I Looked Into Kita Onsen Ryokan

Along with campsites, I've also been gradually looking into hokans (hotel + spa getaway spots) for those days when you think "let's skip the tent and stay at a hot spring inn instead," and introducing them here on Komorin's Fantasy Travels.

This time, I looked into "Kita Onsen Ryokan" in Nasu, Tochigi Prefecture. Nasu has always given me a strong campsite image, but when I found out there was a long-established inn with a simple hot spring, toji (therapeutic bathing retreat) style, I knew I had to look into it.

What Kind of Place Is Kita Onsen Ryokan?

Apparently it's a long-established inn located in the mountains of Nasu Town, Tochigi Prefecture. According to the official website, legend has it that a great tengu discovered the hot spring around the year 770, and a bath named "Tengu no Yu" (Tengu's Bath), named after this legend, still remains today.

The buildings themselves seem to have quite a history—apparently the oldest surviving guest room building dates back to 1854, in the Edo period. The fact that guest room buildings from three different eras—Edo, Meiji, and Showa—are all still in use today really gives off that long-established-inn kind of atmosphere, I thought.

For parking, it seems you use the "Komadome Kanbakudai" parking area, from which you apparently need to walk down a fairly steep slope to reach the inn. Comfortable walking shoes are recommended, and bags with wheels apparently aren't well suited to the path. Since I don't drive, arriving by car is already outside my imagination to begin with, but for those using public transportation, it seems you'd take a bus from JR Nasushiobara Station or Kuroiso Station, and then it could take another 30 to 40 minutes on foot from the nearest bus stop—sounds like it could turn into quite the proper journey.

Komorin

Just the idea of a hot spring you reach by walking down a steep slope already gives off that hidden hot spring vibe. It sounds like a bit much for someone like me who barely drives, but I'd love to have someone drive me there someday.

Checking Out the Five Baths and Room Types

The baths are simple hot spring water, and there appear to be five in total.

• Tengu no Yu (indoor bath): Reserved for men from 8:30 to 5:30 PM, and mixed-gender for guests only outside those hours—apparently in an old-fashioned toji style with no separate changing room. Hair dryers and shampoo are available, apparently.
• Me no Yu (indoor bath): A women-only bath that apparently used to go by other names in the past. Hair dryers and shampoo are available here too, apparently.
• Kawara no Yu (outdoor bath): A gender-separated outdoor bath built in the Meiji era; hair dryers and shampoo apparently aren't available here.
• Ai no Yu (indoor bath): Gender-separated, and apparently named for having once been the only mixed-gender bath. This one also doesn't have hair dryers or shampoo available, it seems.
• Oyogi Yu (outdoor bath): A large mixed-gender outdoor bath measuring 15m by 10m, where swimsuits are apparently required.

All the baths are apparently available 24 hours a day during your stay, which I found appealing since you could soak as many times as you like without worrying about the time. That said, it wasn't clearly stated on the official website which baths are available for day-trip bathing, so if that matters to you, it might be worth checking with them directly beforehand.

The guest rooms come in three types—"Matsu no Ma," "Take no Ma," and "Ume no Ma"—each corresponding to the Edo, Meiji, and Showa building eras respectively. Wi-Fi is apparently available in the Matsu no Ma and Take no Ma rooms, but I couldn't find any mention of Wi-Fi for Ume no Ma, so as someone who's more of an indoor type, I'd feel safer choosing Matsu no Ma or Take no Ma. All rooms apparently share bath and toilet facilities, are non-smoking, and cooking with open flames inside the rooms is prohibited.

Meals Seem to Be Self-Catered or Boxed Lunches, with No-Meal Stays as the Basic Style

The stay plans are basically no-meal (room only), and it seems you either use the free self-catering kitchen or order a reservation-based boxed lunch (options include salmon, fried chicken, or ginger pork, each priced at 950 yen, with miso soup included). The self-catering kitchen apparently comes equipped with a gas stove, microwave, cookware, and dishes, but you'd need to bring your own ingredients and seasonings.

One thing that surprised me while researching was that from January through March, Tuesdays are a regular closed day, and on those days only self-catering is available. If you're considering a winter stay, that seems like something worth keeping in mind.

Rakuten Mobile Signal Conditions

When I checked this location using the official "My Area Connectivity Simulation" tool, no result was displayed at all—just a notice saying something like "currently undergoing temporary maintenance"—so I wasn't able to check the signal conditions.

Given that this is an inn located in the mountains, it's possible that data simply isn't available for this area, but I couldn't determine the exact reason. Honestly, I can't call this either good or bad this time, so I'm treating it as unknown.

Komorin

When a maintenance notice shows up like that, there's really nothing more I can do. If you're a Rakuten Mobile user planning to visit, it's probably a good idea to double-check for yourself before heading out, just in case.

Wrapping Up

Putting it all together, Kita Onsen Ryokan struck me as a long-established toji-style inn where you can enjoy five separate baths of simple hot spring water 24 hours a day, whenever you like. Being able to stay in buildings from three different eras—Edo, Meiji, and Showa—along with the choice between self-catering and boxed lunches for meals, gave it a bit of a different charm compared to other hot spring inns.

That said, there are a few things worth checking before actually visiting, like the steep slope between the parking area and the inn, and the unclear range of baths available for day-trip visitors. As for Rakuten Mobile signal, the result was undetermined this time as well, so if that's a concern for you, it's probably best to check with the official Rakuten Mobile tool yourself.

This article includes a referral link for Rakuten Mobile's employee referral campaign. For details, please see our Disclaimer & Advertising Notice.

Related Links

• Official Site