Nestled amid the vast natural scenery of Sengokuhara in Hakone, the resort hotel Hakone Retreat före & villa 1/f will begin offering autumn seasonal menus from September 1, 2026. At WOODSIDE dining, dishes are built around autumn's signature ingredients, from pacific saury and persimmon to maitake mushroom, chestnut, and ginkgo nut. At Hyoseki, the changing season is reflected in every dish, using chrysanthemum flower, ginkgo nut, mushrooms, and barracuda. Each restaurant expresses the harvest season through its own approach — wood-fire cooking at WOODSIDE dining and Japanese cuisine at Hyoseki. WOODSIDE dining also offers a vegetarian course centered on autumn vegetables and mushrooms, inviting guests to enjoy the tastes of autumn through a range of dining styles.
WOODSIDE dining
Set within a half-dome shaped space in the forest, WOODSIDE dining presents the "Autumn Course," where guests enjoy autumn ingredients alongside the aroma of the wood fire. The appetizer pairs wood-grilled pacific saury with autumn eggplant and persimmon, capturing the distinctive flavors of the season in a single dish. The fish course incorporates maitake mushroom and makomodake (a type of wild rice stem), ingredients closely associated with autumn, finished with the fragrant char of the wood fire. The main course uses venison, anno sweet potato, and chestnut to bring out the natural flavors of the ingredients in an autumn-inspired dish. Dessert features seasonal fruit such as kogyoku apple (a tart Japanese apple variety), rounding out the course with a lingering taste of autumn. Guests can savor "autumn on a plate," as only a restaurant in the forest can offer, through the harmony of wood smoke and autumn ingredients.
The Autumn Vegetarian Course lets guests enjoy the season centered on vegetables and mushrooms. Ingredients at peak autumn season — maitake mushroom, butternut squash, anno sweet potato, makomodake, and root vegetables — are prepared over the wood fire and through various cooking methods to draw out their aroma, sweetness, and texture. Dessert incorporates pomegranate and kinmokusei (fragrant olive blossom), rounding out the course with fragrance as well as flavor.
Service hours: 5:30 PM–7:30 PM / 7:45 PM–10:00 PM (Last order 9:30 PM)
Price: Autumn Course A & B, Autumn Vegetarian Course / ¥12,000 (tax and service charge included)
Hyoseki
Set within a space that retains the architectural beauty of the Taisho era, Hyoseki presents the "Choyo no Sekku Kaiseki" (Chrysanthemum Festival kaiseki), expressing Japan's season through cuisine. The appetizer features ingredients that signal the arrival of autumn, such as ginkgo nut, black edamame, nagaimo (Japanese mountain yam), and chrysanthemum flower. The simmered soup and grilled course incorporate barracuda, mushrooms, maitake mushroom, and daikoku shimeji mushroom, letting guests savor the distinctive richness of autumn. The meal is served with Gotemba-grown Koshihikari rice, and dessert makes use of sweet potato and seasonal fruit — each dish reflecting the bounty of the season. Through the "Choyo no Sekku" rooted in the Japanese calendar and autumn ingredients, this kaiseki course lets guests feel the changing of the seasons, not only through the food itself.
Service hours: 5:30 PM–10:00 PM (Last order 9:30 PM) *Last entry at 7:00 PM
Price: Seasonal Kaiseki September–November / ¥18,000 (tax and service charge included)
About WOODSIDE dining
WOODSIDE dining is a half-dome shaped restaurant nestled in the forest. Its large glass walls frame ever-changing seasonal scenery, creating a setting that feels like a living landscape painting. The dinner menu centers on wood-fire innovative cuisine, where chefs skillfully control the type of wood and temperature to draw out the best of seasonal ingredients. Far-infrared heat creates a crispy exterior and juicy interior, with a gentle lingering smokiness. Culinary inspiration draws from Japanese cuisine and other multicultural elements, combining dashi, fermentation, and spice to create distinctive flavors, paired with a curated wine selection.
About Hyoseki
Hyoseki carries on the heritage of the historic hot spring inn Hyosekikaku, which opened in 1914 (Taisho 3rd year) and was designed by architect Fujikichi Shimada. The space retains fine craftsmanship throughout, including woven sugi-board (cedar) ceilings and hand-carved openwork decorations. Celebrated figures such as poet Yosano Akiko, painter Ishii Hakutei, and economist Kawai Eijiro once frequented the establishment, and the Emperor Emeritus also stayed here during his time as Crown Prince.
About Hakone Retreat före & villa 1/f
Surrounded by the natural scenery of Sengokuhara in the Hakone mountain range, Hakone Retreat före & villa 1/f offers a special relaxation space attuned to the changing seasons. The property comprises the modern hotel "före" (37 rooms) and independent cottages "villa 1/f" (18 units). Dining facilities include WOODSIDE dining (breakfast buffet and dinner), Hyoseki (Japanese breakfast and kaiseki), and a cafe and lounge. The resort also features the hot spring "ONSEN f," the spa "könoha spa," and "free bird & terrace," where guests can enjoy complimentary drinks and seasonal welcome services in an outdoor setting with views of the surrounding forest.
Reservations can be made online:
- WOODSIDE dining: https://www.tablecheck.com/shops/hakone-retreat-woodside-dining/reserve
- Hyoseki: https://www.tablecheck.com/shops/hakone-retreat-hyoseki/reserve
Official website: https://www.hakone-retreat.com
