Kose Onsen Hotel

The baths were a real draw for me. The public one and the outdoor private baths were both good, and the private ones can be booked for 45 minutes on a first-come basis. The water had a pleasant mineral smell and didn’t irritate my skin. The place was very clean, too. This old onsen ryokan, founded in 1899, is around 5km from Karuizawa town. Dinner was a little disappointing if you’re after a purely Japanese meal, since it has European influences, while breakfast is Japanese. While waiting for the bus leaving Kose onsen, one of the nice Hk ladies asked why I’d come from cold Canada to another cold place. I said it was gorgeous here and I love the outdoor ofuro (bath). I wish I’d had more time to talk with them, especially since one of them also comes here often. We might have had some interesting stories to share. On to the next onsen!

Our old-style standard room was a little small for four, but fine. The larger rooms weren’t available. This is a lovely traditional ryokan about a 10-minute drive from Karuizawa, reached along a beautiful forest road. We rented the private outdoor rotemburo twice, and it was so relaxing to bathe in hot water when the air was cold. We caught the first snow of the season, and the view was breathtaking. The indoor public bath was elegant, with stone and wood and lovely lighting, though I wished it had an outdoor section too. The ryokan’s onsen, both inside and out, were amazing. Breakfast was a very good Japanese-style meal with grilled fish, egg, ham, miso soup and several pickles. We had dinner there one of our two nights. It was a simpler, Western-style Kaiseki ryori, but a handy choice when we didn’t want to drive into town. A wonderful stay in a typical old-style ryokan, my favorite kind. I’d absolutely recommend it.

The room was clean, and the employees were very polite. This hot spring inn is a real escape, far from the city. I liked the large communal bath best. It was probably quiet because there were other private baths, so I used it three times.

I really liked the private onsen, and this was a lovely place to stay. The staff were pleasant and accommodating about my limited Japanese. Since the area is a national park, the drive in at night is pitch black.