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Celebrate pancakes with a maple syrup bath at famous Japanese hot spring resort

7 Comments
By Meg Murphy, RocketNews24

Nothing quite beats the sweet smell of pancakes in the morning, topped with a dollop of butter and drizzled with maple syrup. Pancake Day – which, if you didn’t know, was Feb 28 – may have already passed, but starting last Friday, you can celebrate these delicious fluffy treats at the famous Hakone Kowakien Yunessun hot spring resort by taking a dip in the maple-scented “hot cake bath”.

Yes, the same facility that has let guests relax in baths of green tea, coffee, and wine is now giving you the opportunity to take a soak in a bath scented like the breakfast time favorite. To celebrate the 60th anniversary of its pancake mix, Japanese confectionery company Morinaga has collaborated with the Yunessun resort to bring you this special bath scented like sweet maple syrup carrying gentle notes of vanilla. Three times a day, staff will pour bottles of real maple syrup into the bath, so you know you’re bathing in the real deal.

This bath can be found in the resort’s “swimsuit area”, meaning that, unlike in more traditional hot springs, this area is for bathers who are not in the nude. This is great for families or mixed groups of friends who want to enjoy an onsen trip together, and a good compromise for those who want to experience Japan’s hot spring culture but don’t want to bare it all.

Hakone Kowakien Yunessun is accessible by train and bus, about two hours from Tokyo’s Shinjuku Station, making for an easy day-trip or weekend getaway. The hot cake bath will only be around until April 25, so don’t wait! If you can’t make it to the resort, these rice cooker apple pancakes may just be the next best thing.

Resort Information Hakone Kowakien Yunessun / 箱根小涌園ユネッサン Address: Kanagawa-ken Ashigarashimo-ku Hakone-cho Ninotaira 1297 神奈川県足柄下区箱根町二ノ平1297 Open 9 a.m.-8 p.m. Website

Source: Yunessun via NariNari

Read more stories from RocketNews24. -- Food art so cool you don’t want to eat it, but mmm…pancakes!!! -- How to make epic pancakes with your Japanese rice cooker -- Mochi hot cakes: The Japanese pancakes you don’t even need a rice cooker to make!

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7 Comments
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Spent 2 nights down there with my kids and sister earlier this week, the children absolutely loved the place. This resort has the fun bath area, inside and out, that requires a swim suit and a proper Japanese style onsen area for traditional bathing. The novelty baths really just seem like scented water as opposed to really feeling like bathing in actual syrup, coffee or wine. It's a good bit of fun in the novelty area but better for young couples, young groups of friends or families with young children

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the same facility that has let guests relax in baths of green tea, coffee, and wine is now giving you the opportunity to take a soak in a bath scented like the breakfast time favorite.

you'll end up smelling like a feast yourself.

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Sounds like a sweet deal.

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This doesn't sound particularly appealing to me.

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this would be a great place to take a date to!

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A true waste of a rather expensive condiment, especially if it comes from Quebec.

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Sounds really disgusting!

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