Hotel Toyotomi

I've wanted to visit Toyotomi Onsen for ages, and finally got to try its famous oil-bearing water drawn straight from the source. It was incredibly hot, though. I couldn't get into the bath after a quick rinse, so I warmed up in the sauna first and then used the cold bath to cool my body down. Oddly, that made the sauna feel like it had a purpose, and I enjoyed the hot spring experience. The water is one of Japan's best-known hot springs, but this place is really for therapeutic bathing rather than sauna time. The dry sauna is around 80 degrees, medium temperature, with two levels and no TV. The cold bath holds up to six and felt more like 16-17 degrees, so it was lukewarm. There are indoor seats to relax in, and I didn't rate the pathway. Mats are supplied, though the fixed ones are pretty worn, so bringing your own seems sensible. Honestly, the sauna itself would get two stars from me because of the lukewarm cold bath. Still, Toyotomi is a famous spring and there aren't many sauna options nearby, so I gave the place four stars overall.

On my first visit, I was on my own, so I made a point of trying the oily hot spring I'd been wanting to see. There are three baths and a sauna. The water really does have that oily spring character, and it seems like it could leave my skin feeling smooth.

The day-use bath was easy to enjoy, and I liked the water a lot. The changing room was a letdown, though, with cobwebs dangling from the ceiling and dusty shelves. Maybe they're short-staffed? The lobby had lots of cute potted plants, but they didn't look very well looked after. That's separate from the hot springs themselves, of course.

The building and facilities felt a little dated, but the petroleum hot spring water was excellent. For one night with two meals, the value was pretty good. When we checked out, we saw deer grazing outside the hotel, completely unbothered by people 😊