Amagiso — Hotel in Kawadu

I went before the hotel burned down and I went during a heavy downpour of rain. We were doing a road trip and this was our last stop so we called ahead to make sure the onsen was still open since it was heavy rain and where to park. The drive there was scary so we were relieved to make it there safely.

The first thing we were asked when we entered the hotel was where we parked. We parked in the main parking since we asked ahead and were told we could park there due to the rain. The woman vehemently said no, that we had to go down the street. It was pretty upsetting and confusing because we called ahead and asked questions and then when we arrived, we were met with immediate hostility. We moved our car and it was still pouring rain and it was a downhill walk in the dark.

It was 2,000 yen per person for onsen only. I’m not sure why the woman talking to us was in such a bad mood. We weren’t instructed where to go and decided to just ask someone else. The walk down to the onsen was very steep and high up, and yes it was still raining. Do not leave your shoes up at the top. We saw a lot of people leave their shoes, so we did as well but it became nearly impossible to walk with how slippery it was without shoes so we had to turn around and grab them to be able to walk down.

Honestly it was a lot of stress when onsen should be relaxing. We only stayed about 20 minutes and left because it just wasn’t a good experience.

Yes the view is beautiful. Maybe better to stay at the hotel and do onsen. You must wear a swimsuit because it is mixed gender, so you can go with your partner of the opposite sex which is great because it’s rare to find a public onsen with mixed gender.

We saw people with tattoos and I know some people have commented that they were turned away if you have tattoos. We were not asked if we had tattoos and we didn’t need to show anything to verify. I don’t have tattoos but you can buy foundation tape to cover a small tattoo at any drug store in Japan...

We stayed two nights this month and really enjoyed our visit. We loved the extras like extra towels (especially since we partook of the onsen multiple times a day), the yukata, and even an extra nice yukata for the women to dress for dinner. ||The rooms - We had a nice tatami room with a sitting area overlooking the mountains, the clouds, and in our case... a fantastic rain storm. Internet was quick and efficient.||The food - Really delicious Japanese style food. My co-traveler was a bit taken back by the live abalone served at the table but the rest was exquisite and plentiful. ||The indoor baths - They change each day so each gender can partake in each bath. We thought that was fun as they were both lovely but liked the one with more outdoor area a lot.||The pools near the waterfall - This was the only part that was disappointing to us as only a couple of the pools were available to us. The others were under construction. Might be nice in the future for you all but for us, we were disappointed. That said, this must be low season so were were frequently the only ones there. There was plenty of room. Secondly, I guess I thought we'd be able to stick our toes in the stream and hop back and forth into the hot springs, but apparently, you aren't allowed to get in the stream. ||Finally, be sure to do the 7 waterfall hike which starts just a few minutes from the hotel. We almost didn't get to it because of the weather but we are so glad we did. SUCH a pretty hike! ||Overall, despite its totally remote location, I will be back. (Oh, and if you have a car, that would make this place more...

We stayed two nights this month and really enjoyed our visit. We loved the extras like extra towels (especially since we partook of the onsen multiple times a day), the yukata, and even an extra nice yukata for the women to dress for dinner. ||The rooms - We had a nice tatami room with a sitting area overlooking the mountains, the clouds, and in our case... a fantastic rain storm. Internet was quick and efficient.||The food - Really delicious Japanese style food. My co-traveler was a bit taken back by the live abalone served at the table but the rest was exquisite and plentiful. ||The indoor baths - They change each day so each gender can partake in each bath. We thought that was fun as they were both lovely but liked the one with more outdoor area a lot.||The pools near the waterfall - This was the only part that was disappointing to us as only a couple of the pools were available to us. The others were under construction. Might be nice in the future for you all but for us, we were disappointed. That said, this must be low season so were were frequently the only ones there. There was plenty of room. Secondly, I guess I thought we'd be able to stick our toes in the stream and hop back and forth into the hot springs, but apparently, you aren't allowed to get in the stream. ||Finally, be sure to do the 7 waterfall hike which starts just a few minutes from the hotel. We almost didn't get to it because of the weather but we are so glad we did. SUCH a pretty hike! ||Overall, despite its totally remote location, I will be back. (Oh, and if you have a car, that would make this place more...