I Looked Into Tomoegawa-so

On this blog, I'm gradually looking into inns and campgrounds that even I, without a car, could feasibly visit, sort of as an ongoing series.

This time I looked into a small inn called Tomoegawa-so, located in Chichibu City, Saitama Prefecture. I came across information about its signature bath made of ancient cypress wood, and since it caught my interest, I decided to put together what I found.

A Small Inn Known for Its "Ancient Cypress Bath"

Tomoegawa-so is a tourist inn located in the Kuna area of Chichibu City, apparently drawing its water from Tomoegawa Hot Spring. Strictly speaking, it seems to be classified as a mineral spring rather than an official hot spring under the Hot Springs Act, though I also found some mentions describing the water quality as close to a simple alkaline spring.

The main feature I found highlighted is an indoor bath made from ancient cypress wood. There doesn't seem to be an outdoor bath—just this indoor one—but guests staying overnight can apparently reserve it for private use, which sounds convenient for families or friends who want to relax and warm up together without other guests around. It looks like day-trip bathing is also accepted, with reservations available between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. for around 700 yen for adults and 400 yen for children.

The rooms are Japanese-style, with 5 rooms in total and capacity for roughly 20 to 30 guests overall. My impression is that this is a fairly small, cozy inn—one that seems better suited to people looking for a quiet stay rather than large group visits. Since reservations apparently require a minimum of two guests, it looks like it would be difficult to stay solo. The rooms and grounds are said to be entirely non-smoking, so that's worth keeping in mind ahead of time.

Komorin

A bath made of ancient cypress sounds amazing just for the scent alone. Even as an indoor type of person, this actually makes me want to go soak in it myself.

About the Meals and How to Book

Both breakfast and dinner are apparently served either in your room or in a communal dining hall. The meals are said to feature handmade dishes using local ingredients from the deep Okuchichibu area, with a menu that really feels like a mountain inn—things like birch sap, rock tripe, wild mushrooms, mountain vegetables, river fish, and live-prepared carp sashimi. A lot of these are ingredients you don't get the chance to try very often, so I felt like the food alone could be a reason to visit.

Rates for one night with two meals run roughly 13,500 to 15,500 yen per adult, while a room-only stay is around 7,300 to 7,900 yen (with tax and service charges apparently billed separately). Bookings can be made by phone, through the official website's reservation form, or via booking sites like Rakuten Travel, Yahoo! Travel, and Jalan.net. For the latest details, it's probably best to check the official Tomoegawa-so website.

As for in-room Wi-Fi, I wasn't able to find any clear information within what I researched. If you're planning to get online work done during your stay, it might be a good idea to confirm this when you make your reservation, just to be safe.

Rakuten Mobile Signal Conditions

When I entered the address corresponding to Tomoegawa-so's location into the official "My Area Network Simulation" tool, the overall rating came back as a "C".

Given the C rating, there may be spots where the signal gets a bit unstable depending on where you are. The fact that the area is surrounded by mountains is probably a factor here too. If you're planning to frequently handle work communications during your stay, it seems worth keeping this result in mind beforehand.

Komorin

I want to take the C rating result at face value here. But when you factor in the whole atmosphere of a solitary inn tucked away in the mountains, maybe it's actually kind of nice to just not worry about signal for once.

Checking Out Nearby Attractions and Roadside Stations

The nearest stations are apparently Seibu-Chichibu Station on the Seibu Railway or Chichibu Station on the Chichibu Railway. Nearby, there seem to be pilgrimage spots like Hochoji Temple (the 24th of the Chichibu 34 sacred sites) and Kyushoji Temple (the 25th), along with attractions such as Chichibu Muse Park, Chichibu Shrine, Hitsujiyama Park (known for its moss phlox hill), and Hashidate Limestone Cave scattered around the area. Spending time taking in views of Mount Buko and the Tomoegawa River also sounds nice.

There also appear to be several roadside stations nearby, including Michi-no-Eki Chichibu, Michi-no-Eki Arakawa, Michi-no-Eki Otaki Onsen, and Michi-no-Eki Ryokami Onsen Yakushi-no-Yu. I couldn't find specific travel time details, so if you're actually planning a visit, it's probably best to check the latest travel times using a map app.

Komorin

Chichibu really has so many attractions and hot spring inns—just researching it made me feel like I'd gone on a little trip myself.

Wrapping Up

To sum it all up, my overall impression of Tomoegawa-so is that it's a cozy hot spring inn with only 5 rooms, where you can enjoy the ancient cypress bath even on a private basis. Between the meals featuring ingredients from Okuchichibu and the quiet mountain setting, this feels like an inn suited to people who want a relaxed stay rather than a busy sightseeing trip.

As for Rakuten Mobile signal conditions, the result came back as a C rating, so if a stable connection matters to you, it might be reassuring to check for yourself using Rakuten Mobile's official tool if you're concerned.

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Related Links

• Official Site