Gokasanso

The staff were incredibly kind, and this is an experience I won’t forget. From the hotel, there’s a great view of the town blowers, with a couple of gassho-zukuri houses in sight. I went out to the onsen while it was snowing. Part of their own sin is actually built into a mountain. It’s a brilliant place to stay.

Getting here takes a bus and some walking if, like us, you don’t have a car. The area is remote, but that was part of its charm. After exploring Ainokura and the Gassho houses, this was a sweet place to stop. The food was very good, and the outdoor onsen was beautiful. We were lucky to catch a performance of the region’s traditional dance in the lobby.

We walked here from Ainokura Village along the Forrest Road, about 30 minutes on a nicely paved route. It’s mostly downhill, so pulling a carry-on suitcase was no problem. This is a very reasonably priced option when you can’t get a room inside Ainokura Village. The World Heritage Bus stop is very close on the main road below the hotel, and there’s a small thatched-roof house near the property that used to be a jail, nice for photos. Once a week, there’s a show at 8 p.m. after dinner with traditional folklore dance and a wooden instrument. The hot spring was lovely, with a sauna and an outdoor forest pool. Meals were rich and tasty, with local seasonal vegetables and traditional foods, served by lovely staff. The rooms were clean and had everything needed, including a traditional Japanese Yukata sleeping gown you can wear in the hotel at dinner. All the staff were nice and helpful.

The snowy mountain view from the outdoor bath was magical, with snow all around me. The food was great too. It put a haiku in my head: Snow is falling The outdoor bath is so hot The birds are singing That’s a rough translation. It sounds better in Japanese.