I Looked Into Oedo Onsen Monogatari Premium Hotel New Shiobara

This blog has mainly focused on researching campsites and day-use hot springs, but lately I've also started looking into a bit of a detour series - 'taking a break from camping to relax at a hotel,' leaning more toward hotel-vacation style stays.

This time I looked into Oedo Onsen Monogatari Premium Hotel New Shiobara, located in the Shiobara Onsen area of Nasushiobara City, Tochigi Prefecture. I came across information that it reopened after renovation in March 2025, and the fact that it has two large communal baths caught my attention, so I decided to do a thorough look into it.

What Kind of Place Is Oedo Onsen Monogatari Premium Hotel New Shiobara?

Apparently this hotel, part of the Oedo Onsen Monogatari group, is located in the Shiobara Onsen area. With a total of 271 rooms, it's fairly large in scale, and it seems to offer a wide variety of room types - Western-style, Japanese-style, Japanese-Western combo, and even special rooms with private open-air baths. All rooms are reportedly non-smoking, which seems like a reassuring point.

Standard check-in seems to be at 3 PM (last check-in 7 PM), with check-out at 11 AM. Room rates mainly center on one-night, two-meal buffet plans, and it looks like prices vary quite a bit depending on the season, plan, and room type. As a rough guide, several booking sites listed prices starting around 9,300 yen per person for two adults sharing a room. However, since the listed prices differed quite a bit from site to site, it's probably best to check the latest rates when actually booking.

There's apparently a reservation-only shuttle bus from JR Nasushiobara Station, with pickup departing the station at 1:50 PM and drop-off departing the hotel at 10:30 AM. Reservations reportedly need to be made by phone by 6 PM the day before your stay, and there's a 100 yen one-way contribution fee for the shuttle. As someone who doesn't drive, I found this shuttle service to be a pretty reassuring point. Bookings can apparently be made both through the official website and by phone.

Komorin

Having a shuttle bus from the station was really great news for me as someone with a license but basically no driving experience. I'll need to remember it's reservation-only, though.

Checking Out the Two Large Baths and the Post-Bath Lounge

The hotel has two large communal baths, called the Main Building Bath and Yusenkyo, and it seems designed so guests can enjoy hopping between baths within the building. There don't appear to be any private baths, but the water reportedly comes from the hotel's own source springs and includes two types - sodium bicarbonate spring and chloride spring - so there still seems to be plenty to enjoy in terms of bath-hopping.

• Main Building Bath: Apparently renovated with a dark-toned, calm atmosphere. The washing area has partitions between stations, and there doesn't seem to be an open-air bath here. Sources were split on whether there's a sauna, with some saying yes and others no, so I couldn't pin down a clear answer
• Yusenkyo: This one seems to have 5 to 7 different tubs (varying by gender), including a semi-open-air bath overlooking Shichigen Falls and the scenic valley, a standing bath about 110 cm deep, and a garden bath scented with cypress. A sauna is reportedly included here
• Post-Bath Lounge: A newly added space where guests can reportedly enjoy free soft drinks, chilled draft beer, and ice pops
• Premium Lounge: Located with a view of Shichigen Falls, where alcoholic drinks are reportedly also provided free of charge throughout your stay

There seems to be guidance that children age 7 or older, or taller than 120 cm, should use the gender-separated baths, so families with kids may want to check on this in advance. Meals are served buffet-style at a restaurant renovated in a marketplace style, with a mix of Japanese and Western dishes reportedly including lemon-salt sirloin steak for dinner and a seafood rice bowl for breakfast. The hotel also seems to have table tennis, karaoke (paid), and a game corner, so I got the impression even indoor-lounging types wouldn't have trouble finding ways to spend their time.

As for Wi-Fi, I found information saying it's available around the 2nd floor lobby of the main building and in the guest rooms, but I couldn't confirm whether it's available throughout the entire building. If you place a lot of importance on internet access for work or similar tasks, it might be worth keeping this in mind.

A Quick Look at Nearby Sightseeing and Food

Apparently you can view Shichigen Falls from the hotel's waterfall-viewing lounge, and the Shiobara Onsen area also has spots like Ryuka Falls, the Shiobara Nature Trail, and monuments dedicated to literary figures such as Junichiro Tanizaki, Natsume Soseki, and Sohachi Yamaoka scattered around. For food to enjoy while strolling, local specialties seem to include something called 'tote-yaki' and a 'soup yakisoba' dish said to have over 50 years of history.

If you venture a bit further, the Nasu Kogen Plateau area seems to have plenty of sightseeing spots too. Senbonmatsu Farm is about a 40-minute drive from JR Nasushiobara Station and reportedly has free admission. There also appear to be leisure facilities like Nasu Animal Kingdom, Nasu Highland Park, and Nasu Safari Park, along with food spots like the main Cheese Garden Nasu shop and Nasu Pudding Main Store, but I wasn't able to check the exact distances from the hotel.

Rakuten Mobile Signal Conditions

When I checked this facility's location using the official 'My Area Coverage Simulation' tool, the overall rating came back as 'C'.

Since this looked like a hotel where you'd end up spending a lot of time indoors, I figured I'd check on the connectivity situation too, just in case. Since I couldn't clearly confirm how far the in-hotel Wi-Fi coverage extends, if you think you might need to rely on mobile data, it's probably worth checking things out in advance as well.

Komorin

A 'C' rating is a bit of a concerning result. If you're a Rakuten Mobile user, it might give you some peace of mind to check the tool yourself before heading out.

Wrapping Up

To sum it up, my impression of Oedo Onsen Monogatari Premium Hotel New Shiobara is that it's a hotel well suited to indoor-lounging types, with two large communal baths and a lounge offering free drinks, making it easy to relax comfortably inside. The shuttle bus was also a reassuring point for me, since I don't drive.

Since the Rakuten Mobile signal came back rated 'C', if a reliable connection matters to you, it's probably a good idea to check in advance. If you're concerned, you can check using the official Rakuten Mobile tool, so it might be worth looking into it before you head out.

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Related Links

• Official Site