Restaurant Details

A wildly popular activity in summer, kawadoko (literally “riverbed”) dining puts guests on a raised platform by a river, letting the sight and sound of rushing water rinse away the oppressive heat.

The first and only kawadoko-style restaurant in Hakone, Gyunabe Ukon is expectedly thronged with summer visitors — by default, all seating in the restaurant is riverside seating (guests can request indoor seating, but these requests are understandably very rare). Nonetheless, the restaurant is equally busy in the autumn and well into winter, when the maple groves along the Sukumo River turn into brilliant bursts of red and yellow.

Hakone’s brisk autumn chill also makes it the best time for guests to drape themselves in one of Ukon’s hanten coats, slip beneath the covers of a kotatsu and tuck into a bubbling helping of Gyunabe Ukon’s famous hotpot. The restaurant sources its kuroge wagyu beef from all over Japan, pairing it with locally grown vegetables from Kanagawa Prefecture. Its mountain yam is grown on Ukon’s own farm in the outskirts of Odawara City, and is particularly renowned for its fragrance and texture.

That said, texture is particularly important in Gyunabe Ukon’s culinary philosophy. Its warishita broth incorporates a mixture of mountain yam and egg to add texture and dimension. Even its meat sushi, crafted with premium ingredients like sea urchin, caviar and salmon roe, would be incomplete if not for Ukon’s homemade awa-shoyu, a delightfully fluffy mixture of meringue and soy sauce.

Hakone Kawadoko Gyunabe Ukon Remarks

• The default seating at the venue is outdoor riverside seating. Please specify when making a reservation if indoor seating is preferred.

• Guests with dietary restrictions and/or food allergies should inform the restaurant beforehand. The restaurant might not be able to accommodate guests who make same-day requests.

• The restaurant reserves the right to refuse reservations to guests who have excessive dietary restrictions, particularly those of fish or vegetables.

• The course menu content listed below is an example, and is subject to change based on seasonal availability.

• The restaurant cannot always guarantee that it can provide guests with their preferred seating options after a reservation due to availability.

• The pictures provided are for illustrative purposes.

Hakone Kawadoko Gyunabe Ukon Business Days

Hakone Kawadoko Gyunabe Ukon Address

185-5 Yumotochaya, Hakone, Ashigarashimo District, Kanagawa, 250-0312

Hakone Kawadoko Gyunabe Ukon Access Info

• Hakone Kawadoko Gyunabe Ukon is a 20-minute walk or 5-minute bus ride from Hakone-Yumoto Station.

Hakone Kawadoko Gyunabe Ukon Phone Number

Hakone Kawadoko Gyunabe Ukon Cancellation Policy

Cancel your reservation at least 48 hours before the dining start time to receive a full refund.