Nara Kenko Land Plaza Hotel

The restaurant upstairs, TEN ramen, was great, with inexpensive udon, Curry, and Karaage. We wore the spa clothes there and around the game arcade, rest room, and relaxing room. The wristband lets you charge whatever you use during the day and pay at checkout. For ¥2200, you can stay as long as you like. The onsen has many pools at different temperatures and an outdoor waterfall. One sauna is included, with extra saunas available as an upgrade. We came from Nara by train for a rainy day of relaxation. We wanted the leisure pool because we’re a mixed sex couple, but it only opened on weekends, and sadly the website didn’t mention that. Getting there is tricky: a bus runs to and from Hiragata station, but call to confirm the times since the online timetable was inaccurate. Or get off at Nikaido and walk 18 minutes through a very cute neighborhood. It's remote enough that we couldn't even call a taxi, let alone find an Uber. We had a really enjoyable day and would go back.

I didn't stay at the hotel, just visited the well-known onsen. As a Canadian, I'm not used to bathhouses at home and have only tried a few, but this was the best onsen I've been to. I'd choose it over my regular bathtub any day. There are so many baths to try. My favorites were the outdoor pot baths, the indoor milky bath, and the cold dip. The sauna choices are wide-ranging, and I especially liked the medicinal one, where you can lie down with headrests. It was a wonderful visit, with a great community, not too many people, and a very hygienic environment. The front desk was helpful, too. I'd recommend it to locals and foreigners. It's kid-friendly, since I saw many children, but if you bring yours, make sure they're respectful and quiet.

I had planned to visit the onsen with my family of five, but we decided against it after reading the owner's dismissive comments about tattooed guests. I'm the only one in the family with a tattoo, yet my family didn't want to support a place where I wouldn't be welcome. I understand this is Japan, but the attitude struck me as outdated and unwelcoming.

It looked really good from the outside and in the photos, but we were turned away because we had tattoos. We came all the way from Nara station and couldn't get in. It was our fault for trusting the reviews.