I Looked Into Shiobara Onsen Akazawa Onsen Ryokan

In Komorin's Imaginary Travels, I keep researching inns and hot springs that are easy to reach without a car, almost like an ongoing series. I've already covered several campsites and day-trip hot springs in the greater Kanto area, but this time I wanted to switch things up a bit and look into a ryokan that puts genuine source-fed, flow-through hot spring bathing front and center.

What got me started was coming across the phrase "genuine source hot spring, unadulterated and non-circulated" while searching around the Shiobara Onsen area in Tochigi. I often see people talking about how much they love lukewarm baths, so a spring temperature of around 45°C caught my attention too, and I decided to look into Shiobara Onsen Akazawa Onsen Ryokan.

A Ryokan Where You Can Enjoy Source Hot Springs in the Kawa no Yu and Yama no Yu Baths

Shiobara Onsen Akazawa Onsen Ryokan is apparently a hot spring inn located in the Shiobara Onsen area of Nasushiobara City, Tochigi Prefecture. The official website emphasizes the phrase "genuine source hot spring, unadulterated and non-circulated," describing the water quality as a sodium-calcium chloride spring, with a spring temperature of 45.0°C and a pH of 6.7. With its somewhat lower spring temperature, it seems to be loved as a so-called "lukewarm bath."

There are two open-air baths, the Kawa no Yu and the Yama no Yu, and it looks like which one you get to use on a given day switches between men and women on an alternating schedule. Apparently either one can sometimes be closed depending on circumstances, so the atmosphere might change depending on when you visit. The indoor baths seem to likewise come in two types.

There's also a private open-air bath built entirely of cypress, which likewise is said to be an unadulterated, unheated, non-circulated source hot spring. It's used in 50-minute sessions, listed at 1,000 yen per person for overnight guests and 1,300 yen for day-trip visitors. Day-trip bathing itself is possible too, priced at 800 yen for adults, 400 yen for elementary school children, and 300 yen for young children, though apparently same-day reception can be cancelled at the ryokan's discretion even within the listed hours. Since advance reservations aren't possible, it seems safer to call and check on the day of your visit. Phone inquiries are apparently welcome as well.

About the Guest Rooms, Meals, and the Cats Living at the Inn

There are 10 guest rooms in total, and between the new building and the old building, multiple types seem to be available, including Japanese-style rooms and rooms with a bath and toilet. On the guest room page of the official website, the following individual room names were introduced as part of the lineup.

• Petite Suite Room 202: A pet-priority room with a bath, said to be spacious enough to accommodate even large dogs. It's also apparently equipped with a pet drying room.
• Premium Suite: Accommodates 2 to 6 guests, with two bedrooms, a living-dining area, and even a bar counter. This room apparently does not allow pets.
• 10-Tatami-Mat Japanese Room (Pets Allowed): According to the listing, not just dogs and cats but also rabbits and small birds can stay with you. There seem to be a few conditions, such as the animal being house-trained and vaccinated.
• Compact Room, River View 10-Tatami-Mat Japanese Room (with bath), and others: These were introduced as rooms where pets are not allowed.

All rooms apparently come with Wi-Fi and are non-smoking, so that's reassuring as an indoor type. Basic amenities like a TV, refrigerator, and air purifier (the suites reportedly have Dyson units) also seem to be provided, and there was a note that trouser presses can be borrowed at the front desk.

Meals apparently feature river fish dishes, and the site described a system where char and trout are started on the grill 45 minutes before the meal begins, so they're served piping hot. Having the grilling timed that precisely gives the impression of quite a bit of care going into it. There was also a mention that four cats live at the inn, which struck me as a point worth remembering as a bonus beyond the hot springs.

As for access, by car it's apparently just under 30 minutes via national road from the nearest interchange on the Tohoku Expressway. By train and bus, the route described for those coming from the Tokyo direction involves taking the Shinkansen to the nearest station and then a bus to the Shiobara Onsen bus terminal, from which you'd either get a pickup (reservation required) or walk to the ryokan. A route connecting via the Tobu Line and the Aizu Railway from the Asakusa direction was also introduced, and as someone who doesn't drive, I appreciated that the inn can be reached by train and bus alone from either direction. That said, there was a note of caution about the timing of the last bus, and that if you miss it, you might need to travel one more stop and catch a different bus, so it seems worth double-checking the schedule carefully when planning a visit.

Rakuten Mobile Signal Conditions

As a Rakuten Mobile user, signal conditions are naturally something I'm curious about. When I entered the location of this facility (the Shiobara area of Nasushiobara City) into the official "My Area Coverage Simulation" tool, the overall rating that came up was "AA."

An AA rating is apparently a good result, so it seems like Rakuten Mobile reception should be relatively usable at Shiobara Onsen Akazawa Onsen Ryokan as well. Hot spring areas in mountainous regions can sometimes make you worry about signal, but at least on the official tool, a solid rating came through.

Wrapping Up

To sum it all up, my impression of Shiobara Onsen Akazawa Onsen Ryokan is of a ryokan that's truly particular about its water, offering unadulterated, non-circulated source hot springs in two forms, the Kawa no Yu and the Yama no Yu. Combined with features like the private cypress bath, pet-friendly rooms, and river fish cuisine, it feels like a place where you could really settle in and enjoy the stay itself.

The fact that a route accessible by train and bus is available was an encouraging point for someone like me who doesn't drive. If you just keep in mind that day-trip bathing requires a same-day phone confirmation, it seems like an easy option to consider for a casual visit too.

As for Rakuten Mobile signal, the result came out as an AA rating, but if you're concerned, checking the actual rating yourself using the official Rakuten Mobile tool should let you plan with even more peace of mind.

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Related Links

• Official Site