Iwaki Yumoto Onsen Uosho

The rooms show their age, though they’re clean. The food is delicious, especially the monkfish soup and fried mexicali. The hot springs flow freely and are great too.

I stayed at Uosho. The room was a small single, and the building is old. The toilet and bathroom are together in a tight space. Wi-Fi was fast, but I’d say an extension cord is essential. It was quiet at night, and there was an outlet beside the bed, though it would’ve been hard without that cord. At around 4 PM I tried the private outdoor bath and was happy to find it empty. I hadn’t expected much from the bath, but I liked the sulfur smell. There was lotion and moisturizer by the sink, so you may not need to bring your own. The baths seem to switch between men and women, with the change around 8 PM. The view looks toward the area in front of Yumoto Station, and I enjoyed the sulfur scent there too. After dinner I went back and was glad to have the bath to myself again. Dinner was at 6 PM and included drinks, though the alcohol choices weren’t very broad. The food was mainly fish, and mostly delicious. The lounge is all-inclusive as well, but drinks are limited to beer, highballs, and soft drinks. Snacks were kaki no tane rice crackers and maibo. Breakfast starts at 7 AM and was also mostly fish. There was mainly water and hot water, with a few soft drinks in the fridge but not much variety. Hot coffee was available in the morning lounge. For an all-inclusive stay, the offerings felt a little lacking.

The seafood was a real highlight. It was so fresh I almost didn’t want to eat any other fish, and there was more than I could finish, including sashimi at breakfast. Portions were generous, too. There’s also a lovely baked goods shop across the street where you can pick up souvenirs, so I highly recommend it. I was very satisfied with the rooms that have attached baths. The hot water isn’t always available, but they’re exceptionally clean and thoughtfully laid out for convenience. The private bath was amazingly clean as well, and I’d definitely like to come back. The spring water was better than I expected and a little hotter than I expected, which was great. The building is surprisingly clean despite its age. Outside it has a Showa-era look, while inside it feels like a small European hotel. You can enjoy hot springs and seafood right in front of the station.

Dinner was a seafood kaiseki, with sashimi, grilled, fried, simmered, and hot dishes. There were lots of kinds of fish and ways of cooking them, and everything we tried was delicious. The inn began as a fishmonger and takes pride in its food. From the top floor’s large public bath, we looked out across the city while enjoying the sulfur smell of Iwaki Yumoto Onsen. The hotel had warm lighting and quiet background music, which made it easy to relax. We had a wonderful stay.