One day in December 2013, my husband and I decided to take a day trip to Hakone, where's only an hour and a half away from Shinjuku by a car. We decided to rent a car and drive to this amazing Onsen (that's what hot spring is called in Japanese) called "Hakone Yuryo".
This Onsen is only for the day trip users which means you cannot stay there over night. The amazing thing about this specific Onsen is that not only does it have public hot springs for both men and women, but also they have private ones as well. They have 19 private rooms which is very rare in Kanto area, because usually Onsen is supposed to be public (I know, it's very strange).
The whole atmosphere was very Japanesey and cozy. You can book a room in advance, or you can just visit there without an appointment if you are aiming for the public Onsen.
Once you paid for the room, they give you a key and some towels.
It has this kind of tiny room where it's very warm and nice. It has a sink, hair dryer, cotton pads, cotton buds, legless chairs and a table to relax.
And in the balcony, there is this bathtub. The water wasn't too hot (about 38-39 degrees) and the temperature outside was pretty cold that day, so I was able to be in the tub for quite a long time. Usually Onsen is much hotter -about 40-42 degrees, and you cannot stay there for more than 10 minutes otherwise you might get dizzy. Once I stayed in hot water for too long and I got super dizzy, I couldn't be standing and the whole world around me was spinning. That wasn't a good feeling at all.
But this Onsen was perfect. When you get hot, you just sit on the edge of the bathtub. Or if you are really hot, there is a chair you can sit on alongside of the tub. You can stay in the tub for like 10 minutes, and then go back to the room and relax, and then go back in the tub again. When it's the public one, you cannot do such a thing. And it's really awkward to be sitting on the edge naked while other naked women are walking around you.
If you are curious about Onsen, but you don't feel comfortable taking the public bath, Hakone Yuryo is the Onsen for you. I wish the bathtub was made with Hinoki, that would make it smell much nicer, but overall the service, the room, and the location is really good. It's only like 5 minutes walk from the station.
Have you gone to a hot spring resort?