Oyado Kafugetsu

After the busy Japanese cities, having both indoor and outdoor hot springs to ourselves was a lovely way to relax. The service was right on point, and the decor felt warm and welcoming. One of the best places we stayed. Highly recommended.

The drive there was the one tricky part. We nearly got lost going along narrow roads with few or no streetlights, so I’d suggest arriving before sunset. Once there, though, the quiet setting was lovely, and the view from the private onsen in my room, right by the river, was stunning. It snowed on our second day, and the staff volunteered to clear snow off our car. I stayed in December 2023 and was impressed by the service, food, and view. The room was spacious, the beds were great, and every staff member we encountered greeted us with a bow and a smile. The waitress explained each dish well, and the food was both delicious and plentiful. I’d recommend it to anyone looking for a quiet, relaxing night.

The ryokan has just six rooms and is for adults only. Our room was great, with two private onsens, both with views, and the service was good. We enjoyed the Kaiseki dinner and would highly recommend staying here. It’s a few minutes from Kurokawa Onsen town, though getting there without your own transport isn’t easy.

DO NOT STAY HERE! STAFF TRIED TO PRIVATELY FILM! Visited 2022/10/31 My girlfriend and her mom were in the spa area about to undress and change when she noticed a glint from a hidden iPhone. A staff member was secretly filming them through a gap between the wall and ceiling, while hiding in a connected room. She confronted him straight away, but he kept saying he didn’t have a phone. Eventually she got hold of the iPhone to check it. There was a video of her and her mom, along with countless videos of other customers naked. The staff acted as if nothing was wrong and seemed to want to cover it up. They had to demand several times to speak with a manager, then again to get the manager to call the owner and police. The police eventually came, but we don’t know what will happen to the staff member, if anything. They asked to be updated and haven’t heard back. My girlfriend and her mother are extremely shaken and fear the video may still exist if it was uploaded to iCloud. The owner, manager, and staff handled everything passively. It took two hours to get a call to the owner and four hours for the police to arrive. While waiting, other customers who had also been filmed were checking out, but staff didn’t tell them and acted as though nothing had happened.