Uguisudani Onsen Takenoha

I chose this inn for the monkfish hotpot, with rice porridge to finish. The garden was beautifully kept, and the plum blossoms were in full bloom. When I opened the shoji screens, white plum blossoms were right outside my room. After a soak in the hot spring, dinner was a spread of tasty dishes alongside the hotpot, including sashimi, a large boiled golden-eye fillet, and deep-fried Mexicali. I finished with the rice porridge I’d come for.

I was on a weekday business trip and usually stay in business hotels, but I found this inn on Google Maps and decided to treat myself. I arrived just after 5:30 PM. The location was lovely, tucked among a valley and bamboo, and the waitresses welcomed me with warm smiles and kind, reassuring service. I walked from my room along the connecting corridor to the bath before dinner. Nobody else was there, so I had it to myself. The water was gentle, and the open-air bath looking out over the valley was amazing. My stay cost just under 20,000 yen, and dinner gave me a choice of sukiyaki or monkfish hotpot. I picked the hotpot. The monkfish liver soup with lots of vegetables was delicious, and the rice porridge at the end was amazing. It was a perfect finish after the other dishes, breakfast, and a morning walk. The inn’s interior was lovely and relaxing, and I had a wonderful time.

Though it’s close to Isohara Beach, Uguisudani Onsen Takenoha sits in a quiet valley set back from the road, within a corner of a residential area. It’s more a place for hot springs and seafood than a purely Japanese-style inn with an entertainment atmosphere. In winter, that includes monkfish hotpot. The spring water feels thick, and the large shared bath is good for a long soak. Some rooms also have open-air hot spring baths, so there’s plenty of chance to enjoy the water. A checkout time of 11 would be ideal for soaking longer. My season’s dinner was a seafood feast rather than monkfish hotpot, and there was so much fresh sashimi that I couldn’t finish it. I enjoyed it thoroughly. I only wished the sake list had more choices, especially local sake. The inn seems to put its focus on the food.

I stayed overnight for anko nabe. I’ve had it at other hotels and inns and really enjoyed it, but the version here was disappointing. The kinki fish was tiny, had no thickness to it, and was hard to eat. Sorry, but I won’t come back. Please don’t judge by the online home screen. The food in person was completely different from what it showed, and the hot springs were nothing like the claims either. There was no water straight from the source, and the tub wasn’t overflowing with hot water. It didn’t feel like a real ♨️ hot spring at all.