I Looked Into Kamenoi Hotel Kamogawa

Beyond campgrounds, I've also been gradually looking into inns and hotels that offer day-use bathing, under a loose category I think of as "hotel-cation side trips."

This time, the one that caught my attention was Kamenoi Hotel Kamogawa. I came across information about its location right next to Kamogawa Sea World, and a scenic large communal bath overlooking the Pacific Ocean, and thought that even someone as indoorsy as me could relax in a hot spring there — so I decided to look into it.

What Kind of Place Is Kamenoi Hotel Kamogawa?

This is a hotel located in Kamogawa City, Chiba Prefecture, with check-in apparently at 15:00 and check-out at 10:00. The rooms seem to come in a pretty wide variety of types, including rooms with private open-air baths, deluxe rooms with saunas, kids' rooms, and dog-friendly rooms with private dog runs. It struck me as a lineup that's easy for families and pet owners to choose from.

For meals, you can apparently choose between a Japanese-Western-Chinese buffet or a kaiseki course, and depending on the season, local ingredients like splendid alfonsino, bamboo shoots, Ise spiny lobster, and abalone may appear on the menu. There's also apparently a service where you can pre-book a cake or bouquet for anniversary occasions, so it seems like a hotel that's set up to accommodate celebratory stays as well.

Two Hot Springs I'm Curious About: The Garden Bath and the Scenic Bath

One of the big features of this hotel seems to be that it has two types of hot springs: the garden-style large communal bath on the 1st floor and the scenic large communal bath on the 7th floor. The scenic bath apparently overlooks the Pacific Ocean, and I imagine soaking in the water while looking out at the sea from up high would make for a pretty relaxing time.

Day-use bathing is also available, and the large communal baths seem to be open from 12:00 to 19:00 on weekdays (last entry 18:00), and from 12:00 to 15:00 on weekends and holidays (last entry 14:00). The rates were apparently set as follows.

• Weekday rate: 1,000 yen for adults (junior high school age and up), 500 yen for children (elementary school age and up)
• Weekend/holiday and special-date rate: 1,500 yen for adults, 800 yen for children (free for children under 5)
• Day-use private bath: 2,500 yen per hour (apparently requires a separate admission fee and bath towel fee, plus advance reservation)

The days when day-use bathing is offered seem to be checked via a calendar system, so if you're planning to visit, it's probably a good idea to check the latest information on the official website. As for overnight rates, the official website doesn't list specific prices, and it seems you need to check them individually through an external booking system.

Komorin

Just reading about soaking in the bath while looking out at the sea from the scenic bath made me want to go, even though I haven't actually moved a muscle.

Checking Whether You Can Get There Without a Car

Since I'm a driver in name only, how far I can get using public transportation is always something I want to check. For this hotel, there's guidance saying it's about a 6-minute walk from the Kamogawa Sea World bus stop, and the Axy Highway Bus from Tokyo Station's Yaesu exit, as well as the Capina Line bus from Chiba Station, both arrive at the same bus stop, with about a 5-minute walk from there. For someone like me who doesn't drive, that seems like a pretty convenient location.

If you're taking the train, it's apparently about a 5-minute taxi or local bus ride from JR Awa-Kamogawa Station, and I didn't find any mention of a shuttle bus. If you're flying into Haneda, there seem to be routes guided via Tokyo Station where you transfer to the highway bus departing from the Yaesu exit, or via Kamogawa Sea World by transferring between a limousine bus and a local bus. If you're driving, the route introduced goes via the Tokyo Bay Aqua-Line to Kimitsu Interchange, about 40 minutes, and then via the Chiba-Kamogawa Line from there.

Rakuten Mobile Signal Conditions

I checked using the official "My Area Connectivity Simulation" tool by entering the address corresponding to this facility's location, and the overall rating came back as "C." I'll share that result as is.

If you want to post photos on social media while gazing at the sea from the scenic bath, or if you need to check work messages frequently, it might be a good idea to check this in advance with that rating in mind.

Komorin

The C rating was a bit of a surprise to me too. I'm glad I checked instead of just assuming it would be fine because it's a seaside hotel.

Wrapping Up

To sum it up, Kamenoi Hotel Kamogawa struck me as a hotel near Kamogawa Sea World where you can seemingly enjoy both a garden-style bath and a sea-view scenic bath, even on a day-use basis. A location just a few minutes' walk from a bus stop seems like a real plus for someone like me who doesn't drive.

The Rakuten Mobile signal came back with a C rating, so if you're concerned about connectivity during your stay, it might be reassuring to check in advance using the official Rakuten Mobile tool.

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Related Links

• Official Site