Shirakawago no Yu Hotel

The outdoor view was gorgeous, and I loved it. The bath water was slightly murky rather than clear, so it seemed full of minerals. Still, a few changes and some better customer service would make me want to visit this bath house again. I went to the bath while staying in Shirakawa-go, though I didn’t stay at the onsen-hotel itself. The place looked relaxing, so we paid to enter. The woman we spoke with kept cutting me off and talked to us in a condescending way. Since we had no towels, we had to pay 300 yen for them on top of the 800 yen bath fee. The lockers took coins, which was inconvenient without cash. There were no small towels or hair and face towels, which hot baths usually have. The shower also kept shutting off after a while, so we had to keep pressing it to maintain steady waterflow.

We went to the onsen from another accommodation as a family, arriving around 7:30 p.m. The posted hours said it was open until 9:00 p.m., but the waiting lounge with seating for onsen customers had already closed before 8:40. Some of us finished earlier than the others and had to stand on the cold stone floor by the entrance. It wiped away all the warmth we’d gotten from the onsen. Have they considered that outside customers might need a warm place to sit while waiting for their companions?

I only used the Onsen for the day. It cost 800 yen with my own towels, and the ticket machine takes cash only. It’s a small Onsen, with a sauna, cool bath, brown water in the main indoor bath, and a slightly milky outdoor bath. There’s no view at night, but you can hear the water running. The men's side has coin lockers, baskets, and a hair dryer. There’s also a parking lot.

The hot spring is open to day visitors, and there’s fantastic gelato and a terrace with an unbelievable river view. It’s a treasure hidden in plain sight, just 1 min from the main bus station and slightly away from the madness of the main road.