Gyokusenkan

The indoor hot spring is amazing, and guests can use it around the clock. Breakfast was pretty good and worth the extra cost. Nothing especially fancy here, but with the reasonable price in mind, it was a fantastic stay and earns five stars from me.

A traditional-style hot spring in Ebino City.

We went on a weekday with my sister, and there were only about three guest groups including ours. The food was delicious, just as other reviews said. Someone also suggested a place nearby for drinks that evening, and we had a really fun time. The hot spring was quite hot, but we enjoyed both the indoor and outdoor baths. We'd definitely like to stay again.

I got a very reasonable Thursday night rate, just under 5,000 yen with a Yahoo coupon, and having the baths to myself was a big plus. Nakai-san was good to deal with too. Some might think he seemed a little cold, but I came away with a good impression. Finding the inn took a bit of effort: it sits on a national highway, but I arrived just before 6:30pm, when it was dark, and there were few streetlights and a dim sign. Still, it was right where my navigation and Google Maps showed. The building has a long history and feels like it may have been busier in the past, but it’s clean and not too dated. I stayed alone in a six-tatami Japanese-style room upstairs. It had only a small TV and mirror, but was fine for a one-night work trip, and two people could sleep on futons. The two Japanese-style rooms upstairs have no toilet or bath. That floor has one Western toilet without a washlet, and one sink with hot water but no hair dryer. The two small Western-style rooms, about four tatami mats each, have single beds and their own hot water sinks. There are around ten reportedly spacious Japanese-style rooms downstairs. The hot spring is at the back of the first floor, where there's also a large toilet. The two Western toilets there had INAX washlets, though sometimes the shower function didn't work. I used the hot spring in the evening, at night, and in the morning, and each time I had it to myself. The men's bath in the morning seemed to be 38-39°C, with two washing spots and a large tub. Its open-air bath fits about one person sitting cross-legged. The indoor bath has a full glass door that you can open to make it feel open-air. There's a hair dryer in the changing room, but no sink. In the evening, the open-air bath felt around 43 degrees and was very hot, so I couldn't stay in long. With nobody else there, I could lie on the stone floor to cool down. At the far end is a fairly large cave bath that you have to duck into. The low rock ceiling and heat made it hard to stay there long too. There's no sink or hair dryer. The family bath at night seemed about 41-42 degrees. You can lock the door for privacy. It has one washing spot, a sink, and a hair dryer, though the dryer is loud and weak, so women may need a long time to dry their hair. My booking included breakfast only. The Japanese breakfast had lots of little side dishes, a raw egg, and Chichiyasu yogurt. Rice was self-serve and you could have as much as you liked. For dinner I went to the nearby Japanese restaurant Waraku. The service was good, but I didn't think it was great value, even the udon was expensive.