Yumeno Onsen

The onsen isn’t geothermal in the traditional sense, but it’s really lovely, and you can look out over the river while you soak. From the traditional Japanese room, the river view is wonderful too. At breakfast, you may spot a fishing eagle watching the quiet water for a snack.

Getting here takes a little effort, but the view from our room and the sound of the river coming through the window at night made it worthwhile. There’s a bus from the end of the driveway to Tosa-Yamada station every 90 minutes. We often took a taxi instead when we’d stayed out too late. The food was amazing, and the inn feels wonderfully traditional, like a beautiful step back in time. It was a real highlight of our trip.

For a backwoods onsen in Kochi, this place is worth a look.

I slept like a rock in the spacious, comfortable room and woke up feeling great. The staff were lovely, made check-in easy, and took time to explain the facilities, which we really appreciated. They even set up a private onsen time for us, a very nice surprise. It’s a fun little Ryokan near Kami, easy to reach and fairly close to Ryudoga Cave and the Shikoku automotive museum. If you’re traveling near Kochi, I’d recommend a stay.