Matsunoyama Onsen Izumiya

There were five private baths for five rooms, so I was excited to stay there. Matsunoyama Onsen is said to be one of Japan's three major medicinal baths. It is also a geopressure hot spring, meaning that seawater trapped 12 million years ago is spewing out due to the pressure of the earth, so it is as salty as seawater. The baths I was looking forward to were lined up on the same side of the corridor. This means that the views are roughly the same for all of them. There were two baths with spring water flowing directly from the source, and three with circulating filtered water + flowing water. I don't usually use the circulating filtered baths, so I ended up using two baths. The larger open-air bath is surrounded by the surrounding inns and is completely visible, so women can enter in their bathing clothes, but it felt a little unsettling. The smaller open-air bath had a unique smell that could be called the medicinal bath, and the salt concentration was about the same as seawater, so I felt that it would definitely be effective for something. Now, as for the room, it had a Simmons semi-double bed and a simple, modern interior that was comfortable. It was a little disappointing that the view was on the town side, with the inn across the street. While the room had a luxurious feel, there was also a lack of luxury. For example, the yukata shelf said "One yukata per person only," and there were no tabi socks. Also, if the bath is the selling point, for example, if they could provide two bath towels per person, it would give the room a sense of luxury that suits it. In that sense, it seemed a little inconsistent. I think it's better not to be stingy in strange places, even if it means the price goes up. As for the food, it was generally delicious, but I wish they wouldn't bring the hot dishes right from the beginning. The main dish of Tsumari pork was also set on fire first. I would like to enjoy the food slowly with my alcohol. I would like to eat the cold appetizers and sashimi first, and then enjoy the hot grilled fish and tempura. However, the order in which they bring the food is almost the same. The local sake is local and can be ordered by the glass, which was nice, but I wish they had put a bit more thought into the order of the dishes. By the way, the dish of Tsumari pork hamburger wrapped in meat and steamed with vegetables in paper was excellent. I think it would be great if they had thought about the overall flow of the meal. It would have been great if they had put a bit more effort into it, so I gave it a dry rating of 4 points. Lastly, it cost nearly 5,000 yen to take a taxi from Matsudai Station, so if you are using public transport, I recommend taking the bus, even though there are few buses.

I wanted to stay at Matsunoyama Onsen, one of Japan's three great medicinal hot springs. The water is hot, but once you get used to it, your body miraculously adapts and it feels like your whole body is absorbing the power of the hot spring. It was a great hot spring, just as people said. The room had just been renovated, so it was a plus that I was able to stay in a clean and tidy place. And as you'd expect from Niigata, the rice capital, the food and sake were both delicious. There was a wide variety of sake on offer, so it was fun to choose. The staff were all nice. I'd like to come again.