Yukyonohibiki Yusai

412. Yukyonohibiki Yusai, Kurokawa Onsen (pt.1) ★★ Visited for a day trip. One of the few "concrete" ryokans in Kurokawa, located east of the central area. Baths are fully accessible when staying at the affiliated hotel across the street - Yusai Bekkan. Day-trip access is available from 15:00 to 21:00. Included in the Kurokawa tag. Couldn't find a proper sign with the composition; staff only had a promotional one (they said a formal one should be somewhere in the onsen, but I couldn't find it). Formally, day-trip access is only allowed in the Yawaragi zone, but there are known cases where staff permitted day-trip visitors to enter other areas: the Mahoroba zone and private baths. In the Mahoroba zone, baths alternate by gender. When visiting the onsen, you first enter the Yawaragi zone, but the Mahoroba zone can be easily missed as you have to go separately sideways and down. There are also rooms for accommodation with private baths. About the onsens: 1. Yawaragi zone. 1.1. Outdoor bath Jusai with clear water, temperature about 42°C. View of trees and river, but to see the river you need to sit/stand high or be right at the edge of the bath. There is a small human figure on one side of the bath. The appeal of the onsen strongly depends on the time of day and lighting: - Early morning, when sunlight directly illuminates the onsen, looks great, especially if you catch the yukemoribi effect - even cooler; - Midday under normal daylight, the bath feels plain and less captivating; - The best highlight of the bath is in the evening when subtle lighting is turned on. 1.2. Indoor bath Yutaki with a small human figure, clear water, temperature about 41°C. Inside it is stuffy with a lot of steam. 15.01.2025 08.04.2025 29.12.2025

412. Yukyonohibiki Yusai, Kurokawa Onsen (pt.2) ★★ About the onsens: 2. Mahoroba Zone. Chikurin Bath. From 06:00 to 09:30 and from 15:00 to 19:30 - men's bath, from 20:00 to 24:00 - women's bath. An atmospheric indoor bath with a view of bamboo through the glass, the water is clear, temperature around 40-41°C. Breathing inside is tolerable. It looks great both in the evening when a small light is turned on, and in the morning in sunlight. It feels like a location from some game. 15.01.2025 08.04.2025 29.12.2025

412. Yukyonohibiki Yusai, Kurokawa Onsen (pt.3) ★★ About the onsens: 3. Mahoroba Zone. Baths Souhi and Keiryu. From 20:00 to 24:00 - men's, from 06:00 to 09:30 and from 15:00 to 19:30 - women's. 3.1. Semi-open spacious stone bath Keiryu. Enclosed by a wall with loophole windows facing the river. In the evening there was a lot of steam and it was dark. I wouldn't say I connected with the bath - I didn't quite understand it. The water is clear, temperature around 41-41.5°C. 3.2. First indoor bath Souhi. Water is clear, temperature 42.5-43°C. Breathing inside is comfortable. 3.3. Second mirrored indoor bath Souhi. Water is clear, temperature 42.5-43°C. Breathing inside is comfortable. 4. Private indoor rectangular bath Nagomi. Water is clear, temperature 42.5°C. Breathing inside is comfortable. 5. Private indoor octagonal bath Sugi. Water is clear, temperature 41-42°C. Breathing inside is bearable, it was humid in the evening. The rating of this place increased as I gathered more information and visited more times; its potential revealed more and more - I completed this review on the third try. Ultimately, it's debatable to choose a "concrete" ryokan in Kurokawa, but the onsen part looks impressive. If you stay overnight in a room with onsen, you can visit 9 baths in the ryokan. To sum up: - For a first overnight trip, I would still consider another ryokan in Kurokawa; - If other options are not suitable or unavailable, this is a very worthy choice by itself; - If not staying overnight, I highly recommend visiting for a day trip in the evening. 15.01.2025 08.04.2025 29.12.2025

A huge hotel; they allow higaeri access to all onsens. Showers everywhere; didn't ask about towels, but they seem to provide them. There are two rotenburo, several cypress baths indoors, and several regular ones. Both rotenburo are very pleasant, right by the river. One on the 1st floor is nicely decorated with wood and separated from the river by bamboo. In the evening there's cozy lighting that compensates for the limited visibility. The second is in a semi-basement (the one called Mahoroba in photos), made of stone; the river is more visible and closer, but the lighting isn't as great. This hotel had the highest concentration of old-timers, especially in the second rotenburo and the cypress baths. Didn't go to the private baths; saw one of them from outside - nothing special. Overall, I can recommend a visit.