Yousenkaku Iwamatsu Ryokan

It's a wonderful hot spring. There are many springs, and the open-air baths are completely free-flowing with no circulation. The open-air baths are mixed-gender, but there are designated times for women only. I think mixed-gender hot springs are a part of traditional Japanese culture, but there are only a few left, which makes it difficult for women to enter. In addition to the mixed-gender open-air baths, there is a women's only bathroom and very large indoor baths separated by gender.

The rock bath along the mountain stream is very atmospheric. The indoor bath is spacious, and the hot spring is wonderful. The building itself is old, but the corridors have been renovated. The buffet has a small number of dishes, but each dish seems to be carefully prepared. There was a bed in the room. It was a bit strange to see the bed casually placed on the tatami mats. I think it would have been better if there was a sauna. It was May, so the fresh greenery along the mountain stream was very refreshing.

The open-air bath in the valley was so wonderful that it reminded me of the good old days. This hot spring is basically mixed bathing, but there are designated times for women only and men only, so you can enjoy this wonderful open-air bath. There is also a women-only open-air bath nearby. The indoor bath is also spacious, so even those who don't like open-air baths will be able to enjoy the hot spring. Despite having this wonderful hot spring, the accommodation fee was very reasonable. The building was impressive, the rooms were spacious and comfortable. The only disappointment was the dinner. If the food could be improved even if the accommodation fee was a little more, I would like to go back to this hot spring inn.

You take the elevator to the lowest floor, then go all the way down the stairs to the open-air bath along the river, which was quite nice. After the bath, you're sweating again and it's a pain to have to climb back up, and the large bath with the washing area is on the floor above, which was inconvenient. Furthermore, the open-air bath on the lowest floor is basically mixed-gender, and there are times when it is only for women. The regular large bath is about what you'd expect. The buffet is in line with the price of the inn. Overall it was neither good nor bad.

I wanted to visit Sakunami Onsen, a hot spring that springs at your feet. It has four different springs, four baths, all of which spring at your feet, and an open-air bath with a spectacular view along the river, making it an incredibly luxurious situation. There is a rock bath at a place where you have to go up and down more than 80 steps, but the steps are wide and have a very nice atmosphere, so you don't usually feel it. Of course, there is a roof that continues from the inn, so you won't get rained on or snowed in, but it is very cold. There is also a women's only bath halfway up the stairs, and it seems that you can also enjoy a wonderful view here, but unfortunately it is completely women's only and men cannot use it. Now, as for this rock bath, if you look at the ingredients list, the temperature and spring quality are almost the same everywhere. Perhaps because of the ingredients, your skin won't feel smooth after you get out of the bath, but you will feel very warm after you get out of the bath. Because it is an open-air bath, you can cool off in the outside air and then get back in again, so you will want to take a long bath. On the other hand, the large indoor bath boasts a volume of water that is enough to fill the entire area with the source water, but it seems that some of the water is also recycled to remove hair. Many hot spring inns have an entrance leading to an open-air bath, but this one does not, so you cannot get exposed to the outside air and it is not suitable for long baths. They do not use chlorine or add water, but I still feel that a completely free-flowing rock bath is more effective. (There are also many atmospheric elements?) The room was separate from the bedroom, and the futon was laid out from the beginning, so there was no staff coming in and out during the stay and it was stress-free. The food on our plan was a buffet for both dinner and breakfast, so maybe there were a few cold dishes? Since it is in Tohoku, there were many salty dishes that could be eaten with rice. It was a large hot spring inn with a lot of guests, but for some reason there were not many people using the rock bath after meals, so I was alone and took some photos. Considering this miraculous rock bath and the atmosphere of the room, I think it is a very cost-effective hot spring inn.