Kusatsu Onsen Boun — Hotel in Kusatsu

If you come to Kusatsu, skip all the public baths and just stay at Kusatsu Boun. This magnificent property has everything you need to really experience all that Kusatsu has to offer. I’ve been to many many ryokans in Japan including luxury properties and Kusatsu Boun’s hospitality and facilities were on par with the very best properties in Japan. This hotel is so famous it was featured in a documentary online on ryokans. We were incredibly happy with our stay here and can’t wait to come back again.

The star of the show at Kusatsu Boun is their onsen. They have three separate huge baths each of which is split into indoor and outdoor baths. The baths here are more beautiful and exponentially cleaner than the public bathhouses in Kusatsu (we did the bathhouse pass). The water at Boun also felt more potent and clearer, drawing the wonderfully acidic waters from the Bandai and Sainokawara sources. The baths of Boun are the best baths I have ever experienced in Japan.

Besides the baths, the entire building of Boun was beautifully and tastefully decorated. The property was laid out very well even though there were new additions and the whole building made sense. We stayed in the western room which was on the older side but spotlessly clean and there was a very powerful calming energy in that room that I seldom experienced before. Some folks describe this as good feng shui. The property is also designed to accommodate the elderly with rooms that are wheelchair friendly and elevators leading to some of the baths. We did not have breakfast here but dinner was excellent albeit a bit rushed but featured many local and distant ingredients that were very tasty.

One of the highlights of our stay at Boun was meeting the elderly owner, the oo-okami-sama. We did not know she was the okami-sama as she was humbly putting guest shoes away and greeting people at the entrance. When I found out who she was, I finally understood why there was such peace in the building and it stemmed from her. The okami-san is the heart and soul of a ryokan, she sets the mood of the hotel; her will and her style of hospitality is what is sensed by the guests. I think the grace and peace of Boun came from her and all her years of hard work managing this hotel. It was such an honor to meet her.

Once again, if you come to Kusatsu, stay at Boun. I have to warn you that because this property is so well known, they get booked very fast so I recommend booking this hotel several months in advance if you can. We absolutely cannot wait to come back to this ryokan to experience the potent hot springs of Kusatsu as well as the utmost in...

Duration :Had an excellent 2 nights stay at boun. We arrived late at around 6:30pm from shinjuku ( almost 5 hours by bus from bus terminal). We emailed the hotel to come pick us up and it was done, luckily we did so because it was quite dark and cold. It would be better to email them the day before to arrange for shuttle service as it is around a 10-15 minute walk with road searching and the hotel is located slightly uphill.

Arrival: We arrived and was greeted warmly by hotel staff and promptly following they served dinner in our room. The hotel is very well kept and looked very new. They will provide you will a pair of slippers that is strictly used within the hotel. If you head out to explore the area in the daytime you can leave your wooden key chained room key at reception.

Meals: The meals were excellent with a great variety in food served. We’ve stayed at many onsen ryokan within Japan and this is one of the good ones. 2 night stay with totally different themed dinner menu. The meals are delivered and eaten inside your room at a designated time (they will let you know the time of your meal at check in)

Onsens: There are 3 onsens and they alternate between male and female according to the time frame. All 3 of the onsens have a small outdoor onsen that is accessed from indoor onsen. The onsens are clean and pretty spacious and not overcrowded as the hotel is relatively small and cozy. The source of the hot spring is very good for relieving muscle tension and has very little smell.

Surrounding: Very close to the centre of the town but not over touristy as noun is located a little higher with a small walk upwards to get to hotel.

Overall: We were very happy to have stayed at boun with their great staff and the high level of cleanliness. We truly had a relaxing and comforting stay and were fed stuffed full. Try exploring the kusatsu area with a vast amount of gift shops and some restaurants ( if you opt for the no meal option then you can also enjoy some restaurants in the area but bear in mind they close quite early ) We appreciate the size of this ryokan as the noise levels are low and the onsens are rarely crowded...

We got a room with Japanese setup (futon on the floor) with open air outdoor bath. The plan was a half board arrangement with breakfast and dinner.

First, the location of the hotel was excellent. It was a 7-10 minute walk from the bus terminal and a 3 minute ride on the hotel shuttle. It was a short walk to the central square with all the actions but yet had enough distance away on a hill for a quiet stay away from the crowd.

Our room was very roomy with about 500 square feet of main room, sitting room, washing room, shower room, and toilet room. It also had a small room for our luggage. I liked the setup and the spacious living area.

Our meals, both dinner and breakfast, were served in a private room at the dining area. We didn’t have a choice to eat in the room. The meals were delicately prepared, plentiful, and delicious. The server tried hard to explain the dishes and fairly successful despite the language barrier.

The staff were very helpful and friendly. They picked up from the bus terminal and drove us back upon checkout. Overall, an A service experience.

The hall and atmosphere of the hotel was beautiful. Nice ground and the inside hall decor were outstanding. We enjoyed just walking around the property.

Finally, there were many body lotions in the room to be applied after soaking. My wife told me there there was a method to the madness of 11 step skin care approach. This was part of the benefits of hot spring healing myth - I think.

I would highly recommend this property if you come to...