Onsen Adventures

[roots reggae]

Thanks to RandomTokyoGuy for suggesting reports on onsens TAG members have enjoyed.

Before we had children, my wife and I traveled extensively around Japan, exploring interesting hot springs. With two sons now on an elementary school holiday schedule different than my work holiday schedule, we are pretty much limited to once or twice a year. Most of the onsens we choose have "throw away water' rather than recirculating. We try to stay 2-3 nights at the special ones. This way we can relax and enjoy the peace and quiet in between check-out and check-in times. Our favorite saying is "Private Onsen!"

I bought Japan's Hidden Hot Springs by Robert Neff as a guide to begin our explorations. Most of the onsens we first visited were members of a Hidden Hots Springs Association. When we stayed in 12 member inns within a two year period, we could choose a free night at any of the inns we visited in that period. I'll tell you later on which very special ryokan we chose. It was, by far, our favorite. You'll have to wait a bit to learn the identity.

I'll start out with one that's pretty well-known to onsen aficionados and is extremely foreigner-friendly. It's not that far away in Gunma Prefecture, nestled in the mountains with the rotenburos (outdoor hot springs) on both sides of an impressive roaring river. We've been twice, once prior to having kids, and once a couple years ago.


Takaragawa Onsen

Highly recommended! I think there are five massive rotenburos, some segregated by gender and at least two mixed. When I say massive, one is 200 tatami! The others are big, too, 50 tatami and 100 tatami.

The food is pretty good and you'll get a chance to munch down on their specialty-kuma (bear)!

This is a link to their website:
http://www.takaragawa.com/english.html

Here's a couple pictures I took to give you an idea of its beauty. I often sneak my camera in to take a few snapshots when we have a private onsen:

Note to Mods: Please move to Life in Japan Forum-sorry thought that's where I posted.​

 

[RandomTokyoGuy]

Looks great, but is cursed for me. Planned to go there 3 times last year, but had to cancel each time due to unplanned work incidents. I think I have to watch Thermae romae again instead

 

[Wwanderer]

I love onsens except for the part with the very hot water...

-Ww

 

[scorpioni6ths]

Ww you should try a rotenburo in winter!

 

[roots reggae]

The second onsen I'd like to share with you is also extremely foreign friendly. Come to think of it, I have always felt welcome in every ryokan/onsen I've visited.



What I mean here about foreign friendly is that the staff speaks English, most of the staff knows enough to communicate well enough. They are super friendly and helpful folks.

K's House Ito

It's about an hour and forty five minute ride by train from Tokyo Station to the Izu Peninsula East Coast town of Ito. K's House is a chain of reasonably priced lodgings with ten locations around Japan. The building is a refurbished 100 year old traditionally styled rykokan. It's clean, fresh, and well-maintained.

The rooms are also traditional Japanese tatami, pleasant and comfortable. The price is right, around Yen 5,000 to 6,000 per person. There's a mixed dorm for under Yen 3,000. No meals are offered, but there's always free coffee and tea in the downstairs communal kitchen. While we were there, a group of men from India were cooking up an aromatic meal. We wanted to invite ourselves! There are convenient stores and restaurants nearby.

The onsen is indoor, one for men and another for the ladies-no rotenburo. It's nothing special, but the water quality is good and it's not recirculated. Ask at the front desk for discount coupons to nearby hotel onsens.

Sorry, no pictures this time.
Here's the link:
http://kshouse.jp/ito-e/room.html

Oh, by the way, please feel free to post your own onsen adventures in this thread!!!

 

[Manami TMK]

Oh, I have been to Takaragawa Onsen. We of course tried the mixed bath, too. One white American guy with sexy three Asian ladies, we did get an extra attension
It is kind of hard to get there but food is great, big bath, very cosy traditional Japanese experience.
It is strictly non smoking Ryokan FYI.

 

[Wwanderer]

Ww you should try a rotenburo in winter!

Have done...in the snow even. Better, but sitting in tea-hot water is still not my cup of tea, at least not after the first 10 minutes or so.

-Ww

 

[scorpioni6ths]

Have done...in the snow even.

Best experience I've ever had ... rotenburo with snow falling ... snow melting as it hits my warm body ... but would also love to the lovely M to be beside me.

 

[Anna Summer]

I'm a big fan of Onsen and try to go to those whenever I have the time. So far I've been to 2 in Hakone. One was a in a ryokan but it's a long time ago so I don't remember the name. The second one was near the Hakone yumoto station and reachable with a free shuttle bus in 5 minutes. I liked it even tho it was small. And I'm so bad in remembering names. Sorry...

One I go to frequently is Niwa no yuu in Toshimaen. I would love to try others as well, especially in other more rural areas.

 

[veryniceguy]

Many years ago...I went to "Amagiso" in Izu...... Typcial ryoka perched on the hill , where below there is a river.... Walking down towards it, there are a number of one-person baths in small caves......then down to the riverside here are a few hot baths next to the river......and in front, there is a fairly high waterfall....Behind the waterfall there is another fairly hot onsen cave....... was there in the wintertime....so there was snow on the area around it....but the baths made up for it..... Now that I have remembered this experience.....I want to go again....

 

[roots reggae]

Have done...in the snow even. Better, but sitting in tea-hot water is still not my cup of tea, at least not after the first 10 minutes or so.

-Ww

Ww-sensei,

I am surprised you have experienced scalding water in rotenburo, especially in the winter. There are times I've thought the inside onsen was a bit scorching, but, in my experience, rotenburo is more temperate, especially in the winter wonderland.

My two sons, now eight and eleven, share your discomfort when the onsen is on the hot side, but they love onsen and look forward to our excursions.

 

[Wwanderer]

I am surprised you have experienced scalding water in rotenburo, especially in the winter. There are times I've thought the inside onsen was a bit scorching, but, in my experience, rotenburo is more temperate, especially in the winter wonderland.

It was not in Japan, I should probably explain.

-Ww

 

[roots reggae]

Many years ago...I went to "Amagiso" in Izu...... Typcial ryoka perched on the hill , where below there is a river.... Walking down towards it, there are a number of one-person baths in small caves......then down to the riverside here are a few hot baths next to the river......and in front, there is a fairly high waterfall....Behind the waterfall there is another fairly hot onsen cave....... was there in the wintertime....so there was snow on the area around it....but the baths made up for it..... Now that I have remembered this experience.....I want to go again....

@veryniceguy,

You are, indeed, a very nice guy for sharing Amagiso. We have been all over Izu, but not there. I am going to talk to my wife-she and the kids woke up at 5:30 this morning to trek to Disneyland with her friend and kids, and plan a weekend stay there. I took a look at their website, nice that they have one in English, and I am very impressed. The links to the various stay plans was dead on the English site, but worked just fine on the Japanese counterpart.

Here's a link to their site:
http://www.amagisou.jp/hotel-eng/

 

[roots reggae]

It was not in Japan, I should probably explain.

-Ww

I see, once burned, twice fried!

Don't let that experience prevent you from enjoying the more relaxing Japanese versions. Many onsens post the current temperature of the onsen so you know what to expect.

 

[Jack Hammer]

If you really enjoy onsens i recommend visiting beppu city, this city provides a variety of different baths from mud to sand baths. Its also a major tourist destination so i assume its foreigner friendly.

 

[Yuma]

Anybody has been to "Hottarakashi-Onsen" In Yamanashi? Mixed bath with Mt.Fuji view is amazing!!

 

[Soapysoap66]

How do mixed baths actually work?

 

[Yuma]

That place is pretty famous for locals-I've been there many times when I was in Uni.
Not sure if they are gaijin friendly but I'm sure you can enter if you're with local or gaijins who knows well about that place.
Nowadays it might became to busy compared to before though...

 

[Soapysoap66]

I have another question, in AV films where they go to onsen they have sex and cum and shiofuki in the onsen etc.
That seems kind of against the rules of regular onsen, where the water is supposed to be clean etc.
They also have sex in the ryokan bedroom on the tatami floor which seems like it would be quite audible from other rooms.
Are those some kind of love hotel onsen or is it just a accepted fact that couples that go to onsen fuck like rabbits and leave a mess with no regard to etiquette and so forth?

 

[scorpioni6ths]

How do mixed baths actually work?

My understand is that mixed bath could mean two things:

- bathing suits and shorts, like the onsen in Oshima island (down south)

- everyone naked but I've read this only and it only occurs in remote onsens (haven't been to one though).

Maybe some of you will like this blog onsensoaker.blogspot.jp

 

[RandomTokyoGuy]

I don't remember which one it was, but one of the onsen I visited in Kurokawa had a mixed pool. Of course there were gender separated areas, but both leading to a big central pool that was mixed.
It was either Iyashi no Sato Kiyashiki or Yamamizuki. But it's a few years since I've been there.
Another one would be 別府温泉保養ランド, which is a mud onsen in Beppu. The central outdoor area there is mixed although there is some sort of fence.
Neither of the two required swim suits.

 

[Serenity Now]

At a resort in Manza, Gunma that I visited at New Year the mixed baths required men and women to use a simple bathing costume provided by the hotel. Although most of the guys did not use it, just tried to cover up with the tenegui towel when moving between the different baths.

 

[roots reggae]

How do mixed baths actually work?

In my rather extensive experience with mixed bath, the fantasy is nowhere near the reality. Yes, both genders are in onsen together, normally not in swimsuit, however the women are extremely adept at covering the interesting body parts with a wrap-around towel. It's about the only time when a towel is considered, as acceptable etiquette, as allowable in the onsen water, rather than placed folded on the head.

 

[Kegger]

I've had 2 experiences with mixed bathing.
First was back in the 90s in Beppu. Was a bit national geographic with lots of saggy boobs with the women all seemingly to be in their 70s and 80s.

2nd was in the hills above Unazuki Onsen in Toyama. You take this rickety old train that used transport workers up to the dams, and we got off at the 2nd or 3rd stop. You walk along a scary as fark path for about 2km (on a cliff with no handrail), then there is this large mixed bathing outdoor spring.
Funny thing here was the place was almost deserted and there was a couple in the pool when we rocked up. And... You guessed it, they were going at it hammer and tongs.

Gave a discreet throat clear, and stayed clear of that section of the onsen. Fortunately my kids were blissfully unaware of what was going on.

 

[roots reggae]

Here's another onsen on the Izu Peninsula, this time near the stunning and rugged West Coast:

Osawa Onsen

I visited this onsen back in 2003 when my wife and I invited her parents from Niigata for a special treat at two special Izu onsens. I'll write about the second in another post. It is featured in Robert Neff's Japan's Hidden Hot Springs.

Unless you have Yen to spare, save this onsen for impressing someone dear to you, while not overly expensive by Japanese standards, when we went, I believe it was over ¥ 20,000 each person. The rooms around its beautiful garden are pricey, but the Kinu-ya (silk building) has more reasonably priced rooms.

The onsen's main building dates back over 330 years and the Japanese government designated this main building and its storehouse as an important cultural asset back in 1999. The picturesque main building's beauty is revealed within and is extraordinary in that it was built in the old style, without even a single nail. The old miso building is now a coffee shop and was built over 200 years ago. The onsen is known for being visited by revered artists and writers.

The oldest baths are made entirely from cypress and new rotenburo are located on the roof of one of the newer buildings.

Here's the link to the English website and another for the Google Maps location:
http://www.osawaonsen.co.jp/english_em.htm
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&ll=34.758152,138.829921&spn=0.00184,0.001617&z=19&om=1

Sorry, I do not have pictures, other than ones with my wife and her parents, but I do have scenes from nearby landscapes.