Hotel Kokonoe (ホテル九重) at Kanzanji Onsen on Lake Hamana (Hamamatsu, Shizuoka) ceased operations on October 31, 2021. The onsen ryokan was operated by Entetsu Kanko Kaihatsu, part of the Enshu Railway (Entetsu) Group, and the building was demolished after the closure. It can no longer be visited, but Enshu Railway has announced plans for a new lodging and mixed-use complex on the site, scheduled to open in spring 2029, giving Kanzanji Onsen something new to look forward to.
This article first sets out the current status of Hotel Kokonoe, then answers the question “so where should I stay at Kanzanji Onsen now?” using measured listed-price data as of September 2026 (per room for two guests, tax included).
- — On October 31, 2021, Hotel Kokonoe (opened 1987) ended 34 years of operation. The building has been demolished and can no longer be visited.
- — On the site, Enshu Railway plans to open a mixed-use complex anchored by a hotel of about 50 rooms (restaurant, spa and retail zone) in spring 2029.
- — For the 11 Kanzanji Onsen properties with available listed prices (per room for two guests, tax included), the median of the all-plan averages is about ¥49,600 and the median of the lowest-plan averages is about ¥27,800 (September 2026).
- — The median of the all-plan averages for October–December is about ¥47,200–¥51,200, staying in a range from the upper ¥40,000s to just over ¥50,000.
- — Choose by purpose: Hotel Wellseason Hamanako (ホテルウェルシーズン浜名湖) for families, the upscale lakeside tier for anniversaries, and Arashi no Yakata (嵐の館) for tight budgets (lowest-plan average ¥8,800).
Hotel Kokonoe Closed on October 31, 2021 — A New Facility Is Planned for the Site in Spring 2029
Hotel Kokonoe opened in 1987 and was one of Kanzanji Onsen’s signature inns, well loved for its views over Lake Hamana and its cuisine. However, the spread of COVID-19 led to a temporary closure of roughly a year and a half from April 2020, and the hotel brought its 34-year history to a close on October 31, 2021 (as HotelBank reported at the time). Demolition of the building took about two years from November 2021. How the sites of closed properties have since been redeveloped is also covered in our list of properties that closed in 2026 and their successors.
Developments since then have been positive. On March 28, 2025, Enshu Railway announced a basic concept to develop, on the former Hotel Kokonoe site, a mixed-use complex anchored by a hotel of about 50 rooms, with a restaurant overlooking Lake Hamana, a spa with saunas and other facilities, and an open-mall-style retail zone. Opening is scheduled for spring 2029, and the company says it aims to revitalize the wider Lake Hamana area through co-creation with local businesses (Source: Enshu Railway announcement, March 28, 2025). It will be several years before a successor to Kokonoe returns to Kanzanji Onsen, but in the meantime a range of inns with distinct characters continues to operate in the onsen town.
Current Rates at Kanzanji Onsen (as of September 2026)
The HotelBank Editorial Team looked at the 12 lodging properties listed by the Kanzanji Onsen Tourism Association in the Kanzanji Onsen town (formerly Nishi Ward, Hamamatsu; now Chuo Ward following the ward reorganization) and aggregated the 11 for which September 2026 OTA listed prices were available. The median listed price per room for two guests (tax included; the daily average across all plans on sale, averaged over the month) was about ¥49,600. On a lowest-plan basis the median was about ¥27,800, with a range running from around ¥10,000 per night to upscale inns at close to ¥60,000 (N=11 properties; September 1–30, 2026; aggregated as of September 27, 2026. The one property without available listed prices is excluded).
| Property | Rooms | Average listed price (all plans) |
Lowest-plan average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hotel Wellseason Hamanako (ホテルウェルシーズン浜名湖) | 122 rooms | ¥55,413 | ¥39,397 |
| Sun Royal Hotel Hamanako (サンロイヤルホテル浜名湖) | 97 rooms | ¥28,469 | ¥22,560 |
| Tokiwasure Kaikatei (時わすれ 開華亭) | 60 rooms | ¥51,236 | ¥33,843 |
| Hotel Kikusuitei (ホテル鞠水亭) | 50 rooms | ¥49,581 | ¥24,671 |
| Wan Wan Paradise Hamanako (わんわんパラダイス 浜名湖) | 42 rooms | ¥44,881 | ¥24,417 |
| Sansuikan Kinryu (山水館欣龍) | 34 rooms | ¥77,789 | ¥41,554 |
| Hoshino Resorts KAI Enshu (星野リゾート 界 遠州) | 32 rooms | ¥92,245 | ¥58,846 |
| KAReN HaMaNaKo Kanzanji-so (KAReN HaMaNaKoかんざんじ荘) | 28 rooms | ¥45,539 | ¥27,833 |
| Arashi no Yakata (嵐の館) | 21 rooms | ¥17,544 | ¥8,800 |
| Ryokan Fujiya (旅館ふじや) | 6 rooms | ¥33,370 | ¥21,500 |
| Kashibesso Reserve (貸別荘リザーブ) — whole-house rental | 1 house | ¥49,971 | ¥28,638 |
Note: OTA listed prices for September 2026 (per room for two guests, tax included). “Average listed price” is the daily average across all plans on sale, averaged over the month; “lowest-plan average” is each day’s lowest-priced plan, averaged over the month. Listed in order of room count. The number of days covered within the month differs by property (21 days for Hotel Kikusuitei, 22 days for Ryokan Fujiya). Source: HotelBank Editorial Team research (as of September 27, 2026).
Rates do not move much if you are planning further ahead. The median of the all-plan averages for the same 11 properties is about ¥49,000 for October 2026 (11 properties), about ¥47,200 for November (10 properties) and about ¥51,200 for December (10 properties), staying in a range from the upper ¥40,000s to just over ¥50,000 (aggregated over the properties with listed prices available for each month, as of September 27, 2026; November and December listed prices for Sun Royal Hotel Hamanako were not available). Specific dates in the autumn-foliage season and over the year-end and New Year holidays tend to run higher, so we recommend checking early once your dates are fixed.
How to Choose by Purpose — Families, Anniversaries, Budget
For Families — Entetsu Group’s Hotel Wellseason Hamanako
For families, the first choice is Hotel Wellseason Hamanako, which the same Entetsu Group that ran Kokonoe continues to operate at Kanzanji. It is a 122-room onsen resort with large communal baths and open-air baths, and the Hamanako Pal Pal amusement park (connected by a walkway; its pool also operates in summer) and the Kanzanji Ropeway are within walking distance. Guest reviews frequently describe it as very welcoming to families with children and praise the quality of the hot-spring water (866 guest reviews aggregated by the HotelBank Editorial Team; most recent 24 months; as of September 2026). For Kanzanji properties where a family of four can stay in the same room, this comparison article (in Japanese) goes into room size and capacity.
For Anniversaries and Dining — The Upscale Lakeside Tier and the Mid-Range
For an anniversary or a food-focused stay, the upscale tier includes the long-established lakeside inn Sansuikan Kinryu (山水館欣龍) and Hoshino Resorts KAI Enshu (星野リゾート 界 遠州), which is themed on Enshu food culture such as eel and tea. Both are calm properties suited to adult stays, and plans featuring Lake Hamana’s famous eel at dinner are popular. For a balance of lake views and cuisine, Tokiwasure Kaikatei (時わすれ 開華亭) and Hotel Kikusuitei (ホテル鞠水亭) sit in the mid-range, with open-air baths looking out over Lake Hamana.
For Budget, Dog-Friendly Stays or Views
To keep costs down, Arashi no Yakata, opened in 2024, is within easy reach at a lowest-plan average of ¥8,800; for a stay with your dog, there is Wan Wan Paradise Hamanako (わんわんパラダイス 浜名湖); and for a hilltop panorama of Lake Hamana, the 28-room KAReN HaMaNaKo Kanzanji-so (KAReN HaMaNaKoかんざんじ荘). Even within the same onsen town, each property’s strengths are clearly differentiated. All of them are close to Kanzanji’s sightseeing bases, such as the Hamamatsu Zoo, the sightseeing boats and the ropeway, so working backward from your purpose is the way to avoid a poor choice.
Further Reading
For detailed property comparisons, see the following articles (in Japanese).
Compares five Kanzanji Onsen properties, including Hotel Wellseason Hamanako, Sansuikan Kinryu, Hotel Kikusuitei and Ryokan Fujiya, by the tatami-mat size and capacity of rooms where a family of four can sleep together and by the age cut-offs for child rates. The selection also shares a common location condition: a 3–5 minute drive to the Hamamatsu Zoo.
Selects three Kanzanji Onsen properties (Sansuikan Kinryu, Ryokan Fujiya and Hotel Kikusuitei) as inns that make Lake Hamana eel the centerpiece of dinner. They are set alongside renowned inns of Chikugo and Yanagawa such as Yanagawa Tachibana-tei Ohana (柳川藩主立花邸 御花), and read from the cooking perspective of shirayaki (grilled without sauce) versus kabayaki (grilled with sauce).
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. When did Hotel Kokonoe close?
A. It ceased operations on October 31, 2021. Entetsu Kanko Kaihatsu had operated it for 34 years since its 1987 opening. The hotel had been temporarily closed since April 2020 due to COVID-19 and never reopened; the building has since been demolished.
Q. What will be built on the former Hotel Kokonoe site?
A. Enshu Railway has announced a basic concept for a mixed-use complex anchored by a hotel of about 50 rooms, together with a restaurant overlooking Lake Hamana, a spa with saunas and other facilities, and an open-mall-style retail zone. Opening is planned for spring 2029.
Q. How much does it cost to stay at Kanzanji Onsen now?
A. Based on September 2026 listed prices (per room for two guests, tax included), the median of the all-plan averages across the 11 properties with available listed prices is about ¥49,600, and the median of the lowest-plan averages is about ¥27,800. The range runs from properties at around ¥10,000 per night to upscale inns at close to ¥60,000.
Q. Which property suits families?
A. Hotel Wellseason Hamanako (122 rooms), run by the same Entetsu Group that operated Hotel Kokonoe, is the first choice. It has large communal baths and open-air baths, and the Hamanako Pal Pal amusement park (connected by a walkway; its pool also operates in summer) and the Kanzanji Ropeway are within walking distance.
Q. Do rates rise toward the end of the year?
A. The median of the all-plan averages for the same properties is about ¥49,000 for October 2026, about ¥47,200 for November and about ¥51,200 for December, staying in a range from the upper ¥40,000s to just over ¥50,000. Specific dates in the autumn-foliage season and over the year-end and New Year holidays tend to run higher, so it is best to check early once your dates are fixed.
Methodology and Sources
■ Data sources
Of the 12 lodging properties listed by the Kanzanji Onsen Tourism Association in the Kanzanji Onsen town (formerly Nishi Ward, now Chuo Ward, Hamamatsu), the HotelBank Editorial Team aggregated the 11 for which September 2026 OTA listed prices were available (as of September 27, 2026). October–December rates are aggregated over the properties with listed prices available for each month (11 in October; 10 in November and December). Guest feedback is drawn in summary form from guest reviews aggregated by the editorial team (most recent 24 months).
■ Assumptions
All prices are listed prices per room for two guests, tax included. “Average listed price” is the daily average across all plans on sale, averaged over the month; “lowest-plan average” is each day’s lowest-priced plan, averaged over the month; area rate levels are shown as the median of the properties covered. For the whole-house rental, the price is per house. These are not the amounts actually booked and paid (transacted rates).
■ Limitations and caveats
The number of days covered within the month differs by property (21 days for Hotel Kikusuitei, 22 days for Ryokan Fujiya). Listed prices change daily with sales conditions, and specific dates such as the autumn-foliage season and the year-end and New Year holidays can be higher than the monthly average. The mixed-use complex on the former site is a plan at the basic-concept stage, and the room count and opening date may change.
■ References
- HotelBank: earlier report on the closure of Hotel Kokonoe (in Japanese)
- Kenbiya: “Enshu Railway to build mixed-use complex on former Hotel Kokonoe site” (May 26, 2025; in Japanese) — about 50 rooms, spa, open mall, opening planned for spring 2029
- OTA listed prices and guest reviews: HotelBank Editorial Team research (as of September 27, 2026)
Related Articles