Katakurakan — Attraction in Suwa

We were looking for an onsen, so we came to look at this place. We don't speak much Japanese, so I used Google translate on my phone to translate the sign with the prices. The receptionist came out from behind her desk and asked if we were here to use the onsen. We said maybe (we didn't know the price yet). She said that if we don't use the onsen we can't come in. I realised that maybe she had thought I was taking a photo of the entrance foyer when I translated the prices. I still had google translate open, so I showed her what I had been doing. She started yelling at me for translating her sign! We told her that we had intended to use the onsen, but she was being so rude that we would now leave, which made her happy. We left feeling discriminated against for not being fluent in Japanese. We have been trying hard to learn, and speak it better than many foreigners, but experiences like this make us lose the will to even try. Foreigners, beware. Better to go somewhere...

The Katakurakan, an elegant Western-style building, was constructed by the Katakurazaibatsu—a wealthy silk industry conglomerate—during the early Showa period. Completed in 1928, it served as a welfare and social hub for the local residents. Inside, you’ll find a communal bath with natural hot springs that...

Highly unique onsen, you won't find this experience anywhere else in Japan. Good simple bathhouse with a long history in a Western style, the bath I used was carved marble with loose stones on the bottom that felt good on my feet. The bath has beautiful art nouveau glasswork. Very interesting...