Hotel Hanasarasa

Opening the window onto the hillside, clear riverbank, and quiet valley was a highlight. I had an excellent breakfast omakase, then the best tempura I’ve ever tasted at dinner. This was my favorite hotel and onsen experience of the whole trip to Japan. I’d definitely recommend it if you’re after a peaceful break.

There’s a free shuttle between Nakastugawa Station and the hotel, which is handy if you’re walking the Nakasedno trail. It’s a pleasant onsen hotel near Nakastugawa, though the building is a bit old. For other western travellers, they accommodated my girlfriend’s vegetarian diet, and small tattoos were okay in the onsen.

We booked through Booking.com after finishing the Nakasendo trail, and I’d happily stay again. The staff were super friendly and the room was clean, with a TV that let us use apps like YouTube when the Japanese channels got to be too much. It was a traditional Japanese room with a tea set, its own bath and toilet, and access to the onsen. We paid for dinner and breakfast and loved it. Getting there from Magome was simple: a five-minute bus ride from the stop beside the visitor center, then about a five-minute walk from the Nakagiri stop.

The hotel is out in the countryside, so there’s almost nothing nearby, though a small pool resort is next door and Nakatsugawa is a short bus or cab ride away. We took a local bus to Magome, walked through Tsumago for about 4 1/2 hours to the next train station, then took the train back to Nakatsugawa. A shuttle runs hourly from the station to the hotel, making for a great little loop that I’d recommend. We’d booked a Japanese room as a base for relaxing and doing the Magome-Tsumago hike, and it suited us perfectly. The traditional tatami room and private-room breakfast were arranged so the view looked out only onto nature, which added a lot to the charm. The traditional Japanese breakfast was great, too.