Zen Japan: Yoga & Onsen Hot Springs Retreat in Hakone

Sally Mitchell, who founded Body Flows Retreats, spent a month travelling in Japan in 2025 and built this retreat around what she found there — the onsen culture, the tea ceremony, the temples and the food. She's been teaching yoga since 2010 and leading retreats since 2014, and she teaches both the morning and evening classes herself rather than handing them off. That means the same person who takes you through a vinyasa flow at 7am is the one leading the yin and yoga nidra session at 5pm, and the one walking you through Kamakura the next morning.

The retreat is four nights, running April 4–8, 2027. Mornings start with vinyasa flow — creative sequences that link movement to breath, some pranayama, and options to try backbends, arm balances and inversions if you want them, with modifications for anyone who'd rather not. Evening classes are yin: longer-held seated and supine postures aimed at the connective tissue, and a natural lead-in to meditation. Guided meditations are built into many of the classes. Everything happens in an indoor Japanese-style banquet room with tatami mat flooring that looks out over the gardens.

Days 2, 3 and 4 each include a group excursion. The Kamakura day covers a Buddhist temple, a Shinto shrine and the Great Buddha. The Lake Ashi day pairs a boat trip across the lake with a cable car ride up to Owakudani, the volcanic vents, where you get the classic Mt Fuji view when the weather cooperates. There are also walks on the nature trails around Hakone and Lake Ashi. Excursion transport is included. Afternoons are deliberately left open — the onsens are right there, massages can be booked at the front desk, and Hakone-Yumoto is a 10-minute walk if you want to shop or find lunch. On Day 1 there's a 4pm vinyasa class, a 5.30pm opening circle, and dinner at 7. On Day 5 there's a final 7am vinyasa class and closing circle before breakfast and a 10am check-out. The schedule is marked tentative; the final version goes out to participants a few weeks ahead.

What separates this from a generic yoga week is the setting and the bathing. Aura Tachibana sits on the highest hill in Hakone-Yumoto, so the mountain views are from your room and the sky terrace, not just a lookout point you visit. There are public and private onsen, indoor and open-air, fed by an abundant flow of hot spring water with a pH of 8.7 — the kind of water the Japanese associate with good skin — and they're available to you every evening after dinner. Some room categories have their own private open-air onsen bath. There's also a rooftop terrace, a lounge and an on-site cafe.

Breakfast and dinner are served daily in the hotel restaurant, which is known for its presentation as much as its taste — seasonal Japanese dishes, often described by past guests as the highlight of the trip. Vegetarian, vegan, dairy-free and gluten-free diets can be accommodated with advance notice, though the venue cannot handle serious or specific allergies because ingredients are prepared in a shared kitchen. Rooms are Western-style or Japanese-style with tatami mats, all with two twin beds and a private bathroom, with some rooms taking extra beds or futons for groups of three or four. Prices are per person, with single, double, triple and quadruple occupancy options. It's an adults-only retreat — all participants must be 18 or over — and no smoking or vaping is allowed.

What's included

- 4 nights accommodation in an onsen ryokan inn (single, double, triple or quadruple occupancy) - 2 yoga and meditation classes daily (morning vinyasa flow, evening yin yoga with yoga nidra) - Daily Japanese-style gourmet breakfasts and dinners in the hotel restaurant - Day trip to Kamakura — Buddhist temple, Shinto shrine, Great Buddha (transport included) - Boat trip on Lake Ashi - Cable car ride to Owakudani volcanic vents with Mt Fuji views - Walking on nature trails in the Hakone and Lake Ashi area - Use of public and private onsen thermal baths (indoor and open-air) - Tea ceremony principles workshop and Zen/yoga connection session - Opening and closing circles - Use of retreat facilities: lounge, rooftop terrace, cafe - Complimentary shuttle from Hakone-Yumoto Station - Linens, towels, shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, soap, lotion, hair dryer in rooms

What's not included

- Flights and transport to and from the retreat - Travel insurance (strongly recommended, including Cancel For Any Reason coverage) - Lunches - In-room massages - Personal expenses - Visa fees (if applicable)