Cold Days, Hot Springs: 3 Japanese Onsen Hotels to Try

Nishiyama Onsen Keiunkan, Yamanashi Prefecture

Fans of the Guinness World Records take note… In 2011, this hotel was recognised as the oldest in the world. How old? Well, Nishiyama Onsen Keiunkan first flung its hospitable doors open in 705AD and has been managed by the same family for generations.

Not only does it have history on its side, but it also has access to some of the largest amounts of hot spring waters in Japan. That means you not only have access to six different hot springs – four outside and two in – but each guest room has a wooden bath.

Speaking of rooms, they are styled traditionally with two sitting areas and a living space. Walls are decorated with traditional hanging scrolls called kekejiku. Huge windows look out to the forest. 

As you’re welcomed off the minibus that has picked you up from the train station in the tiny village of Minobu, an hour’s journey by bullet train from Tokyo, you’re given a pair of slippers and you discard your shoes – you don’t need them here. All staff members wear kimonos and you soon slip into the traditions that have been followed here for centuries.

Guests also have their own private rooms when it comes to dinnertime, where they’re served a five-course meal accompanied bylocally made wine. The ingredients are sourced as locally as possible – in fact, the soba noodles here aren’t made from buckwheat, as is the norm, but from acorns picked from local trees. 

When you return from dinner, your room will have been transformed, with the living room converted to a bedroom with fluffy futons placed on the floor and topped with pillows arranged for a view out into the forest when you open your eyes in the morning. 

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Chikusenso Mt Zao Onsen Resort & Spa, Miyagi Prefecture

Splash out at this elegant ryokan set among spectacular gardens near the hot spring town of Togatta. This is highlighted at both the men’s and women’s outdoor onsens, which are surrounded by nature, their decking built around mature trees. If you want to soak with your special someone, book one of the private outdoor onsens.

There are only 30 rooms at Chikusenso Mt Zao, but splash out for one of the suites. They’re all different apart from one thing: private hot spring baths on their terraces. If you don’t need the extra soaking, the deluxe rooms come in Western layouts (with huge beds) or Japanese tatami style.

If you’re a foodie, you’ll love it here. The meals are relaxed kaiseki affairs, with the chefs preparing produce from the local area to present course after course of artistry. Even breakfast is a feast for the eyes, with tiny dishes holding morsels of smoked fish, omelette, rice, tofu, pickles and other traditional Japanese morning fare.

There are plenty of places to find a quiet moment: a library and lounge, a zen garden on the roof with mountain views, and the hall with its sunken hearth.

If you can drag yourself out of the hot, healing waters, the Zao Kokeshi Museum is close by. It has about 5,500 kokeshi (wooden dolls) and you can even have a go at painting your own.

During winter, the Zao snow monsters appear on the upper slopes of the mountain. These trees glazed with snow and ice appear in late December, although they’re at their biggest between mid-February and mid-March.

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Yusen Shidate Shidotaira Onsen, Iwate Prefecture

Want your own open-air bath to while away the hours? Not a problem. There are only 28 rooms at this hotel in Honshu’s north. Each overlooks a mountain stream and a beautiful Japanese garden and has stone or ceramic bathing facilities on the terrace, where you can sink into the warm water and look over the trickling water and lush forest or up into the sky. 

Once you’ve climbed out, wrap yourself in a yukata, pop on your slippers and find a spot to relax. Depending on what time of year it is, you might want to sit on the terrace with their the mountain views; when the snow arrives in winter, Yusen Shidate has plenty of full-length windows from where you can take in the landscape. 

The guest rooms blend traditional elements, like a tatami room, with comfortable twin beds. 

In the evening, head to the dining room. You’ll be directed to a private compartment where you can enjoy the seasonal menu, created using seafood, meat and vegetables from the Iwate Prefecture. When you’re done, there’s nothing stopping you from having another soak in your private bath.