Hakone Guesthouse Toi

My family member was reluctant to post a negative review from her account, saying 'never mind.' So, I specifically booked an additional night to leave an honest review myself. First, the guesthouse's location was extremely inconvenient for public transport. We arrived at Hakone-Yumoto Station around 1:30 PM, and after waiting for an infrequent bus, we didn't reach the guesthouse until 3 PM. To make matters worse, navigating the uphill and downhill paths with heavy luggage was truly exhausting. Second, I strongly felt that the staff displayed implicit discrimination against Chinese guests. Upon arrival, after being briefed on all the rules and completing check-in, we had dinner until 4 PM. We planned to visit the Glass Forest Museum before its 5 PM closing time. I remembered the staff had previously offered to show us to our room after dinner, so I reconfirmed, asking them to take my sister to the room while I left for a bit (my sister doesn't speak much English and was very tired). However, an hour later, my sister told me that because a group of Caucasians had arrived, the staff told her it was 'inconvenient' to take her to the room, so she was left waiting the entire time. I find it completely unacceptable that despite confirming twice – once initially and again before I left – that they would show my sister to her room after dinner, the staff neither contacted their manager for assistance nor even bothered to ask my exhausted sister if she needed help, leaving her stranded for a full hour. This incident reeked of superiority, arrogance, and blatant discrimination, which is utterly intolerable. Furthermore, the accommodation environment was subpar. All washing and bathing facilities were shared, making it impossible to ascertain their hygiene. There was also a faint unpleasant odor. Consequently, I rushed back and immediately checked into a different hotel. In the end, I lost over 900 RMB in room fees from the two nights I originally booked, plus over 100 RMB for the 'compensation' to write this review – totaling a cost of over 1000 RMB. My main message to anyone planning a trip to Hakone is this: in a place meant for a relaxing holiday, don't compromise on comfort for a cheap deal. Good transportation and a clean, comfortable environment are crucial. Secondly, do not tolerate the superiority complex of some locals. Don't assume that communication issues are always your fault (like my sister's situation). A portion of them truly harbor implicit discrimination, and their feigned politeness often masks intentional disregard.