Takaragawa Onsen Ousenkaku

We spent 4 nights in Takaragawa onsen ousenkaku. The onsen is just so tranquil and picturesque, this really is right up there with the best in the world in our humble opinion. 4 large onsen baths, varying in temperature, one for women only. All with views to a river, blended seamlessly into the stunning natural environment around. You really get an idea of traditional onsen in Japan here, we found the experience to be rejuvenating and restful. When we were there the baths were not busy at all, sometimes we had a whole pool to ourselves. It is also atmospherically lit, so bathing at night is also a pleasure and delight for the senses. Onsen are available 24 hours, with the exception of one hour here and there for cleaning. We didn't have great weather everyday, but honestly you're in a roasting hot onsen, so it actually doesn't matter and is beautiful anyway! In our opinion, you need to stay for at least 2 nights at the hotel to get the best of the experience and bathe at different times of day. The hotel is very quaint and we were fortunate enough to stay in a lovely old Annex room, right next to the river. The free transfer bus from Jomo-Kogen station is convenient and makes for a hassle free check in and check out, we were able to book via messenger on booking.com. The staff were all very lovely, in the restaurant, at reception and housekeeping. Amenities were fabulous. We were encouraged to wear yukata robes and change to different pattern each day if we wanted to! Food was delicious- very filling Japanese dinner and breakfast! They also offered a bento lunchbox and delivered it to the room for ¥1000. Public baths indoors were clean and lovely spaces too. If you want a gorgeous onsen experience just 1 hour by shinkansen away from Tokyo, just book it !

We had a fantastic stay here. We chose a more budget friendly room in the "annex" section which had a shared bathroom. We were expecting a pretty small room, but actually our room was really spacious with an amazing view of the river and the hot springs! Guests are given these cloth outfits to wear while soaking in the hot springs - men have this wraparound skirt and women have this potato sack type dress. But actually it is pretty comfortable and dries quickly, so it was easy enough to wear at the hot springs. There are three spacious co-ed pools, and the pools never felt crowded, even during the peak time in the afternoon. When we went in the evening right after dinner we had an entire pool to ourselves for quite a while! The meals are a fantastic experience in their own right, with many traditional Japanese dishes and small hotpots or griddles to cook certain foods yourself at each meal. I recommend bringing some extra snacks for between meals. For lunch they offer a really yummy $10 bento box. The rooms are traditional style with tatami mats, sliding doors and futons, but they are really spacious and comfortable. They also provide you with traditional yukatas to wear while you are at the resort, which added to the cultural experience. The pools themselves have different temperatures, and the temps greatly depend on which part of the pool you are in. So there is something for everyone, whether you like it hot or lukewarm. We also enjoyed a short hike (maybe 1-1.5 hours round trip) behind the hotel. The trail starts from a back door in the annex of the hotel, and goes up a hill to a lookout point with pretty views. The trail isn't very well maintained and it's hard to trail find at points, but the main tip is when you get to the old abandoned hot springs building, follow the trail behind the building (not over the sketchy looking bridge thing).

Our experience was amazing. We absolutely loved everything about our stay wish we could have stayed longer. The staff were wonderful . The view from our corner room was picturesque and going to sleep with the sound of the river and the warmed floor was cozy. Bathing in the baths was therapeutic .The food was what I call clean food, fresh tasty with different unique things to try. Our boys even tried out some new things. Thank you so much . ☺️

We chose the annex room which was amazing right next to a waterfall. You sleep on futons on the floor and with the waterfall in the background I slept like a log. The authentic Japanese banquet was delicious and staff were all super friendly. the hot springs pools were beyond what I expected and at night it was like a fairyland. There is a shared toilet done the hall which was clean. Would highly recommend this experience.

This place is exceptional. The staff were outstanding. We had the most amazing room with a great view of the river. It had everything we needed with toilet just across the hallway. The floor under the futons was heated so we were warm and cosy. The meals were generous and delicious and they did their best to adjust the food for my tricky food intolerance. We enjoyed the outdoor onsens so much. It was great to be able to bathe as a couple and they provided bathing suits. Highly recommended place to relax after lots of sightseeing or skiing! We will be back.