Soak in Japan - NYTimes.com For centuries, travelers have streamed into Hakone, Japan, to bathe in the bubbling hot springs at traditional ryokans. Kai Hakone, a new high-design hotel and thermal spa on the banks of the Sugumo river, offers a luxuriously modern take on this relaxing tradition. Guests wear chic, black-padded kimonos with their wooden clogs and bob in a series of hot pools that all have views onto pristine woods. Deluxe rooms come with their own little tatami-floored teahouses, and the food - ridiculously fresh sashimi or spring flowers with sesame - is delicate yet nourishing. Bustling Tokyo, reachable in 45 minutes by bullet train, seems a world away. Rooms from about $320 per night; hoshinoresort.com.