I Looked Into Juraku

As part of my 'detour destinations' series, in between camping sites and day-use hot springs, I keep writing posts about inns that catch my curiosity.

This time I looked into 'Unzen Obama Onsen Juraku.' When I found out it has a lounge where you can enjoy all-you-can-drink alcohol and all-you-can-eat snacks while looking out at the sea, I couldn't help getting curious as an indoor type, so I decided to read through the official website carefully.

An Inn Where the 'Tachibana' Lounge Seems to Be the Star

Juraku is an inn located in Obama-cho, Unzen City, Nagasaki Prefecture, and it seems to be situated within the Obama Onsen area. Standard check-in is apparently at 3:00 PM, and standard check-out at 10:00 AM.

The feature that caught my attention the most was the 'Tachibana Lounge' on the first floor. It's designed so you can enjoy views of the sky and sea through large windows, and it apparently also serves as the dinner and breakfast venue. On top of alcohol like beer, wine, highballs, whisky, sake, and shochu, it seems light snacks such as appetizers, snacks, and ice pops are also available anytime during your stay, in an all-inclusive-style setup. However, outside food and drinks apparently aren't allowed, and it seems you can't take anything you drank in the lounge back to your room either.

From the terrace adjoining the lounge, you can apparently see all the way from Kizashi Fishing Port to the Kunizaki Peninsula to the southwest. There's also a foot bath called 'Kusunoki' attached to the property, which seems to be available from 3:00 PM to 9:00 PM except on rainy days, so it seems like you could enjoy watching the sunset with a foot bath and a beer.

I Looked Into the Hot Springs and Guest Rooms

Obama Onsen is said to be a hot spring area that ranks number one in Japan in both heat output and temperature, and it seems Juraku's baths are sodium chloride springs as well, with both the large communal bath and the private baths described as using source water piped directly in (with some added water). The large communal bath is apparently located on the second floor, separated by gender, available from 3:00 PM to midnight, and from 6:00 AM to 9:00 AM in the morning, with the men's and women's sides switching. The sauna is apparently open from 3:00 PM to 11:00 PM, and there's also a cold-water bath attached. There are four private baths on the first floor, and their notable features are apparently Shigaraki-ware tubs and garden views through the windows. Each session is 50 minutes and reservation-based; the first use is apparently free for guests, with a charge of 1,100 yen for each additional use. As a side note, I couldn't confirm on the official website whether the private baths or the large communal bath themselves offer sea views—the only spots where a sea view is explicitly mentioned are the lounge and the terrace.

As for the guest rooms, I could confirm rooms with semi-open-air baths in the photo gallery, but the official website doesn't seem to list specific room types, the number of rooms, or price ranges. The lodging rates themselves aren't listed on the official website's plan page either, so it seems you need to check them through an external reservation system. For reference, according to the Obama Onsen Inn Association's website, day-use bathing costs 600 yen for the large communal bath (300 yen for elementary school students and younger), and 2,200 yen for 50 minutes in a private bath.

For reservations, it looks like you specify the date and number of guests through a form on the official website, then proceed to an external reservation system. Booking by phone also seems to be possible. There's also mention of a perk you can choose at check-in when booking through the official website.

Komorin

Just hearing that the lounge has all-you-can-drink alcohol was enough to move even someone like me who tends to just lounge around in my room. I found myself thinking this inn is exactly the kind of staycation-style detour destination I'd love.

Rakuten Mobile Signal Conditions

Since I'm a paper driver who basically relies on buses to get around, phone signal at my travel destinations is something I worry about every time. This time as well, I checked using the official 'My Area Connectivity Simulation' tool, entering the address corresponding to this facility's location.

The result was an overall rating of 'C.' I'm sharing this exactly as it came out from Rakuten Mobile's official tool. Signal strength is said to vary by area, so if a good connection matters to you, it seems worth checking in advance.

Komorin

Seeing the 'C' rating, I honestly felt my shoulders drop a little. I've been telling myself that maybe having weaker signal is actually fine for relaxing slowly in the lounge.

I Also Looked Into the Surrounding Area a Bit

There's a foot bath along the coast of Obama Onsen, and Juraku also seems to be located within the same hot spring town. Since the hot spring district affiliated with the inn association apparently spreads out around the area, it seems like you could focus on eating and drinking at the inn while also stopping by the foot bath on a walk. That said, I couldn't find specific walking time or distance from the nearest bus stop on either the official website or the inn association's website.

• Access: The official website apparently provides travel times by bus and car from places like JR Isahaya Station, Nagasaki Station, and Nagasaki Airport.
• Foot bath: Located along the coast of Obama Onsen, and it seems usable alongside a stroll through the hot spring town.
• Lobby: Apparently there's a kids' space set up for small children.

Wrapping Up

To sum it up again, my impression of Juraku is that of an inn where the memorable experience is being able to enjoy alcohol and light snacks anytime during your stay in an all-inclusive-style way, all while gazing at the sky and sea from the first-floor lounge. The hot spring itself uses source water piped directly from Obama Onsen, said to rank number one in Japan for both heat output and temperature, and there seems to be real attention to detail in the Shigaraki-ware tubs of the private baths as well. On the other hand, specific lodging rates and room details are things you can't fully figure out from the official website alone, so it seems you'd need to check the reservation system when actually considering a stay. The Rakuten Mobile signal came out as a 'C' rating, so if that's a concern for you, it's probably worth checking with Rakuten Mobile's official tool.

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Related Links

• Official Site