Kusatsu Onsen 326 Yama no Yu Hotel

Pros: Friendly service. Great location—close to Yubatake and with parking available. Clean and well maintained. I used the bath at night and in the morning, and had it all to myself both times. The bread was delicious. Cons: The TV screen is small, so keep that in mind if you plan to watch TV. You can hear footsteps in the hallway. There were no slippers (they might be available), which wasn’t a big issue but felt a bit unusual.

Stayed for 2 nights. Check-in was handled by a calm older gentleman who explained everything very clearly. The Room was clean and flawless. Since this trip was mainly for the Onsen, the light meals were actually perfect. It seems the baths are usually separated by gender, but this time they were on a time schedule—slightly disappointing for me as I like early-morning bathing, but it wasn’t an issue because Kusatsu’s three public baths are open from morning. I’ll be retiring in a year, so I plan to come back often. As an aside, there’s a fruit shop right in front of the Hotel, and their “Haru Aika” mandarins were so delicious I ate way too many (lol).