the local community.

On the occasion of our 70th anniversary, we would like to go back to the basics and work together with the local community to establish the charm of new tourism attraction in this area.

We believe that Hakone Kowakien Hotel plays two important roles. The first is to be a destination for travelers, and the second is to be a stopover for visitors to the area. Fulfilling these two is our company's mission.

In particular, in the future, we would like to focus on creating a satisfying space for guests who stop by our facility during sightseeing tours of Hakone. We would like to further enhance Hakone's appeal as a tourist destination by creating new and attractive content that has never been seen before, such as holding new festivals for each of the four seasons and developing hands-on activities.