Yumotokan (Yunohora Onsen)

The renovated rooms and clean toilets made it easy to relax, and a soak in the bath really reset me. I was staying a night after skiing, and the wife even called to warn me about a road closure near the inn. I felt at home as soon as I arrived. Her service was top notch, and the husband’s cooking was 100 points: sashimi, charcoal grilled dishes, Hida beef, all incredibly good. The price feels fair, and the inn is surrounded by forest and nature. I’ll be back regularly. Thank you!

It’s an old inn, but lovely and homey, tucked into nature. The clear, colorless hot spring water kept me warm for hours. The locally sourced meal had huge shiitake mushrooms, freshly caught sweetfish, Hida beef, simmered vegetables, and more. I’m already full! Next time I want to try the patented “stone bath.”

The food was delicious, and I’d like to stay again, but some things really need improvement. The futon mattress was so thin that I struggled to sleep, and checkout at 9:00 felt early. They asked me to take my trash home, which is a difficult request to make. The old building also felt poorly maintained in some places. It was extremely cold everywhere outside the bedroom, including the changing room. I rushed into the bath to warm up and was instantly boiled like an octopus, as if they’d set the temperature wrong. Even the foot bath was too hot to stand in for five seconds, practically boiling water.

The owners are very kind, and you can tell they want guests to have a good stay. The setting is a bit of a surprise: after a narrow climb up the mountain road, the inn appears suddenly, and finding the parking in the dark is hard. The facilities themselves are new, with washlet toilets and decent bedding. There are no vending machines, so buy drinks and other supplies beforehand. The bath is small, but the water felt great. Food is the real highlight: excellent grilled salted sweetfish, tasty fresh shiitake from the charcoal grill, and A5-rank Hida beef teppanyaki that’s a must try. The food is rustic, with a slightly strong aftertaste, but that works too. One downside is the schedule. Maybe because the two owners are elderly and short on time, checkout is at 9am and meal and bathing times are pretty limited. I was told the hot spring lights would go off at 9:30pm, but they were already out when I arrived before 9. Even with that negative, I thought it was good value and would love to stay again.