“Outdated but charming, amazing baths”

Great bathing facilities with several baths, no issue with tattoos. Free breakfast. Traditional washitsu room with raised beds worked well. Lots of parking space. Charming in a time capsule kind of way. Reception (younger man) spoke good English and was very friendly.

Hotel room size is ok.

“Room is spacious. Bathroom is musky cos lacks exhaust / ventilator”

Like the natural sulphur bath. Good breakfast buffet.

“A quaint property with many memorabilia from the past era”

Interesting old world charm

“Good value for money option in Akan-Mashu National Park area”

Whilst the public areas reflect the age of the hotel and years of wear and tear, the room I occupied was in pretty good condition. The room was spacious and had all the requisite facilities. It was delightfully warm and cosy all the time. The onsen is a fine facility despite its age and has 4 or 5 baths of varying temperatures. Breakfast was a buffet with a reasonable choice of dishes and started at 6.30, so plenty of opportunity for the quick getaway afterwards. The hotel is also close to a number of pretty decent restaurants. Overall, I enjoyed my 3 nights in this hotel. It's good value for money and a much more affordable alternative than the hotels on either Lake Akan or Lake Kussharo.

“We stayed for 3 nights, breakfast is simple but taste good. Even though the hotel is dated but the room we stayed in has”

Great onsen.

“Past its prime”

Fin de siecle air of slow decline, mainly due to lack of maintenance

“Spaceous rooms, requiring some extra cleaning, and also very hot during summer due to no AC.”

A good onsen.

“Classic hotel with FANTASTIC baths, in a cool little onsen-town nestled in the mountains. I dig.”

Kawayu Onsen is a lovely little spot - as long as this is what you're looking for - and this is the perfect hotel to stay in if you're coming. I've been to a lot of onsen towns in Japan, some with fantastic waters, some with picturesque streets to wander around in your yukata and geta. Kawayu, though, is a quiet little spot nestled in the mountains with lovely people, a bit of a "frontier" vibe and WONDERFUL waters. The town is centred on a great little ashi-yu (natural footbath) a couple of souvenir shops with a wild-west mountain vibe (hand-carved bear-claw pendants, anyone?) some great restaurants (Inaka-ya Genpei - HIGHLY recommended) and an old-skool sumo museum dedicated to a local hero. The hotel itself is a bit "Showa-era-poi" and the waters, for which this town is justly famous, are bloody great. I used not dig the sulphuric (eggy) onsens but this place has converted me: it seems, unlike the vast majority of Japanese onsens, the bath water is not diluted at all, and - due to its purity - there are signs all over as to how long you should spend in each bath (there are a variety of temperatures maintained) so as to not be dissolved away(!) I loved it. I doubt the waters actually have all the healing properties they claim, but they certainly put a smile on my face, This is far from where I live, but I’d love to visit again (wearing my (hand-carved bear-claw pendant)!

“Nice Japanese room, great onsen.”

A bit older hotel, but the room is fine, the breakfast is good and they have a great onsen.