Forest Resort Yugawara Mizunokaori

This was my first stay in Yugawara Onsen.The water is quite hot, which I personally like.The dishes were beautifully plated and a delight to look at as well.We were also very grateful to the staff who assisted us during meals—they were always smiling and very attentive.This isn’t specific to this Hotel, but regarding children’s meals: when we choose Child Sharing Existing Bedding and order only the meal, most places serve something like a kids’ set. Even if it’s paid, we would really appreciate having the option to choose just rice and miso soup. Our 2-year-old was kindly provided rice and miso soup free of charge. For our 5-year-old, we felt it wouldn’t be right not to order a meal, so we did—but we would be very thankful if there were options to choose from. I don’t want to end up finishing what my child leaves behind instead of enjoying the wonderful food myself—an admittedly selfish request.The dried horse mackerel at breakfast was absolutely delicious. We look forward to staying again when we visit Yugawara.

This was one of the Accommodations we shortlisted, and I stayed here with my daughter. The bus stop was right in front, which made getting there and back very convenient. It’s reassuring to check the bus times from the station and for after check-out in advance. We arrived close to 6:30 p.m., but they kindly accommodated us. The front desk staff member was a foreign national, but handled everything professionally—I felt they were well trained.I hadn’t really understood what a “semi-private” dining space would be like, but it truly was semi-private (laugh). The entrance to our seating area was covered by a noren curtain, and the surroundings were walled off, so the table felt spacious for two people. When we sat down, the meal had already been set out, and an attendant guided us. The attendants were also foreign nationals, working in kimono; everyone greeted us with a smile and spoke excellent Japanese—I was impressed. Each semi-private space had its own name based on traditional Japanese color names, displayed on panels in those colors as well. It felt like an Accommodation that values atmosphere.The Room was kept very clean. It wasn’t brand-new by any means, but it seemed well cared for.I used the large public bath three times. In someone else’s comment I saw mention of trash or hair in the changing area. There wasn’t anything like that inside the trash bins; there was some hair on the floor though. I thought that might be unavoidable to some extent. Since the flooring wasn’t wood or vinyl but more of a reed-mat material, it didn’t make hair stand out as much or stick to your feet as easily (at least that’s how it felt). That night there was a lint roller left out upright, so my daughter did a quick clean-up (laugh).At night I couldn’t find the route to the open-air bath—the entrance is next to the door from the changing room into the main bath area—but I didn’t look carefully enough at first. Another guest explained how to get there, so I used it in the morning.For me, the water temperature was just right—not too hot. The thermometer read around 42°C; naturally it feels hotter near where fresh hot water comes out. There is drinking water available in the changing room as well, which helped with hydration.Breakfast was served in another semi-private space too. Just like dinner I thought it would be light enough—but I ended up completely full.The Yunokawa/Yugawara hot spring water makes your skin feel smooth immediately; I experienced this last year at another Accommodation as well. Next year too, I’d love to visit Kaori again.”