Onogawa Onsen Takasagoya

Takasagoya is a small ryokan at Onogawa Onsen, said to date from before the Edo period. A 2024 renovation left it with just five guest rooms, each with its own semi-open-air bath fed with full-strength spring water rather than a plain tub. Room styles vary: a terrace suite for star-gazing after a soak, a one-floor room a family or group can take over entirely, and tatami rooms with a ceramic tub. There is also a shared indoor and open-air bath downstairs, a private bath called Komachi no Yu (小町の湯) bookable same day, and a hot-stone bath, Tokino Heya (ときのへや), heated by the spring itself. Walk-in day bathing is available too. The water is soft and mildly sulfurous, gentle enough that it is also served for drinking, and local legend ties the spring to the Heian-era poet Ono no Komachi. Dinner is built around Yonezawa beef, and there is a small cafe for a post-bath ice cream made with the spring water.