Hamming Bird Hotel

The owner was very kind, and the food was delicious. There was a good variety, including venison and fish, and the sake was tasty too. Dinner and breakfast are at set times, with everyone eating together, but there were only about five groups, so it didn’t feel like a big deal and we could take our time. There are several baths, all reserved for families, which made it easy to relax. I’d definitely go back.

I came by bus, and the inn was an easy walk from the last stop. Buses are infrequent, so I took the 2:15 p.m. one and arrived around 2:20. I expected to wait outside until check-in, but they invited me in. They explained the bath and meal times, then showed me to my second-floor room. There seemed to be a lot of stink bugs, so they’d put out paper adhesive tape. I’d expected a Japanese-style room, but it was more like a bedroom combined with a Japanese-style room, which I found relaxing. The three baths are shared for private use among five groups. Depending on when you go, one seems to be available. I like hot baths, so I was disappointed that none of the tubs were deep enough. The shower pressure was weak, and the indoor baths, apart from the two open-air ones, weren’t especially warm. Dinner’s grilled salted river fish wasn’t piping hot, but it was tasty. I think it was the first time I’d eaten a whole fish head-first. Other dishes, including the venison steak, seemed to be made by someone with cooking skills, though the venison wasn’t cooked all the way through. Breakfast was a little disappointing, but the mushroom miso soup was delicious. I’d come with high expectations and ended up disappointed. I think people who like that sort of place will enjoy it. After reading earlier reviews, I’d hoped to visit when someone with experience in hotel cooking and service was there.

I stayed at this inn while visiting Nikko. It’s about an hour away by car, and feels more like a guesthouse than a hotel. The price is affordable, and you can try venison steak and salt-grilled sweetfish. There are several private family baths, with natural hot spring water available around the clock. The mountain scenery and quiet setting are lovely, and the Yunishigawa water is soothing. I also enjoyed chatting with the owner.

We stayed one night, and the owner’s warm but low-key manner suited me well. The room was on the first floor, with a forest view and a relaxing forest scent. The inn is tucked deep into Yunishigawa Onsen, and the refrigerator is shared. Free barley tea, coffee, and black tea are set out in the lobby. The massage chair was free, too, and I appreciated having scales in every changing room. There are four private baths, all supplied with flowing spring water and available at any hour. One has an outdoor section. The water is said to be a simple alkaline spring, and it left my skin feeling very smooth. The indoor baths are hotter. The open-air bath we used was lukewarm, which made sense given the cold air outside. The two baths to the left of the entrance have an indoor layout that feels semi-open-air. One of the two outdoor baths was still being prepared during our stay. We were the only group besides one other, so we could spend a long time in all the baths. Dinner was venison steak, the inn’s specialty. It was lean, pleasantly chewy, and delicious. The grilled fish was a little cold. Breakfast was simple: three homemade rice balls with bonito flakes, kelp, and pickled plum, plus pickled radish and eggplant, miso soup, and a banana. The rice balls were a treat after a long time without homemade ones, and the nameko soup was tasty. Still, all the food was cold, which was disappointing. Freshly made dishes are best, and perhaps that’s because the owner runs the place alone. The baths were lovely and the landlady kind, but the cold meals were a real letdown. I also stayed here for a night in April 2024. At that time the owner had changed from an elderly woman to a man. His friendly, unobtrusive service was very nice, and I personally got along better with him.