Ooedo Onsen Monogatari Premium Gero Honkan

The hilltop setting is on Gero's quiet side, around a 10-15 minute walk from town. The road is rough for suitcases, and there isn't a sidewalk for pedestrians. It's also a fairly long walk to Gero's main attractions. For the price, including breakfast and dinner, this is one of the better value options. Staff were friendly and helpful, the room was large, and the dinner buffet had lots of different dishes. The onsen has a view, and you can also use the onsen at their other hotel across town. There was free karaoke in the daytime and a manga corner. There were some frustrating parts, though. I heard noise from upstairs and the corridor, repair work started at 6 am one morning, and vacuuming began before 10 am. The room hadn't been cleaned thoroughly: there was hair on the floor and stains on the tatami. The pillow was low and there wasn't a spare. Dinner and breakfast dishes were the same both days. The onsen water is recycled, filtered and reheated, though that's what I'd expect at this price. It's a reasonable budget choice if you want to try an onsen hotel. I saw all kinds of Japanese guests there, from older couples and young families to students and other young adults, so it seemed like a chance to experience a place locals enjoy on their days off.