MisterSelfish

Mrs. Selfish and I are planning a quick trip to Japan next winter (Dec 2016). Since we can only spend 5 nights in Japan I was planning on 3 nights in Tokyo to time adjust followed by 2 nights in an onsen town.

We've already been to Hakone and Kurokawa Onsen town, and are looking to visit a new onsen town - preferably with a traditional feel. Unfortunately, most onsen towns I've researched looked like they like they are packed with modern, concrete hotels.

Can anyone recommend another onsen town with an old-timey vibe or are we SOL?

jerry a. laska

http://www.kinosaki-spa.gr.jp/global/

freecia

Kurokawa's character and peacefulness felt special to me. There are still a lot of smaller more remote onsens, but some may veer from stuck in a picturesque time in a good way to stuck in a more industrial time in a bad way. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/japan...-tawaraya.html has some good suggestions on checking renovation date if you're into traditional feeling places but modern amenities (I do not want to contemplate a non-renovated ryokan with smoking rooms and little insulation in December)

Some parts of Kusatsu have an older vibe, though there are larger hotels there, too. I liked this newer hotel http://www.hotespa.net/hotels/konoha/ which shares baths with its upscale sister next door http://www.hotespa.net/hotels/tokinoniwa/ Nearby Manza onsen has also been on my list, but less crowded in the low season (not ski season). Possibly somewhere in the Izu peninsula?

I'm sure other forum members will have recommendations, too. Also, personally I'd recommend 2 nights in Tokyo, 2 in an onsen, and 1 night in Tokyo so you don't need to leave ryokan and race for the airport. In my experience, old time small town feel doesn't come from being attached to a shinkansen route from Tokyo. Some of the places made a bit easier to reach by the Hokuriku like Nozawa, Unazaki http://www.japan-guide.com/news/0033.html

Browsing the onsen town/water rankings is a nice way to find some ideas (use google translate) + google street map to see what they really look like
http://travel.biglobe.ne.jp/onsen/aw.../onsenchi.html
http://www.hikyou.jp/user_ranking.php
Google Maps gives me a good idea of how remote or large a town is, the general ambiance, and if I spot a pachinko parlor mostly for domestic tourists, I usually put that in the minus column. Footbath is a plus.

MisterSelfish

I was looking at somewhere on the Izu or Manza after browsing Japan-Guide, but ski season is kind of a deterrent, as you mentioned - looks like I'll have to research Izu further. Kinosaki looked nice too, but maybe a little too difficult to get to given the time constraints.

Looking at 3 nights Tokyo /2 nights elsewhere or the reverse since our flight out of HND is after midnight, so time isn't too much of an issue provided there's an airport or train in the general vicinity.

I was originally looking at the snow monkey park just outside of Tokyo, but I'm not sure how long we could view the monkeys so was hoping to find something else to do in that area. The pictures look great, but I'm a little concerned it's another attraction like Angkor Wat at sunrise where the site itself is tiny compared to the number of photographers elbowing each other to get a prime location.

Thanks again for all the suggestions - I definitely plan on using Google Maps to profile towns from here on out.

LapLap

The macaques at Takao San?

Would actively recommend that you avoid that enclosure.

My thoughts from a previous thread:

"Tip: Don't visit the monkey park (despite repeated visits over years I'd never gone inside, then my father-in-law took us in one time as we had his young grandchild with us). Even more sad and depressing than I imagined it would be - nothing like Jigokudani near Nagano"

Unless you're actually thinking of Jigokudani. Which is near Nagano. Not "just outside Tokyo" - as Google Maps can show you.

MisterSelfish

Sorry for not being specific - I was talking about Jigokudani, which seems like a doable 2 night trip from Tokyo.

I was originally hoping to combine Jigokudani with a nice onsen town or ryokan with a decent private onsen, but the area seems to be a mixed bag unless we did something like Manza, as freecia was suggesting.

jxjan

Arima onsen - very small town on the opposite side of a mountain by Kobe
-I am planning a weekend getaway there soon. I won't be staying in town as the hotels are very expensive. However, the onsen waters with their healing properties are spectacular from what my coworkers have told me. It is about a 1 hr trip by local trains/bus from Kobe.

Gero Onsen - I have been here. Lovely small town in Gifu Pref. with two outdoor public baths and many hotels with onsen built in. I would recommend this place for maybe a 1-2 night stay. Not much to do in town (literally), though you can enjoy Hida beef (which is quite famous and quite delicious!)

Kyushu - has a TON of onsen that are both famous and somewhat off the grid for tourists. If you have the time, then look into them.

edit- re-read your post, perhaps Nagano ken would be more preferable for you? Lot's of onsen there, and if you have the time you may even pop by Matsumoto castle!

MisterSelfish

@jxjan

Thanks, these look amazing. I would love to go back to Kyushu, but might be a little hard convincing the Mrs. to do two more flights on this trip. Another time perhaps.

Now to start scouring the internet for good ryokans in Nagano ken. Would love to see the Matsumoto castle!

kevincrumbs

I'm going to Jigokudani with the GF in February and I have this concern, too. We're arriving Sunday afternoon and leaving Tuesday around noon and while I can't imagine spending too much time at Jigokudani, I thought it'd be nice to not feel rushed. In addition, we're staying in Yudanaka (instead of the 45 minute bus ride to and from Nagano) and will be enjoying the onsen facilities in town. It might be a bit quiet, especially with my tastes, but I think for one full day and two half days, it should be fine.

evergrn

A couple places like that that I can think of in eastern Jpn are Ikaho Onsen and Ginzan Onsen. But if you're staying 2 nights and you want to browse around town a bit on your one full day there, then there's not that much in town.

In Jpn, you have onsen ryokans in serene settings or self-contained onsen resorts in isolated areas where you're not going to leave the grounds from check-in till check-out, then you have ryokans in onsen towns where you might go out for walks. In the latter category, you'll find that most major onsen towns have lots of concrete high-rises. Kusatsu, Hakone Yumoto, Echigo Yuzawa, Gero, Arima, Kinugawa, Noboribetsu, etc, etc. That may not be what you're looking for. But if you're going to spend 2 onsen nights in the vicinity of Tokyo, I highly recommend Kusatsu.

Kusatsu is the most quintessential onsen town that I can think of. The town is pretty vibrant and fun to walk through, with a fair amount of shops and a large hot spring in the middle of town. The onsen water quality is top-notch (this is increasingly important as you become more of an onsen snob). Yes there's plenty of concrete in town, but you're spending most of your time within the confines of your ryokan anyways.

ksandness

If you're willing to travel farther afield, there's always Dogo Onsen on Shikoku. It's a streetcar ride from Matsuyama, so you can have the ambiance of a venerable onsen with the possibility of easy access to Matsuyama Castle and other sights.

gbs1112

Kinosaki has a lot going for it. Seven different public Onsen, a small town centre that retains a lot of character, great cuisine including local crab which is a really big thing there (seasonal) good choice of hotels/ryokan that can suit all pockets and off the beaten track for Western tourists but attracts large numbers of locals.
It is true that it is a bit out of the way. From Tokyo to Kyoto and change to Kinosaki but train travel in Japan is one of the tourist adventures that stay long in the memory.
For our next trip to Japan we are trying out Matsue near the northern coast north of Kyoto and Osaka. It was home to Lafcadio Hearn and has some Onsen activity but maybe mot to the standard you are looking for.

freecia

You can get from Matsumoto Castle to Hirayu Onsen and Takayama via Nohi bus. Takayama's got the old town flavor with plenty of cute shops and morning market. It is also known for Hida beef. Hirayu is a quiet small onsen town without cement high rises. The only shopping I saw was a large rest stop and produce stand.
http://www.nouhibus.co.jp/english/matsumoto.html


It you go to Hirayu via bus and want the ryokan to pick you up at the station, you should pre-arrange a time, rent a domestic cell phone, or make an international call. There's no public phone at the rest stop. The town is small but it snows a good bit & doesn't have a lot of sidewalks.

evergrn

Kinosaki Onsen is probably too far out of the way for the OP, but you are right that it is a good destination as far as a place to experience an onsen town. It may be the best place for onsen in the Kansai region.

Hirayu Onsen and the Shin-Hotaka Onsen area have some of the best quality onsens imo. Depending on your room, you could have a pretty nice view of the snow-capped mountains in the wintertime. I love that area. But if you're looking for a place to enjoy the town and its ambiance, on top of the onsen itself, then Hirayu isn't it. Hirayu is just a bunch of houses and ryokans adjacent to a bus terminal. It's a place to either hole up in the ryokan and enjoy onsen to your heart's content, or a place where you can use as a base for Takayama, Kamikochi and exploring the nearby mountains.

Jay71

Agree that Kinosaki is likely out of spec for the OP but just wanted to throw my two cents in for any future reference to this thread. We visited Kinosaki Onsen this past spring and really enjoyed the experience as a whole as a tourist. It was a bit of a trek from Osaka but not difficult to get to. We found the town really quaint; very walkable with people getting into the mood strolling/onsen hopping in their yukata. My only minor regret was visiting late spring during the offseason which has its typical pros and cons.