HInaguonsen Yanagiya Ryokan

I visited Hinagu Onsen during Golden Week and took this photo on Sunday, May 4, 2025. I’d heard the area used to be pretty lively, but I like its retro feel now. The inn is old-fashioned, and they’ve kept it up with renovations and other work. I enjoy the rustic atmosphere.

Whether the place looks charming or simply old will probably depend a lot on the person. The hot spring itself seems to be managed centrally by the inn association. It’s the two-level cascade style common at Hinagu Onsen, where water flows over from the upper bath into the lower one. The upper bath felt quite hot at 43°C, while the lower was around 41°C, though it was a little warmer early in the morning.

This long-running inn apparently dates back to the Meiji era, and it has a nice atmosphere. I don’t mind that it’s old, but the closet doors were poorly fitted and kept swinging open no matter how often I shut them. I liked the hot spring, though the bath area window was open and it was really cold. The shower also took ages to heat up, so I was freezing while washing. Maybe the previous guest had been soaking for a long time and opened the window because it got too hot. Breakfast was the only meal offered, and the portion was modest.

Hinagu Onsen’s ups and downs are easy to see at this inn. I hope it draws more people and helps keep the town prosperous for as long as possible. If it’s maintained well, it could become a cultural asset, but if things go on as they are, it may be abandoned. I wonder if anything can be done. The spring water is excellent, and the bath is marble. The changing room is small. There are two showers, one of them poor quality. Good shampoo, conditioner, and body soap are provided, along with hair dryers. Parking is available, and the glass windows dotted around the inn are worth seeing. Day bathing costs 500 yen.