Yujuku Kanedaya

Such a good ryokan, with friendly staff and nice rooms!! 😊😊😊😊

Wonderful place.

The bath area was so full of steam that it was hard to see. Maybe I happened to visit at a bad time. I used the large public bath for day use on Friday, January 23, 2026, arriving at 4:00 PM. Yushuku Onsen bus stop is right beside it. The mixed-gender bath had six people there when I visited. Entry was ¥600. The spring is a sodium-calcium sulfate hot spring, with a bath temperature of about 43°C and a source temperature of 63°C. The flow rate and pH are unknown, and total dissolved substances are approximately 1,425g. The water is naturally sourced on site and goes into the bath without added water, heating, circulation, or filtering. It’s clear and colourless, has a slight sulfur smell, and feels soft, but it’s very hot. The sodium-based water is said to have warming and moisturizing benefits. There’s a small separate pool of spring water for drinking, with cups provided. Be careful, it’s very hot and could burn you. It smelled of sulfur and tasted neither unpleasant nor especially good. Shampoo and body soap are provided, as is a free hair dryer. Lotion and similar items aren’t provided. Since the hot spring is privately sourced, the water feels fresh and very good, though it may be too hot if you don’t like hot baths.

The old-fashioned feel is part of the appeal here. Yushuku Onsen is a small, secluded hot spring near the entrance to Mikuni Pass and Minakami. It inspired Yoshiharu Tsuge’s legendary manga “Gensenkan Shujin” (The Master of the Gensenkan). Many people come just for the hot spring. The high ceiling and unusual round tub in the large public bath make a lovely setting. The bath is mixed, though women have it to themselves from 7:00 to 8:30 AM. There are private baths and a women-only bath as well, although that bath seems to be reserved for men at certain times. The inn has a strong Showa-era atmosphere and feels relaxing. Some people call it rundown, but I didn’t find it that shabby, and the rooms are like those in an ordinary ryokan. The toilets are shared, there’s no refrigerator, and guests can warm up with the familiar Showa-era kerosene heaters or sit at a kotatsu table. It’s a historic hot spring well worth seeing. The water is famously hot. In the evening the large bath can feel lukewarm because so many people have used it, but overnight the water collects and returns to its original scorching temperature by morning. You have to add water before you can soak. The food is simple hot spring fare, and I mean that as a compliment. Some flavours may not suit you, like carp washing, which I don’t like, but that’s fine as it is. The four public baths are now for residents only, though I’ve seen information that overnight guests may use them. If the town is concerned that opening them would bring too many visitors for a small community to handle and change the quiet resort atmosphere, I can understand that view.