Kusatsu Onsen Eidaya — Hotel in Kusatsu

We recently stayed at Kusatsu Onsen Eidaya near Kusatsu and Karuizawa, and it was truly an unforgettable and healing experience!

The hotel is designed in a traditional Japanese style with a nostalgic retro vibe. From the moment you step inside, you’re surrounded by vintage Showa-era decor — old toys, retro arcade machines, classic electronic games — it felt like traveling back in time! Yet at the same time, they’ve thoughtfully included modern comforts like state-of-the-art massage chairs and updated facilities.

The inn has three private onsen baths: red, blue, and black. Each bath has different temperatures and is said to offer unique mineral benefits. What’s amazing is that they’re private-use — if no one’s using it, you can enjoy it all to yourself without sharing with strangers. It felt so relaxing and peaceful.

We booked a private building, and it had almost everything you could possibly need (except for a kitchen). To my surprise, there was even a mini Super Nintendo inside! The moment I walked in, I couldn’t wait to load up a few childhood games — it brought back so many memories. The space itself had a clean, modern Japanese design with lots of natural light. Everything felt fresh and new: air conditioning, dehumidifier, yukata robes, towels, appliances — it was incredibly comfortable.

The host spoke fluent English and had a great sense of humor — truly warm, friendly, and funny.

But the most memorable part of this trip? It was when we decided to put down our phones. From the moment we checked in, we agreed: no photos, no social media, no messages, no distractions. We made a conscious choice to leave behind all the stress, busyness, work, and notifications, and instead, fully embrace this precious onsen time that belonged just to us.

As we soaked in the 43°C hot spring water, feeling the warmth gradually seep into our skin, it was as if all the stress, fatigue, worries, and aches melted away. I normally have very dry skin and always need body lotion after a shower — but here, after the onsen, my skin felt so soft and moisturized that I didn’t need any lotion at all! It was amazing.

After the bath, we simply jumped into bed for a cozy nap, then woke up to play games and sip sake. No schedule, no obligations, just doing whatever we felt like. That day felt like a true reset — a real “me time” with no photos, no messages, no pressure to perform, just quietly enjoying the moment that belonged only to me.

If you ever visit Karuizawa or Kusatsu, I highly recommend staying at this ryokan. Give yourself the gift of switching off, recharging, and reconnecting...

My husband and I had an absolutely amazing time staying at Kusatsu Onsen Eidaya. From the moments we walked in we were greeted by friendly smiles. Their English is also very good, which was a very pleasant surprise as a lot of hotels we stayed at English was very limited from staff.

We stayed in a very clean and modern two-storey room that came with its own private onsen. The beds were super comfortable and blankets made us feel super snug and warm. We had one of the best sleeps during our stay in Japan (we’ve been here for almost 3 weeks and travelled all over so we’ve stayed at many different hotels).

The main reception area feels more traditional and also leads into three other private onsens which couples and families are free to use as long as the door is open. There is also a commons room area where you can play old-school games or just sit and chill by the heater.

Our stay also came with dinner and breakfast and we loved every bit of it, from the warm service of the staff to the freshness of the ingredients used. We can just tell how much care and attention has been put into preparation of the meals.

We would also like to extend a special thank you to the woman (wish we got her name) who served us during check-out time. Not only did she ask us if we had a car to our next destination (which we didn’t) but she also offered to drive us and/or our luggage to our next location. We are super touched and grateful for her assistance as it helped us a lot as it was snowing quite a bit that morning. If we would have know how much great our stay at Eidaya was then we would have stayed another night or so in a heartbeat.

Despite it being a bit pricier than other hotels we believe that it is 100% worth it as not only do you get a super clean and beautiful room to stay in but also amazing staff who make you feel like you’re at home.

We can confidently say that Kusatsu Onsen Eidaya is the best hotel that we’ve stayed at in all of Japan.

Thank...

Don’t be fooled by the appearance of this inn, while the furniture /wooden shelves are dated, it is clean and spacious and comfortable. The rooms are fantastically large, with a living room area with a giant TV and lounging sofa. The low table provided ample space to lay out all the things you need for your stay. There is also a shower and toilet in your room, yukatas, towels, hairdryer, etc. It is suitable for up to 4 people staying together, and also suitable for families.||The owner/ staff of the ryokan are wonderfully hospitable and speak excellent English. He introduced himself and explained how to get a private onsen room. He also thoughtfully installed Nintendo games in my room to help pass the time till bedtime, I got super Mario. ||Onsen: There are 3 private onsen rooms, and a system where a closed door means the onsen is occupied, while an open one means you can use it. The doors are lockable of course. There is no time limit on how long you can use it, or how many times you can use it. Outside the onsen room area is amenities like water and another large sitting area where you can wait for an onsen room if all are occupied. There are wonderful vintage arcade games that are lovingly maintained by the owner, such as Pac-Man.||Sleep: The futon beds are a layer of foam mattress above a thick memory foam mattress, which were very comfortable and I slept well. Even though there were children in the room next door, I couldn’t hear them at all.||Did not book any meals there so can’t comment on the food. The staff/ owner, knowing that I didn’t book meals, very generously offered maps of good restaurants nearby within Kuwait’s that I could go. On checkout, knowing that I hadn’t had breakfast, the staff/ owner gave me a voucher for free coffee at a small coffee shop n nearby. The thoughtfulness of the staff/ owner is very much appreciated and made my...