Fudouguchikan

The onsen was the highlight for me, with indoor and outdoor hot baths, a well-equipped bathing area, and a comfortable changing room. The service was impeccable too. Dinner was served in our room, which staff then changed from dining space to sleeping space. While we had breakfast in the dining area, they cleared away the bedding. Nearby, a pleasant road lined with cherry blossoms leads to a hike with waterfalls, and a temple is about a 40-minute walk away. This is a great stay if you’re looking for a traditional Japanese experience. Western comforts and food may be a challenge for some. An experience worth having when you visit Japan.

We booked a room with a private bath, and it was so relaxing that I never even got to the public onsen. I didn’t want to leave the room. The in-room dining was amazing, a real feast, and the staff handled everything: setting out the food, clearing the dishes when we called, making up the beds afterwards, and putting them away again while we had breakfast. The staff were very kind, and it’s about an hour from Osaka by train. There’s a hotel shuttle to and from the local train station at a very specific time, so check with them if you need a ride. Otherwise, it’s about 15 minutes by cab, and there were cabs waiting outside the station. I highly recommend it.

The futons were amazingly comfortable, breakfast was decent, and the snacks were great. The room itself was clean, but our private onsen bath wasn’t the cleanest. There was algae around the wood, some of the wood looked questionable and discoloured, and there were little pebbles at the bottom. We also didn’t get a room with a good view. Some staff were a bit curt, though they understood English fairly well. Nobody told us much at check-in, and we were surprised when they came into the room to make the beds without telling us beforehand. The kaiseki dinner looked beautiful, but most of it was served cold apart from the soups, and the grilled fish was really tough.

The hotel was quiet and fantastic, the hot spring water was warm, and the staff were all friendly. The meals were pretty good too. It’s far from the subway, so you need to book a shuttle bus in advance. I bought green tea and snacks there. I recommend staying here.