Okumizuma Onsen

The staff were unbelievably kind and understanding, and that made this a lovely last night in Japan. We missed our train to the pickup station at the right time, but they waited for us and took us straight to a supermarket since we hadn't booked dinner. Dinner has to be reserved at least 24 hours ahead. The meals we saw looked amazing, though the set menu is served as-is with no a la carte option. The staff kindly agreed to heat up the food we bought, and there's also the option of taking a taxi into the village. We didn't use a taxi. Breakfast was included and incredible, but it is served at 8am and comes as-is. The children's meal is the same in that regard, so fussy eaters may struggle. The nearest village with restaurants is 5km away. It's a traditional Japanese onsen hotel, so expect futons on tatami and pillows filled with plastic pellets. Rooms have a toilet only; washing is done in the gender-separated onsen facilities, where you bathe naked. I'm spelling this out in case you're a tourist looking for something traditional and want to know what to expect. There's no ATM, so bring cash. The small shop sells cup noodles, ice creams, snacks and souvenirs, and vending machines have drinks and ice creams. The setting is incredible and wonderfully peaceful, with forest and/or river views from every room and hikes nearby. In the August heat, we used the decent-sized pool, which has a lifeguard, a shallow section, and shaded seating, then relaxed in the air-conditioned lounge overlooking Japanese gardens and koi carp. The hotel was quite full, but we had no noise problems. The staff also arranged a shuttle bus to Kansai airport for a clearly stated separate fee. After checkout, they let us use another room on the ground floor for the rest of the day while we enjoyed the facilities. It was a great way to say goodbye to Japan. Highly recommend!