Ujo no Yado Shintsuta

The water was excellent, and I was told it comes straight from the mountains without being artificially heated on its way to the baths. There’s a small outdoor pool for men, though it feels a bit hemmed in, plus two indoor pools, one with jets for aching backs. The place has such a strong 1960s feel that it could be a film set. I enjoyed the old-fashioned character, including names like Club Casablanca and Pansy Cafe. You can really wrap yourself in the past here, and that atmosphere is why I gave the experience four stars.

The service felt personal and top notch, with everyone making an effort to get past the language barrier. The traditional Japanese food was delicious and had an impressively intricate spread. It’s a lovely Ryokan, with spacious rooms and a great location. Totally recommended.

The food is wonderful, and the service is exceptional. It’s a really good place to stay while in town, though it does have a few quirks by Western standards. Wow.

I was mainly here for the hot springs, so I was quite satisfied. Iwaki Yumoto Onsen, also known as “Sanbako no Miyu,” is counted among Japan’s three oldest hot springs along with Dogo and Arima Onsen. It’s a rare sulfur spring for this area, with a fresh feel and plenty of water. The flow is 5,000 liters per minute, and apparently 3,000 liters goes into the “Hawaiians” bath. The open-air “Bamboo Forest” bath is mixed-gender and requires bathing clothes. It’s surrounded by bamboo and makes a very picturesque setting. Inside, there’s a large public bath with a hot spring pool and a herbal bath, which was a bamboo forest bath on the day I visited. The inn is associated with Ujo Noguchi and just a five-minute walk from JR Yumoto Station. I stayed overnight in a single room. It was small, but neat and tidy, with a TV, refrigerator, amenities, and the basics I needed. There’s complimentary tea and coffee at the welcome drink corner in the lounge, too.