CAFE Ryusenkei: A Must-Visit Mobile Cafe in Hakone Featuring an Iconic Airstream
Hakone is one of Japan's representative hot spring regions, attracting approximately 20 million domestic and international tourists annually. Famous for its beautiful scenery, delicious food, art museums, and natural history museums, Hakone is popular among those seeking a quiet and peaceful getaway.
Hakone is also renowned for its beautiful night skies. With minimal artificial lighting from buildings and crystal-clear air, Hakone offers a spectacular starry sky that cannot be seen in urban areas.
In this article, I, a barista with 5 years of experience, will introduce you to one of Hakone's many attractions through "food" - the beautiful "Café Ryusenkei" in the artistic town of Hakone.
Hakone: A Tourist Destination Popular with Foreign Visitors for Nature, Hot Springs, and Art
Hakone offers various experiences including nature, hot springs, and art.
The most famous attraction is undoubtedly its hot springs, which have been ranked #1 for 11 consecutive years in the "National Popular Hot Spring Ranking" survey of revisit-worthy hot spring destinations.
Hakone is also famous for its beautiful scenery, including Lake Ashi and Mount Fuji. Another appealing aspect of Hakone's natural environment is how it changes with the seasons, allowing visitors to enjoy different beautiful views throughout the year - cherry blossoms, azaleas, autumn leaves, and pampas grass.
Furthermore, Hakone offers wonderful art museum experiences. With numerous museums featuring pottery, glasswork, sculptures, paintings, and various other artistic works.
Excellent Access from Tokyo, Perfect for a One-day Trip
It takes less than 2 hours to reach Hakone from Tokyo, making it popular for one-day trips while using Tokyo as a base.
From Tokyo Station to Hakone-Yumoto Station, you can take the Tokaido Shinkansen and the Hakone Tozan Line, arriving in about 1 hour for 3,600 yen. Alternatively, using the JR Tokaido Main Line and the Hakone Tozan Line takes about 1 hour and 40 minutes for 1,840 yen. Both routes require a transfer at Odawara Station.
Using the Odakyu Romance Car, you can travel directly from Shinjuku Station to Hakone-Yumoto Station in 1 hour and 25 minutes for 2,080 yen.
Café Ryusenkei: A "Traveling CAFÉ" Based in the Art Town of "Hakone"
Café Ryusenkei is a mobile "traveling café." It has gained many devoted fans due to its pleasant atmosphere, coffee that's considered among the best in Hakone, and the owner's personality. It's also extremely popular with international tourists, with nearly 90% of customers coming from outside Japan.
Café Ryusenkei is also a place where you can find new encounters during your travels. The seats are arranged around the counter, placing customers next to each other, naturally encouraging conversation between patrons.
A Detailed Look at Café Ryusenkei's Charm by a Barista with 5 Years of Experience
Exquisite Coffee Prepared with Careful Hand-Dripping for Each Cup
Source:Official website
The greatest charm of Café Ryusenkei is arguably its top-tier coffee, considered among the best in Hakone.
The coffee used in this shop is blended at "Café Tenango," a specialty coffee shop focusing on Central American beans, located in Fukasawa, Tokyo. It's a special original blend created exclusively for Café Ryusenkei, strongly reflecting the owner's dedication. At Café Ryusenkei, you can enjoy two types of original coffee, so comparing them is also recommended.
Another aspect of the owner's commitment is preparing coffee carefully using the hand-drip method after receiving an order to preserve the beans' delicious flavor. The leisurely time spent waiting for your coffee to brew is also part of the enjoyable experience at this café.
A Mobile Camping Car as a Unique Business Style: Hakone Café Ryusenkei
Source:Official X
The most distinctive feature of Café Ryusenkei is that it's a "traveling café." This unique establishment uses a historic American camping vehicle, an AIRSTREAM, which is towed by the latest electric vehicle, the Nissan LEAF. While you can enjoy the visual appeal of this vintage 1967 vehicle, it's also appealing that they're environmentally conscious by using the latest technology for towing. Café Ryusenkei often moves around the Hakone area, but they sometimes travel to events as well.
Fashionable Interior Designed by Professionals Who Create Domestic and International Shop Designs and Spatial Productions
Source:Official website
One of the charming points of Café Ryusenkei is its warm interior. When I visited, I felt as though I was being welcomed into a familiar place despite it being my first time there.
The interior has very few right angles and is composed of smooth curves, giving a sense of softness and gentleness. The colors and design create an atmosphere that feels like a mix of Nordic and mid-century styles, making this space slightly different from everyday life very relaxing. The official website describes it as having an atmosphere like a "modern mobile tea room."
The sofa, which can seat 6-8 people side by side, brings strangers a little closer together. Before I knew it, I had made new friends.
The Artistic and Retro Appearance of the AIRSTREAM
Source:Official website
Café Ryusenkei, which has modified an AIRSTREAM into a mobile store, has a distinctive exterior. With its smooth dome-like shape, this silver-colored vehicle looks like a spaceship.
Café Ryusenkei opens in various locations around Hakone, positioned to harmonize with nature. My favorite spot is by the lakeside, where the vehicle's reflection on the lake is absolutely beautiful.
It's very photogenic no matter where it is, so please take some pictures. My recommended angle is to capture Café Ryusenkei in the corner of the frame from a slightly pulled-back position.
Not Just Coffee, But Delicious Keema Curry and Alcoholic Beverages Too
The appeal of Café Ryusenkei is not limited to coffee. You can also enjoy keema curry, beer, wine, and whiskey.
The keema curry, in particular, is exceptional, with a natural sweetness from its ingredients. If you order it as a set with coffee, you can enjoy it for 300 yen less, so please try both.
I also have fond memories of warming up with hot wine on a snowy day. The wine drunk in Hakone's cold air is second to none.
If You Want to Visit Hakone Café Ryusenkei, Be Sure to Check the Schedule in Advance!
As introduced above, Hakone Café Ryusenkei is a mobile "traveling café," so its location is not fixed. It may be set up around Hakone or at various events. If you want to visit Hakone Café Ryusenkei, you need to check the schedule carefully in advance.
You can check the schedule from the website, so please use the link below. After entering the official website and scrolling down a bit, you can see the calendar.
Official website:https://cafe-ryusenkei.com/
Top 3 Recommended Cafés in Hakone Where You Can Enjoy Premium Coffee Surrounded by Art and Nature
COFFEE CAMP
Source: Official website
COFFEE CAMP is a café that opened in 2021 after renovating a former agricultural cooperative (an agricultural support center and fresh vegetable marketplace). The open and spacious atmosphere that has been loved by many feels like a secret hideaway, reminiscent of my childhood memories.
At COFFEE CAMP, you can enjoy everything from morning meals, lunch, café offerings, to dinner. The food menu items are so stylishly presented that it almost feels a shame to eat them, but once in your mouth, gentle flavors spread throughout.
The drink menu offers various options including authentic espresso, hand-drip coffee, and homemade lemonade. Each menu item reflects the owner's dedication, with every sip permeating deeply.
<Information>
- Address: 1320-261 Gora, Hakone, Ashigarashimo District, Kanagawa Prefecture
- Hours: 8:00-16:30 (Last Order 16:00)
- Closed: Tuesdays
- Phone: 0460-83-8644
- Official Website: https://coffeecamp-hakone.com/
Naraya Cafe
Source:Official website
Naraya Cafe opened as a community hub in the tranquil town of Hakone by renovating a building over 50 years old. The most distinctive feature of this café is that you can enjoy drinks and meals while soaking in the adjacent foot bath.
The foot bath in this hot spring town and the gentle breeze carrying the scent of greenery from the mountains further enhance the deliciousness of the coffee. By the way, my recommended coffee is the cortado. You can taste the rich flavor of espresso, and its relaxing effect is exceptional.
Additionally, this café has a Finnish-style sauna next to it. After leaving the sauna, taking an air bath in Hakone's clear air felt better than any sauna I've experienced before.
<Information>
- Address: 404-13 Miyanoshita, Hakone, Ashigarashimo District, Kanagawa Prefecture
- Hours: 10:30-17:00 (Last Food Order 16:30)
- Closed: Wednesdays, 4th Thursday of the month, Winter Break: Mid to late January
- Phone: 0460-82-1259
- Official Website: https://naraya-cafe.com/access
plaisir de l'oeuf (Note the operating hours)
Source:Hakone Navi
Located near Hakone Café Ryusenkei, plaisir de l'oeuf is a café attached to the Hakone Photography Museum.
The greatest charm of this café is its sweets. The pastries, carefully handmade by a pâtissier trained in Paris, spread natural sweetness in your mouth. They pair perfectly with coffee—when you drink coffee, you want to eat the sweets, and when you eat the sweets, you want to drink coffee.
Another attraction of this café is that you can feel the seasons. Seasonal sweets and drinks are offered, so you can enjoy treats and beverages that match Hakone's natural environment at that time.
plaisir de l'oeuf has somewhat irregular operating hours, with regular closures, temporary closures, and a period of about 20 minutes on Sundays from 10:30 when orders are paused. It's recommended to check the detailed operating hours on the official website beforehand.
<Information>
- Address: 1300-432 Gora, Hakone, Ashigarashimo District, Kanagawa Prefecture
- Hours: [Regular] 10:00-17:00 (Last Order), [Sundays only] From 8:00
- Closed: Tuesdays, 3rd Monday of each month (open on holidays), plus occasional temporary closures
- Phone: 0460-82-2717
- Official Website: http://www.hmop.com/cafe.html
If you want to enjoy coffee surrounded by art, cafés attached to museums are recommended
Source:Official website
When visiting the art town of Hakone, one of the pleasures you shouldn't miss is experiencing the special cafés attached to museums.
In Hakone's museums, you can enjoy unique café experiences that reflect each museum's character. For example, at the Hakone Glass Forest Museum, you can enjoy meals and desserts while gazing at Hakone's magnificent mountains. There are also live concerts featuring piano and violin performances held six times daily. Additionally, the Sculpture Forest Museum has a restaurant where you can savor meals and drinks while feeling Hakone's natural environment, experiencing the sky and sun.
My highest recommendation is the foot bath café at the Okada Museum of Art. Here, you can enjoy drinks while soaking in a foot bath (an onsen that covers just below your knees) while viewing a large mural with the theme of Fujin and Raijin (gods who rule over wind and thunder in Japanese mythology).
For a deep and efficient Hakone experience, get guided by an expert who knows Hakone inside out with a private car!
The Hakone Day Trip Tour from Tokyo with a Private Car & Guide is an exclusive tour with hotel pickup in Tokyo (area restrictions apply). Over 10 hours, you'll fully enjoy Hakone's nature, art, and cuisine. The tour covers every corner of Hakone's famous spots, including Hakone Shrine, Lake Ashi cruise, the ropeway with views of Mt. Fuji, and the Hakone Sculpture Forest Museum.
One attractive point of this tour is hearing various stories about Hakone from the guide. For those who want to enjoy all the information and experiences of Hakone without missing anything, this tour is recommended.
What made me happiest when participating in this tour was being able to fully enjoy Hakone's cuisine. The most memorable for me was the black eggs. These are hard-boiled eggs that turn completely black from being cooked in hot springs—they're impressively unique and delicious, so please try them when you join the tour.
If you're looking for a more intimate experience away from the typical tourist attractions, don't miss Café Ryusenkei. This hidden gem is nestled among Hakone's lush forests, offering visitors a tranquil setting to enjoy exceptional coffee while appreciating the natural beauty that surrounds this artistic town.
<Details>
- Meeting point: Pick-up service available (please check the official website for covered areas)
- Tour area: Hakone
- Start time: 8:00
