Hotel Hot Springs di Tochigi Prefecture, Japan

A rather unique hot spring hotel. The room I booked was a Japanese-style room (washitsu), purely tatami room, and there's no bathroom inside – please be aware of this. To bathe, you need to go to a separate, traditional Japanese hot spring bath, separated by gender, where you must be naked and thoroughly washed before entering. Opinions on the experience vary, but the Japanese seem to enjoy it, haha. The hotel includes breakfast and dinner, which were surprisingly high quality, and the menu changed daily, which was a pleasant surprise. The service was excellent, with the typical Japanese attentiveness, and the staff spoke decent English, so communication wasn't a problem. Overall, a very unique hotel, definitely worth experiencing.

The BEST hostel I ever stayed in! If you are staying in Lake Chuzenji in Nikko you got to stay here. It is a hostel within a hotel so it is very clean, safe and very big. The staff are very friendly and everything is amazing. They have a free onsen + a lounge with drinks, tea, wine, coffee, and ice cream bars that you could take! They have a microwave too if you need it and a hot water dispenser. The hotel is right in front of the lake so you know you’re gonna have a good time! The bus station is also right in front and if you are parking they have plenty of space! You have to come here. I will come here again!

The hotel is around 10mins walk from Kinugawa-Onsen Station. Although there are many abandoned hotels, shops, residences, buildings around the surrounding area, I can still explore the area as the street lights are lit in the evening. The hotel is divided into different wings and occupies a large area. I stayed in the upper floors of the hotel’s main building (Kirakukan) but there’s an option to stay at the hotel’s park-cottages that is built on the cliff of the riverbank and overlooks the Kinugawa river. The Kinugawa Park Cottage is located separately further away from the main building. I only noticed a local Japanese family of four or five persons being escorted by the hotel staff to one of the cottages. Other than that one-off encounter, I didn’t see anyone else at the area around the cottage which is also super quiet. Likewise for the other wings of the hotel i.e. Kinoyakata and Kishintei, I didn’t see any guests maybe due to low season. Love the onsen and the private open-air bath, the traditional Japanese kaiseiki breakfast and dinner. There’s also a souvenir shop, ramen & snack shop as well as an outdoor swimming pool which I couldn’t use as it is only available for use come summer time. Just across the road from the hotel, there’s the Waterside Cafe Terrace, a 7-Eleven convenience store adjacent to the hotel and since there’s no self-service washing machine/dryer in the hotel, the nearest 24h laundromat is around a 5-min walk from the hotel located behind the Waterside Cafe Terrace and across the road facing “Galarie Cafe Painto E”. On the day of check-out, the hotel helped to store my luggage and I had lunch at “Suzukawa Cafe” just next to Galarie Cafe Painto E. The food prices here are slightly cheaper than the ones near Kinugawa-Onsen station.

I spent at Kaniyu 2 nights and absolutely loved it! Upon my arrival, there was an English-speaking staff member at the reception, Mr. Tamaki, who kindly upgraded my room for free - thank you so much for that! The room was spacious and clean. It was a bit cool inside, but the heating system worked really well and warmed up the room quickly; the controls were very simple and convenient to use. The futon was comfortable, the blanket was warm and cozy, and although the pillow was a bit too firm for me, I slept just fine without it. The room was equipped with everything needed: towels, yukata for changing, bathroom amenities, and more. Both breakfast and dinner were made from a variety of fresh ingredients — everything was delicious and filling. I tried many dishes for the first time and really enjoyed them! The stuff was very nice and friendly, a canteen lady who helped me to take a picture was very kind! The onsen was absolutely amazing. The hot, milky water was incredibly relaxing (not that smelly for my taste), and the cool outdoor air felt refreshing. I visited it after sunset as well, and it was an unforgettable experience: chilling in hot springs while watching night sky and listening to forest sounds. --- To sum it up, if you're looking for a peaceful retreat off the beaten path and for affordable price, then this place is absolute gem~ P.S. l was mesmerized by the road trip to the Kaniyu itself: mountains, rivers and lakes, a troop of monkeys on the side of the road, tunnels, a hairpin turns and so on.

Hotel facilities and service attitude are OK, but the location is a bit off, there are not many places to eat around, a bit far from the center.

I read the mixed reviews and was concerned about my choice, particularly those which highlighted some concerns on the service, etc. Generally, it's an acceptable hotel. We met friendly and very helpful foreign staff who were sincere. I think mainly because all the staff has to multi-task from the front desk to meals etc, they may not appear very attentive. But we had a good experience with the foreign staff so far, particularly Adihadara. I am not sure if I spelt his name correctly. I call him ”Adi” in short. He was eager to help my husband with our luggage and took note of our preference for a table at the window for our meals. The property does appear aged and some apparent wear and tear but their effort to maintain it at this level of general acceptable look and feel is commendable. At the end of our two nights stay, we did have an enjoyable time to chill and relax at the hotel.

An excellent hotel, even without an elevator, I'd still give it full marks. The food is delicious, and the location is directly opposite Stop 28, with the pier for boat tours just across the way. The scenery is beautiful, and you can even see the rich mineral content in the outdoor hot spring. Although the hot spring pools are a bit small, there aren't many guests (due to the limited number of rooms), so I had both the indoor and outdoor hot spring pools all to myself. The water was perfectly hot and very comfortable. The staff have excellent English, making communication easy and pleasant. A small incident occurred: I left the balcony window open and forgot to close it properly. After dinner, I found a large number of mosquitoes had flown in. I contacted the front desk, and they immediately moved me to a new room and helped me move my luggage. Truly a very friendly hotel!

I had a truly wonderful day at this hotel on March 2, 2026. The front desk staff, Ms. Qing, was incredibly professional and multilingual. She explained the hotel's policies and information clearly and politely, making me feel like I had stepped into a five-star hotel. I also enjoyed both dinner and breakfast; the food was delicious and perfectly suited my taste. Ms. Qing also handled the restaurant service, and I was amazed at how she could manage so many tasks simultaneously while providing such excellent service. She was very attentive not only to me but also to other guests, and I was extremely satisfied. The hotel was very quiet, and it was a memorable and lovely stay. I would definitely like to return when I have the time.

One of the worst locations at Kinugawa Onsen area. Hidden in the mountain, no significantly beautiful view. Despite we need to pay for ”Hoshino Resort price”, unlike other cheaper hotels, we need to PAY for TAXI ourselves and getting a taxi during new year time is a terribly painful. Hotel staff lack of initiatives getting us cab instead we need to open different apps and such ... and on the way back the following day we ended up walking for 20 mins by ourselves .... Food is ok, onsen is ok, cleanliness ok, but nothing super ordinary. You can pay attention to details in decorations and inhouse services, but you can't pay attention to one of the most obvious services you HAVE TO provide to your guests, Hoshino ---- shuttle service .......

Both breakfast and dinner are buffet style. They offer fresh tuna and squid sushi, and during the New Year, traditional Japanese New Year dishes. It's quite good value for money. However, the buffet is limited to 1.5 hours and requires a reservation, so you need to check in early to book your preferred time. From what I've seen on Japanese TV programs, the buffet at Mikazuki, which is within a few hundred meters, seems better. But if you don't know that, the service here is overwhelmingly superior compared to other regions.