Sakaiya Mori no Hotel Waldberg

I chose Zao Onsen this time because I wanted to soak in Wald Berg’s open-air bath again after a long time. When I arrived at the Hotel, I felt the hospitality and service were better than before. At the front desk, they seemed to remember that I had stayed here previously. When I was shown to my Room, I appreciated that the air conditioning had already been set to a comfortable temperature. And then, the Onsen—Zao Onsen really is wonderful. Among all the baths in Zao Onsen, Wald Berg’s forest open-air bath is spacious and truly outstanding. Dinner was more than satisfying as well, and I was happy that even a solo guest receives a beer. I ended up enjoying the open-air bath four times—it was excellent. The only disappointment was that the riverside open-air bath was closed due to bear activity, so I couldn’t use it. In the past, my mother-in-law, my wife, and I came together and enjoyed our stay; this year my mother-in-law passed away, so it was just the two of us. As it is Obon season, we enjoyed Zao Onsen while remembering her fondly.

Compared with many acidic sulfur Onsen that tend to be very hot, this one has a pleasantly lukewarm bath—and even an open-air reclining bath.That was the biggest reason I chose it (I like long, leisurely soaks).Good value and right next to the slopes, which makes skiing easy.The downside is that the Accommodation is a short walk uphill, so it’s not as easy to casually head into town for sightseeing. Also, the adjacent ski area doesn’t offer night skiing, so you’ll need to travel if you want to ski at night.After skiing, the route back down from the slopes can be hard to find; it’s easier to take the Zao Chuo Ropeway down and ride the Nakamori Triple once to get back smoothly.