Dochu Dondon

There aren’t any restaurants nearby, so if you’re staying without meals, eat first or buy food before you arrive. Takamatsu Airport is about a 45-minute drive away. I came alone for a room-only stay and got moved to a different room because it was available. The tatami and furnishings seemed new, and the room was comfortable, with no sense of it being old or dirty. For the price, having both lodging and hot springs felt like great value. The outdoor baths are two barrel-shaped tubs set in a well-kept garden. Inside, there’s a large radon bath and a sauna. Staff were very hospitable, including with the room upgrade, and they provided the lights and explanations needed for the nighttime Dochu (earth pillar) sightseeing tour.

The earth pillars were great, and I’d like to try a meal here next time. I only stayed overnight this time, but a group I passed in the lobby kept saying how delicious the food was. I booked a room with a semi-open-air bath. Last year, I paid a lot for a room bath at a hot spring in the Chubu region, but it wasn’t cleaned well and left me disappointed. This bath was clean, and I enjoyed using it. The tub is quite deep, though, so it could be hard to get into for someone with bad legs. The man at the front desk when I checked in and the woman there at checkout were both very nice.

I didn’t feel like sleeping in the car while visiting the Awa Earth Pillars, so I booked a hotel. From the window, I could see cherry blossoms on the hillside behind it. After bathing, I mixed sudachi liqueur with sudachi juice and really enjoyed it. The liqueur is sake with honey, and I’d meant to try sudachi shochu next, but I fell fast asleep. The hot spring was busy with visitors, which wasn’t ideal, though I had it to myself in the morning. The water wasn’t anything special, but I liked the outdoor bath’s garden-like design.

We held our year-end party here last year too, and this time we came just for the meal without using the hot springs. The hot pot portions were huge again, and I was very happy with them. There were several kinds to choose from, but this year the organizer picked yellowtail shabu-shabu on a whim, haha. It was great. Once the hot pot ingredients were nearly gone, they brought udon to add to the broth for another bowl. After we finished that, they took the pot away, added rice, and brought it back as zosui. I was so full and happy. You can add all-you-can-drink, but the drinks are reasonably priced, so ordering them individually is still good value.