The term #Ryokan simply means Japanese Inn, while the term #Onsen simply means Hot Spring. Not all hot springs places are hotels to stay overnight and not every place will have all 3 options below.
Large Public Hot Spring Baths
Gender segregated
No tattoos allowed
No bathing suits allowed
Towels and cubbies for personal items provided
Usually large, beautifully designed spaces if it is the main attraction for a ryokan
Private Hot Spring Baths
Allows groups/families
Tattoos allowed
Rent by the hour
Books up quickly during peak season
Better to reserve in advance
Private Hot Spring Baths Inside Guest Rooms
Guest rooms with open-air baths (#rotenburo)
Enjoy hot spring anytime during your stay
Usually meals are inclusive
When looking to experience a traditional Japanese Onsen, a conscious traveler must recognize the different types of hot springs offered and book according to your needs.
If you’ve searched for ryokans in popular destinations like #Hakone or #Kyoto, you understand why I chose a smaller town. Popular hotels with private baths can easily start at $500 USD per person, per night and it goes up from there. Getting a private bath for an hour is very cheap, sometimes free, but it can be hard to make reservations if you don’t speak Japanese and the rooms get booked up fast by families on holiday. Many of my group had tattoos and we were visiting during peak tourist season so I specifically looked for a Ryokan Onsen with rotenburos.
I pulled up a bullet train map and searched stop by stop, town by town, to compare Hot Spring Hotels to accommodate us and finally chose Sanrakuen in the #Kanazawa prefecture. As you can see from the images, it was everything I hoped for and more. I can’t wait to tell you all about this quaint little town and inn!
Sanrakuen 三楽園
For a Japanese style room with an open-air bath, balcony overlooking a mountain plus daily breakfast, we paid about $160 USD per person, per night. This is a GREAT deal considering the price in other places. On top of that our group only needed one in room bath, so the others were able to get even cheaper rooms and simply join us when they wanted to use the hot springs.
Meals
A traditional multi-course Japanese meal called kaiseki or kaiseki-ryōri was prepared for us every morning and I can’t say enough what an life changing experience it was each time. I’ve had #kaiseki meals in other cities, but this was by far one of my favorite meals ever AND I got to enjoy a slight variation every morning of our stay. Aside from eating tender beef grilled on little stoves in front of you or home made pickles and sides, each meal was presented so beautifully you just want to cry into the sleeves of your yukata. I will never forget these meals or the intense care put into our breakfast by the Inn staff.
Amenities
Aside from the open air in-room baths overlooking colorful mountains and an emerald river, this little inn also had small public bath areas. I knew going in that public baths were on the smaller side, but our group was also able to use the in room one anytime so it was a fair trade for the irreplaceable views. Spa services were also available like massages, in room massages, or body wraps.
The body wraps were serviced with mud from the hot springs and were said to have fertility benefits. We all laughed over this at the time but my cousins actually conceived and are expecting a baby boy this summer, perhaps thanks to this Japanese hot spring wrap!
Transportation
I booked our lodging this particular time through Booking.Com and all arrangements for transportation was easy through the app directly. I was able to easily confirm a shuttle pick up at the nearest #shinkansen (bullet train) stop directly to the hotel by typing out my requests in English and the app translates all incoming messages from Japanese. It's not impossible to communicate while you're on site but we were also very lucky to have a local friend with us.
Town/Nearby attractions
The little town of Tonami was a delight to explore, and we appreciated the slower pace of life. Restaurants down the street grilled fresh fish from the river, and there was a little hot spring foot bath near the market.
For day trips we asked the hotel to book us our group a round trip small bus ride to a UNESCO World Heritage site nearby in the Village of Gokayama. This preserved village was full of #gassho style traditional homes as you'll see in the pictures. We got a chance to see a different way of life and enjoy the scenic route we road tripped on.
If you're looking for a way to enjoy Japanese Hot Springs, do a little bit more research and you can also experience it for cheaper than you think. This was one of my favorite trips to Japan and I will always remember the changing of the Autumn leaves. Check the Kyoto post from the same trip to see more Fall colors.
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