Yunessun is a 'Hot Springs Amusement Park and Spa Resort in Hakone. My husband and I visited Yunessun in combination with a one night stay at the Hotel Kowakien (see previous blog).There are two 'zones': The Yunessun Spa Resort zone and the 'Mori no Yu' zone.
The Yunessun Spa Resort is a swimsuit zone. Men, women, and children can all enjoy the facilities together. This zone is then divided into two area, 'Yunessun' and 'Yutopia'.
The Yunessun area is mostly indoors, with a ceiling painted like the sky and it is supposed to be the 'European' area. The main pool is 'The God's Aegean Sea', filled with massage jets,... Surrounding it are: 'Green Terrace', 'Ancient Roman Bath', 'Turkish Haman, 'Mist Sauna', 'Heat/Cold Water Bath', and more. I really enjoyed floating in the 'Dead Sea Bath'. There is also a pool within the 'Turkish Haman' that is full of tiny fish that eat dead skin cells off your feet and lower legs. I wanted to try this, but there was a really long line.The outside part of the Yunessun area contains hot spring water slides, a cave with a waterfall, and a children's 'Jungle Gym'. This is definitely the most popular area for kids.
My husband and I spent almost all of our time in the Yutopia area. Except for an indoor lap pool, everything is outdoors. A collection of 10 different hot springs pools are set into a mountain slope. Each pool has a theme: coffee, waterfall, wine, Japanese sake, green tea, charcoal, rock-lined, cold water, a goemonburo, and a therapeutic walking bath. If you are there at the right time, you can watch them dump in the coffee, wine,...
I didn't taste the baths, of course, but the smells were fantastic! The mountain air was cold and crisp. We would exit one bath, and quickly make our way to another. I have never been more relaxed in my whole life.
It would be easy to spend an entire day here. There are about 10 restaurants/cafes, resting rooms, an arcade, a shopping zone, and a number of massage/treatment facilities. This photo is of some additional restaurants located just outside the facilities.
The Yunessun admission system is very high-tech. Everyone is given a wristband that is used as a key to your locker and as a 'charge card'. Anything you want to purchase, just use the wristband and pay the total on your way out.If you don't bring your own bathing suit, they will supply you with one, free of charge. Towels and 'loungewear' are also supplied. The locker room is equipped with showers (with soap, shampoo, and conditioner), hair dryers,...
The 'Mori no Yu', or 'Forest spring' zone has a completely separate entrance fee. It is a traditional Japanese style hot springs set of baths, divided by gender, and sans bathing suit. These baths are both indoor and outdoor. They were very, very nice.
My husband and I bought a Hotel Kowakien - Yunessun 1 night package (see previous blog). We enjoyed the 'Mori no Yu' in the evening before dinner, and then Yunessun the next morning. It was perfect!
There is only one real draw back to Yunessun is the crowds. At about 11am, the tour buses start arriving. I don't know if weekdays are the same, but a lot of people come on the weekends. We were lucky, on the evening we arrived, everyone had already left by the time we entered. The next morning, we entered right at 9am and had Yutopia to ourselves for an hour, and the Yunessun area wasn't bad either. When I was changing back into my clothes (around 11am), a bus load of children arrived, and so did a bus load of Chinese ladies. The locker room was out of control. My husband and I are not good with crowds, so a couple of private hours were perfect for us.
It is very easy to make Yunessan a day trip from Tokyo - by train, bus, or car.
There are a number of choices for admission.
Yunessun only: Adults 3,500 yen, children 1,700
'Mori no Yu' only: Adults 1,800 yen, children 900
Yunessun Passport (both): Adults 4000 yen, children 2000
Don't pay full price, though. The website is always posting discounts, and lesser discount coupons can be found all over the Hakone area (restaurants, info center,...).
Right now there is a 400 yen off discount on the website.
Even better, check the Japanese web site. There is a day package plan for Yunessun Passport + buffet lunch for 4000 (adults), 2000 (children). Or Yunnesun + buffet dinner for 5000 (adults), 3500 (children). More packages include round trip train tickets, combination tickets with other attractions in Hakone, Family passes,...
Hours of Operation:
Yunessun & Yutopia (March to October) 9:00 - 19:00; (November to February) 9:00 - 18:00.
'Mori no Yu' 9:00 - 21:00
*One thing to be aware of... people with tattoos are not permitted to enter. If you do anyway, and you have a tattoo, you will probably be asked to leave. If the tattoo is not too large, cover it with a bandage.
To see lots of great photos, and for more info - check this website:
http://www.yunessun.com/english/index.html
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