Mominokiso

Dinner was much more generous than I expected, and the one-night stay with two meals cost 6,000 yen. The Hiroshima discount also came with a 1,000-yen voucher for the hotel shop and restaurant, plus a 2,000-yen Hiroshima sake coupon. I stayed between snowboarding sessions at Megahira, riding Saturday morning and again the next day. The bath was twice as big as I’d imagined. The building is a little old, but everything was clean and comfortable. The room had a basic sink and mirror, toilet, yukata and jacket, a thin face towel, and a toothbrush. There was body soap, shampoo with conditioner, and a hairdryer in the bathroom. A toothbrush is the only amenity, so bring any other toiletries or cosmetics you need. You may also want a towel for after the bath, though the thin face towel is enough if that works for you. There’s a shop for snacks, drinks, souvenirs, and small dishes. It closes at 8 PM, and the baths close at 10 PM and don’t open in the morning, so check the hours. The alcohol and drink vending machines are available all night. There’s coin laundry too, which is useful when you have wet clothes.

The big public bath was good to have, though it isn’t a hot spring. This is a low-cost place, so I wasn’t expecting hotel-quality food. Dinner wasn’t bad, but the cold tempura made it feel a bit like food from a country caterer. Breakfast was simple and tasty. I even had two bowls of rice with wasabi seaweed. Mominoki Forest Park has beautiful scenery, and the setting could make for a nice leisure stay. I was there at the end of November 2021, after the autumn leaves had fallen and cycling had been suspended, so I couldn’t enjoy many of the activities. Payment is cash only, which may be inconvenient for people used to staying at hotels.

All the staff who helped us were very kind, and I’d come back if I had the opportunity. For a prefectural-run accommodation, the amenities felt just right. I brought extra towels because of comments I’d read, but the towels provided were enough and I probably didn’t need to pack more. The building was very clean compared with other local prefectural facilities. The walls are thin, though, and I could hear a lot from the next room. It didn’t bother me, but my child didn’t like it. The food was about what you’d get at a business hotel.

There aren’t any convenience stores nearby since it’s in the mountains, so it’s best to buy what you need before you arrive. We enjoyed sharing the large room and sleeping together as a family. Even in the hot, humid summer, it stayed cool and comfortable without air conditioning. The laundry area felt a little scary, but the bathroom was spacious and nice.