Nagayu Onsen Kajikaan

The local food was really delicious. The place also has an onsen, rooms, and a restaurant, with full service.

I stayed overnight, mainly hoping to see the hot spring deposits, so it was a letdown that there weren't any. The water is lukewarm, though, which makes it easy to soak for ages, and the ingredients are rich and pleasant. For a reasonable price you can use the indoor bath and the one in your room. The large public bath closes at night, but the room bath stays open all night. That means you can even do the forbidden thing and drink alcohol while soaking. Loved it!

I was there in January, and the water runs cool. If you prefer a really hot bath, this probably won't suit you. I like lukewarm water, so I enjoyed it, and it could work well if you're after a sauna. In winter the open-air bath is used as the sauna's cold bath, leaving just a small indoor bath.

The baths were wonderfully relaxing. Both are on the cool side, especially the open-air one, but the carbonated water let me soak for a long time and eased my fatigue. I went to this ryokan in Nagayu Onsen and also visited nearby Ramune Onsen. After soaking in both, I was surprised how much better I felt. The ryokan is a little old, but it's clean and comfortable. Serikawa, the restaurant attached to it, serves a very tasty, truly Japanese breakfast, and there are dinner choices too, including izakaya-style dishes and set meals. I tried enoha, which I don't often see in the Kanto region, and chicken tataki. Both were delicious, especially the enoha. It was a very good stay, and I'd like to come again if I get the chance. Thank you very much.