Wisteria Flowers and Hot Water
The event, titled Demon Slayer × Yunessun: Hakone Hot Spring Tale Rest of the Wisteria Flowers, transforms the popular Hakone Kowakien Yunessun resort into a Demon Slayer experience. Anime Anime reported that five characters — Tanjiro Kamado, Zenitsu Agatsuma, Giyu Tomioka, Shinobu Kocho, and Kanao Tsuyuri — are featured in brand-new ufotable illustrations showing them enjoying the resort's hot springs.
The collaboration includes themed baths and saunas built around the series' aesthetic, plus collaboration drinks and limited-edition merchandise available only during the event's run. For fans willing to make it an overnight trip, the adjacent Hakone Hotel Kowakien will offer collaboration hotel rooms with exclusive novelties.
A Box Office Giant Gets a Spa Day
The event's July 18 start date marks exactly one year since the theatrical premiere of Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle Arc — Chapter 1: Akaza Returns. That film wrapped its domestic run on April 9 after 266 days in theaters, drawing 27.4 million attendees and earning ¥40.2 billion (approx. $268 million) at the Japanese box office. It landed as the second-highest-grossing domestic film of all time in Japan, trailing only the franchise's own Mugen Train.
For a series that has turned virtually everything it touches into a commercial juggernaut — from theatrical films to themed cafes — a spa resort takeover in one of Japan's premier hot spring destinations feels like a natural fit. Hakone Kowakien Yunessun is a well-known resort that regularly hosts pop culture collaborations, and Demon Slayer's massive domestic fanbase makes it an obvious partner.
The anime, produced by ufotable (Demon Slayer, Fate/Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works), is adapted from Koyoharu Gotouge's manga, which ran for 23 volumes in Shueisha's Jump Comics and has surpassed 220 million copies in circulation.
Looking Ahead
The Demon Slayer × Yunessun collaboration runs from July 18 through October 4, 2026, covering essentially the entire summer travel season. Hakone is a roughly 90-minute train ride from central Tokyo, making this accessible as a day trip for anyone visiting Japan during that window.
No word yet on whether the collaboration merchandise or themed rooms require advance reservations, though past Yunessun events have typically opened online booking ahead of the start date. Meanwhile, the Infinity Castle Arc trilogy continues — fans worldwide are still waiting on release details for Chapter 2, with the franchise showing no signs of slowing down after a ¥40.2 billion first chapter.