Hotele Hot Springs w: Tochigi Prefecture, Japan

A rather unique hot spring hotel. The room I booked was a Japanese-style room (washitsu), purely tatami room, and there's no bathroom inside – please be aware of this. To bathe, you need to go to a separate, traditional Japanese hot spring bath, separated by gender, where you must be naked and thoroughly washed before entering. Opinions on the experience vary, but the Japanese seem to enjoy it, haha. The hotel includes breakfast and dinner, which were surprisingly high quality, and the menu changed daily, which was a pleasant surprise. The service was excellent, with the typical Japanese attentiveness, and the staff spoke decent English, so communication wasn't a problem. Overall, a very unique hotel, definitely worth experiencing.

It was pretty good. I stayed in the dorms. The only problem I encountered was that the dorms are really large (20 people) so the chance that you’re sharing a room with someone inconsiderate increases. One guy left his alarm on for 6am in his bunk while he went to the bath and it rung for the full 10 minutes. There’s nothing the hotel really could do about that- it’s just a structural note. I had both the breakfast and the dinner twice. Breakfast was decent and dinner was good. The lack of staffing really told at dinner though. The cold dishes and the ones where timing was more forgiving were very good, some of the hot dishes were just OK (never bad though). Given the effort the small team is putting in to work I think a couple more hands in the kitchen might ease timing and elevate the food quality to be more consistent. The dinner menu was almost identical between nights. I think they use the solids from the onion soup to make the salad dressing and maybe since the soup changed on night 2 I didn’t get dressing- which is a shame because it was very tasty. Onsen is sulfurous. There were a bunch of of dead bugs in the outside one, but it’s springtime in the mountains. I guess the only way to deal with that would be staff checking often and they have good staff but very few of them.

This place is like a corner of paradise. The hotel owner, Masao, and his wife are very warm and helpful people. The rooms are very clean and in the Japanese style. I recommend researching ryokan culture before you come. It has its own unique hot spring by the river, and this hot spring offers two different services, both indoor and outdoor. You can use both. After spending three quick days in Tokyo, it was a truly relaxing and refreshing place. The conversations I had with Masao for hours were also very enlightening. Moreover, they have very good sake and wine. Thank you very much to Masao and his family. Also, this hotel is depicted as the home of the main character in the anime Pride of Orange. You can see some parts of the hotel in the anime. I didn't know this until I came here, but it was a very nice coincidence. You should keep in mind that it's a bit far from the city. If you want to go to the city, renting a car would be more sensible.

I visited Nikko to explore the areas around Tokyo during my trip! Nikko is apparently famous for its hot springs and yuba (tofu skin) cuisine. So, I stayed at Hananoyado Mitsuya, a hot spring hotel. We booked a stay that included both dinner and breakfast. Pros: All the staff members were incredibly friendly, and the service was excellent. The food was delicious and the portions were generous! They even prepared our futons for us during dinner, and the yukata (Japanese traditional garment) were free. Among all the amenities, I loved the hot springs the most. The water temperature wasn't too hot, and the outdoor bath, in particular, was absolutely beautiful! Being in the open-air bath, surrounded by trees and nature, listening to the sounds of the nearby stream, was incredibly relaxing! My travel companion and I even booked a private hot spring for one session, which was 3300 yen for 45 minutes. They also provided free transportation to Kinugawa-Onsen Station, where we needed to catch our express train. Additionally, there were various vending machines conveniently located throughout the property. Cons: Perhaps because I visited in winter, but our room was extremely cold. Even with the heating on its highest setting, it remained chilly. I think the large size of the room might have contributed to this. Also, the internet was slow. Although the hotel had Wi-Fi, it often disconnected or had trouble connecting. Even using mobile data was slow. Aside from these points, I was very satisfied! Especially the staff's service, the hot springs, and the meals were outstanding! 👍👍

The hotel is around 10mins walk from Kinugawa-Onsen Station. Although there are many abandoned hotels, shops, residences, buildings around the surrounding area, I can still explore the area as the street lights are lit in the evening. The hotel is divided into different wings and occupies a large area. I stayed in the upper floors of the hotel’s main building (Kirakukan) but there’s an option to stay at the hotel’s park-cottages that is built on the cliff of the riverbank and overlooks the Kinugawa river. The Kinugawa Park Cottage is located separately further away from the main building. I only noticed a local Japanese family of four or five persons being escorted by the hotel staff to one of the cottages. Other than that one-off encounter, I didn’t see anyone else at the area around the cottage which is also super quiet. Likewise for the other wings of the hotel i.e. Kinoyakata and Kishintei, I didn’t see any guests maybe due to low season. Love the onsen and the private open-air bath, the traditional Japanese kaiseiki breakfast and dinner. There’s also a souvenir shop, ramen & snack shop as well as an outdoor swimming pool which I couldn’t use as it is only available for use come summer time. Just across the road from the hotel, there’s the Waterside Cafe Terrace, a 7-Eleven convenience store adjacent to the hotel and since there’s no self-service washing machine/dryer in the hotel, the nearest 24h laundromat is around a 5-min walk from the hotel located behind the Waterside Cafe Terrace and across the road facing “Galarie Cafe Painto E”. On the day of check-out, the hotel helped to store my luggage and I had lunch at “Suzukawa Cafe” just next to Galarie Cafe Painto E. The food prices here are slightly cheaper than the ones near Kinugawa-Onsen station.

Nikko Hoshino Yado was, without a doubt, the most stunning chapter of our trip. It's much more than just a hotel; it's a living temple of Japanese aesthetics. The beauty of its garden is comparable to the renowned Ruriko-in – the same interplay of light and shadow, the same myriad shades of autumn leaves, but with an added sense of private immersion. Staying in a room with a view of the autumn foliage, the window frame becomes a canvas, with the ever-changing seasonal scenery as its most priceless artwork. The kaiseki dinners and breakfasts are not merely a feast for the taste buds but also a visual art. Each dish is like a delicate haiku, narrating the seasonal stories of Nikko through the finest ingredients of the season. Then, sinking into the indoor and outdoor *furo* (baths), letting the warm spring water embrace your body, you can gaze upon the autumn colors of the garden or the starlit night sky. This ambiance is simply perfect. This wasn't just a stay; it was a profound healing experience centered around Japanese beauty.

I spent at Kaniyu 2 nights and absolutely loved it! Upon my arrival, there was an English-speaking staff member at the reception, Mr. Tamaki, who kindly upgraded my room for free - thank you so much for that! The room was spacious and clean. It was a bit cool inside, but the heating system worked really well and warmed up the room quickly; the controls were very simple and convenient to use. The futon was comfortable, the blanket was warm and cozy, and although the pillow was a bit too firm for me, I slept just fine without it. The room was equipped with everything needed: towels, yukata for changing, bathroom amenities, and more. Both breakfast and dinner were made from a variety of fresh ingredients — everything was delicious and filling. I tried many dishes for the first time and really enjoyed them! The stuff was very nice and friendly, a canteen lady who helped me to take a picture was very kind! The onsen was absolutely amazing. The hot, milky water was incredibly relaxing (not that smelly for my taste), and the cool outdoor air felt refreshing. I visited it after sunset as well, and it was an unforgettable experience: chilling in hot springs while watching night sky and listening to forest sounds. --- To sum it up, if you're looking for a peaceful retreat off the beaten path and for affordable price, then this place is absolute gem~ P.S. l was mesmerized by the road trip to the Kaniyu itself: mountains, rivers and lakes, a troop of monkeys on the side of the road, tunnels, a hairpin turns and so on.

The hotel itself was a very traditional Japanese inn with excellent service. The complimentary drinks and snacks in the lobby were more than enough to satisfy our hunger. The only blunder was the address location; the navigation led to a completely different hotel, almost leaving us with nowhere to stay. The picture shows the distance between the two hotels; the actual address should be 1057 Onsen-Ohara, not 1060. I hope to double-check with the hotel.

This hotel boasts an excellent location, with stunning views of Lake Chuzenji right from the balcony. The room features both indoor and outdoor onsen baths, making it incredibly pleasant to soak while enjoying the lake view, especially on a clear day. The staff are very welcoming and helpful. The room itself is spacious, well-equipped, clean, and tidy. The hotel also provides a convenient shuttle bus service to nearby transport hubs, which is a thoughtful touch.

Pretty nice overall. I stayed for 3 nights. The staffs are really nice and helpful. The room is spacious and has a really nice view, compared to the same price hotel near the lake. Just some comments on the meals. The hotel offers breakfast and dinner for my booking. Breakfast (mini buffet liked) options stay the same, I mean absolute same. For dinner, the first night is amazing, with chicken hotpot, steak, appetizer and dessert. Second night, beef Sukiyaki (kind of like beef hotpot with a sweet soup/sause and rawegg), appetizer and dessert. Kind of okay, I would say as I was hoping to see something more differerent and, to me, it is a bit like a downgraded version (not by far tho) of the first night. And the third night, beef Shabu-shabu (water based hotpot), appetizer and dessert. Quite disappointing as I would refer it more or less the same as second night maindish Sukiyaki but taking away the raw egg and sweet soup based. I would recommend staying for 2 nights max if you don't want to have hotpot everynight About the Onsen, there are one indoor and outdoor onsen each for men and women. Not too big, but the size is enough as there are not too many people using that during my stay. I am not sure if it is normal for Japanese Onsen but I see there is quite a number of materials in the outdoor onsen. I cannot tell what those are, kind of like dead skin to me tho. Not too comfortable with it (although I went there three times during my stay).