Nanadaru Onsen Hotel

Part 3. About the ryokan The room itself was fairly ordinary, a little worn, with a pleasant touch of old-fashioned charm, just like the ryokan itself. The windows faced the river, and it also started raining on the day I checked in. Even though the river could not be seen, its murmur and the sound of the rain created a special vibe. What amused me about the ryokan interior was the dried fish in a vase instead of dried flowers. Dinner was served in an interesting way, sashimi in a boat, a large brightly colored fish, but it turned out to be quite bony and overall the food tasted average. What really made me happy was the wasabi root, which you had to grate yourself on a tiny grater. That day it was already the second time I had enjoyed such an attraction, at lunchtime I had eaten at a themed wasabi eatery right next to the ryokan. Breakfast did not have wasabi, but it was tastier than dinner. Everything was served in the shared dining room, with European-style tables and chairs, which I personally liked. Overall, a good place to stay in these parts, the onsen are wonderful. 10.05.2025

Part 2. Cave konyoku I found out only at checkout that the cave rotenburo is next to the trail to the waterfalls, and they gave me a code. It turns out to be konyoku, that is, shared by men and women. They warned me that a swimsuit was needed, and I had one. I walked two hundred meters from the hotel, along the same road where I had gone hiking to the waterfalls the day before. By the stream there is a fence, entry by code, and two changing rooms, the locker keys are wooden tags like in an izakaya when you lock up your shoes. A path to an opening in the ground... You go down a rocky little staircase, it is very atmospheric, among the rocks there are hollows with onsen water, the temperature is comfortable, and you can see the river and the opposite bank. I was there alone, but in general there is quite a lot of space, people could spread out into different corners of the cave. A very unusual and pleasant experience, I enjoyed looking at the river while sitting in the cave in the onsen. 10.05.2025

1. Nanadaru Onsen Hotel Part 1. Almost all the onsen A small ryokan near the Seven Waterfalls along a stream. I stayed overnight, and my main goal was to try fresh wasabi and visit the cave onsen. There are two private indoor baths, neither of them very interesting. One is an uchiyu, an iwaburo, that is, lined with stones, and the other is sort of a hinokiburo, but with a stone floor. The roten hinokiburo, though, is wonderful, and the floor there is stone too. The private baths are used on a first-come, first-served basis. There are also two shared rotenburo, one of which, on the day I arrived, was for women, but there was no one there except me, so I effectively used it as a kashikiri. In the rain the next morning, it was especially wonderful to sit in the wooden rotenburo, watch the raindrops, and look at yuno-hana, mineral deposits from the water on the boulders that look like white flower petals. The water in all the onsen seemed to be kakenagashi, which is valuable and amazing, and the temperature was perfect too. The water is bicarbonate spring water (calcium-sodium). It makes the skin smooth, and this kind of water is called a “beauty spring.” It is clear and almost has no smell. The entrance to the second non-private rotenburo led out somewhere onto the street, but on the day I checked into the hotel it was a men’s day. I was sure that this was the path to the cave onsen, and I waited excitedly for the next day so I could try the main onsen. However, the next morning before breakfast it was men’s again, with the matching noren hanging there. It turned out that it was for women until 8. Wow, how did I manage to miss that? I talked to the lady at reception, and she understood my wish to try all the onsen, took down the men’s noren curtain, and let me into that biggest rotenburo, telling me to lock the door. By the way, after 19:30 all the onsen are private, first come, first served. I was so surprised when I found that this was not a cave either. Still, it was a scenic iwaburo, full of boulders and with a beautiful view of nature, and the water temperature was very comfortable. 10.05.2025

200. Nanadaru Onsen Hotel, Kawazu ★★ I went for a day trip bath for ¥1000 (listed from 9:00 to 19:30). I did not find the owner right away, then about five minutes later he arrived by car and let me in for the day trip bath, so there may be some risk if you just show up. A small towel costs ¥100, but they gave me one anyway. They stamp the Shizuoka 60 onsen stamp rally. I got into the outdoor bath, but as I later understood, there is also a mixed cave bath there, or maybe day trip visitors are not allowed in, or it was just a translation issue and I did not understand. The outdoor bath is a large, cozy stone bath with a nice view of nature. The water was clear, and the temperature was between warm and hot. A light breeze was blowing, and it was easy to just sit there and zone out. A pleasant place, worth recommending for a day trip bath in Kawazu even if you only use the outdoor bath, and if you can get into the cave bath too, then you should go. 19.07.2024