Stayed overnight with breakfast, no dinner. The hotel inside is very interesting, with beautiful river views (though the embankment is currently under renovation). Inside there's a very large bookstore, some shops, a cafe of the Pierre Herme type, but I didn't quite get the connection — they don't have pastries, only macarons, which weren't appealing. 2 onsen areas — one free for hotel guests, another paid (1100 yen — we didn't go). The onsen has a large indoor bath; photo from the website — I liked it. The outdoor bath is currently uninteresting due to the construction fence blocking the river view. There are very different room types. We booked the Onsenkyo room with futons. Don't recommend it — it's way too old, dusty smell, and mold in the bathroom. There are renovated rooms of other types. Otherwise a good hotel, breakfast buffet.
Day Use
NoBathing & Water
Open-air outdoor bath
Enclosed indoor bathing area
Dry heat sauna room
Riverside tent sauna (河畔サウナ) is currently closed for renovation as of 2026-07-26 notice, reopening date TBD.
Cold water plunge bath, typically used after sauna
Uses natural hot spring water
Capabilities
Private bath available for day-use visitors or hotel guests to reserve
Private onsen bath in guest rooms, for overnight guests only
Shared bathing area for all genders
Policies & Services
Restaurant or dining open to visitors (not just hotel meal plans)
Shower, wash stations, soap and shampoo provided
Towels available to rent or borrow
Relaxation space for after bathing
On-site or nearby parking available
Views
RiverAbout
Wataya Besso (和多屋別荘, わたやべっそう) sits on roughly 20,000 tsubo of grounds through which the Ureshino River flows. The property traces its origins to a rest lodge used by the Shimazu clan of the Satsuma domain, and the Shimazu family crest still appears on parts of the building today. Two accommodation wings make up the complex: Suimeiso (水明荘, すいめいそう), a traditional sukiya-style wing, and the Wataya Besso tower. The dedicated bath pavilion, Yudono Shinsho (湯殿 心晶, ゆどの しんしょう), is reserved for lodge guests and includes indoor baths in cypress and granite, an outdoor bath, a mist sauna, and a cold bath. Suimeiso guest rooms all have their own cypress baths, with some rooms offering an outdoor bath as well. Ureshino's water is soft and faintly alkaline, leaving skin noticeably smooth after soaking, and the baths here run fresh kakenagashi (かけ流し, flowing directly from the source).
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