Kinugawa Onsen Hotel

We enjoyed this more than Tokyo. It felt like a real vacation: eat, soak, rest, repeat. We spent one day at the onsen, another at Edo Wonderland, and a third visiting the bridge and hiking. There’s a full-course buffet, plus tea, soda, coffee, mochi, rice crackers, and sweets from 3 to 5 PM. Dinner runs from 5:30 to 8 pm, with entertainment at 8 PM.

The rooms were comfortable, clean, and spacious, and the buffet had so many well-organized choices for dinner and breakfast that it was almost too much food. The onsen facilities were very good and equipped with all the necessities. The township is quiet, with few residents and mostly people coming for the superb hot spring. The hotel mainly caters to locals but also serves international guests. Customer service was first class, efficient, and made me feel like royalty. After I left my battery pack in the room at checkout, they kindly sent it to my next hotel. Thank you, much appreciated. Keep up the impressive service. I’d recommend the hotel and hope to return one day.

The kaiseki dinner was the highlight, while breakfast could use better options. The shuttle bus runs only a few times during the day, so you mostly need to travel by taxi. The room is a bit aged but well maintained, and there are generous snacks and drinks when you arrive. The service is superb, and you feel welcome as soon as you enter.

The food was delicious and the staff were kind. The onsen gets a bit crowded at busy times. The outdoor onsen windows are closed in the evening, so go in the morning or afternoon if you want to see the view better. I’d seen online reviews and thought the price included the buffets and all-you-can-drink, but when I arrived on 21/10/25, it turned out the all-you-can-drink cost an extra 2700 yen. That wasn’t what we expected.