Ryokan Nushiya

The two private baths are first come, first served, and you can use them as often as you like. That's plenty for a place with only 9 stylish rooms, several of them with their own baths. The sake tasting and coffee room was an extra treat. The ryokan is lovely and good value, with kind staff, delicious food, and an excellent onsen. Not much English is spoken, but a QR code provides all the information you need. Highly recommended.

A cosy, very quiet ryokan tucked away in the mountains. The onsen is excellent.

The inn is a little way from the hot spring town, where you can visit the outdoor baths. I had planned to walk around and try them, but it was pitch black at night, so I drove instead. Arifuku Onsen has a lovely retro Showa-era atmosphere and is well worth a visit. The building is old but has been skillfully renovated, and the atmosphere is great. The front desk and restaurant staff were calm and welcoming. They really helped make the inn feel special. The rooms vary in size and style. There are rooms on the second floor of the main building, in a traditional Japanese house, and in a detached building. The only room available was Asebi, the smallest one on the second floor of the main building. It was small, as expected, but I was able to relax without any problems. The hot springs were the best part. There was a large public bath and a family bath, and both had wonderful water and excellent facilities. The temperature was just right, not too hot or lukewarm. There's a sign by the family bath showing whether it's in use. If it's free, you can use it. Reservations aren't accepted. Opening the wide bathroom window makes it feel like an open-air bath, which was great. The large public bath has both indoor and outdoor sections, and was excellent too. The water was so good that my skin felt smooth. We booked a plan with breakfast but no dinner. Breakfast was delicious, and each dish seemed carefully prepared. I'd like to return. One thing to know, though, which I haven't included in the rating: we left around 9 p.m. to see the hot spring town and visit the outdoor baths. We got back before 10 p.m., but the front door was locked and we couldn't get in. We knocked several times at the entrance and at the door behind the front desk, and called repeatedly, but no one noticed or answered. We wandered around in the cold for about 10 minutes wearing only yukata and haori. Luckily, a window near the bar counter was unlocked, so I got inside that way. The room instructions didn't say when the front door would be locked or how to come and go at night, so I was left confused and wanted to mention it here. Even with that, it was a fun and fond memory of my trip to Sanin.

The modern-style renovation made the place convenient. I heard that you can use the hot springs when the family bath is available. There are also small hot springs about a 10-minute walk away.