Kounoyu — Hotel in Minamioguni

We found Kounoyu by calling one Onsen that was full (we attempted to book last minute just after the New year!) and were suggested to call the Kurokawa Spa Association (this a very organized system created between the different ryokans located on this area).||||Kurokawa Spa Hotel Association Information Center||Kurokawa Sakura-dori, Minami-oguni-machi,||Aso-gun, Kumamoto Pref. 869-2402 Japan||||http://www.kurokawaonsen.or.jp/english/||Tel: +81-967-44-0076||||There was a lady there that spoke a bit of English there. ||||After contacting the Kurokawa Spa Association, they were able to find which ryokans had availability based on our specific requests (real time - within their computer system) - private rotenburo (outdoor bath) etc...||||Luckily one ryokan had just received a cancellation, Kounoyu Ryokan, and we managed to get an apartment style cottage there (2 floors): ||* 1st floor - toilet, indoor bath, beautiful outdoor bath, and sitting area with TV and fantastic massage chair! ||* 2nd floor - tatami style bedroom and small sitting area.||||Kounoyu Ryokan info:||Http://www.kounoyu.jp||Tel: +81 967 48 8700||Fax: +81 967 48 8701||||Meals were taken in a separate annexe in a private room just for my husband, my 2.5 year old son and I.||||It is nicely situated slightly apart from most of the other ryokans located in the center of Kurokawa village. That made for an even more peaceful environment despite the fact that everywhere was full for the New Year holidays...||||One head staff there spoke English very well!! A huge help for foreigners. ||||They also have a car/shuttle that can take you the center of the small Kurokawa Village. You can just call them when you need to be picked up again. ||||Our room was nice, not the best I've been to, as the furniture was slightly outdated, but the futons were perfect and so comfortable, I had one of the best sleeps there, compared to other Onsen places I've stayed in. It was extremely peaceful and our private rotenburo bath made up for the older looking rattan furniture...||||Our outdoor bath was made of stone, was of the perfect temperature and surrounded by trees and bushes... It had a little "cave" area which is perfect for rainy days to hide under and still be able to appreciate the view. It snowed on the night we arrived, so that made for an even more romantic and unique experience!||||The service was perfect! We were welcomed when we drove up to the entrance. As it was snowing, they quickly helped us with our luggage and then they drove our car a little further up to the parking lot, while we settled in the cozy Japanese style lobby to proceed with the check in. ||||We were greeted in the lobby by one of the ladies dressed in a kimono, who introduced our room to us and looked after us for both dinner and breakfast, until the checkout. She even gave my son a little packet of cookies as a good bye gift... :-) ||||We proceeded to the room and after the general introduction, were offered a welcome tea and a little snack of Zenzai (hot red bean soup with a mochi (sticky rice) ball)). We were also asked to choose from one of 6 choices of incense sticks which would be infused in our room during our dinner in the annexe cottage (1 min. Walk from our apartment), while the staff would set up the futon beds. A very nice touch I have not seen in other ryokans. Just a side note: the incense fragrance was extremely mild, for those who have sensitive noses, so it shouldn't disturb even the more sensitive...||||In terms of amenities provided, you have everything necessary, apart from shaving cream/gel - though a disposable rasor is provided. The amenities can be found in lovely Japanese style pouch bags that you can bring home with you. They also offer two medium sized hand or hair (for women with longer hair) japanese style towels for you to take as a souvenir. Another lovely touch. (see photos) ||||They also had make up remover, face cleanser, toner, lotion and Onsen water spray available. Not that this is a huge issue, but for women with long, difficult to control hair, I would suggest bringing your own shampoo and conditioner (smaller travel bottles can be purchased in any convenience store around Japan), though these, along with liquid body soap are provided... They are just extremely ineffective! (Again not big deal..., but just a side note).||||Dinner (kaiseki style) included a delicious array of sashimi (including a portion of horse meat sashimi - a delicacy in the Kumamoto region), small appetizer dishes, a mouth-watering puff-pastry pie filled with lobster, lobster miso soup and a shabu shabu with wagyu beef. ||||Breakfast was just as good, including hot tofu (served with a ponzu sauce - soya-sayce with lemon or yuzu juice) and other small dishes.||||For families with younger children, you can also ask for children's meals (at an extra cost).||||Following breakfast we went to use the family bath that you can book in advance for 1 hour (we booked the night before, since the evening was already booked out) that had a beautiful view and was spacious enough for at least 6 people. Again, the water was the perfect temperature and the ambiance delightful. |||| The only downer was that the changing area of this family bath had no heating!!! And there was literally frost on the mirror and clock - it was almost painful stripping down or getting dressed again! Obviously this is less of an issue in spring or summer... But in summer, when it gets quite hot, getting out of the bath and having no air conditioning (as other ryokans do) would be equally uncomfortable. ||||Overall, the service was wonderful, food was great and our private bath was perfect! I only gave 4 stars for the rooms simply because some of the items were getting old. And the "apartment" of 2 floors, in the stairway area, had no heating, so I was slightly hesitant to go to the restroom in the middle of the night, having to tear myself away from our toasty bedroom and futon... Besides that, the sitting area and bedroom were both extremely warm and accommodating...||||I would still suggest this lovely ryokan with exceptional service to any Onsen...

We found Kounoyu by calling one Onsen that was full (we attempted to book last minute just after the New year!) and were suggested to call the Kurokawa Spa Association (this a very organized system created between the different ryokans located on this area).||||Kurokawa Spa Hotel Association Information Center||Kurokawa Sakura-dori, Minami-oguni-machi,||Aso-gun, Kumamoto Pref. 869-2402 Japan||||http://www.kurokawaonsen.or.jp/english/||Tel: +81-967-44-0076||||There was a lady there that spoke a bit of English there. ||||After contacting the Kurokawa Spa Association, they were able to find which ryokans had availability based on our specific requests (real time - within their computer system) - private rotenburo (outdoor bath) etc...||||Luckily one ryokan had just received a cancellation, Kounoyu Ryokan, and we managed to get an apartment style cottage there (2 floors): ||* 1st floor - toilet, indoor bath, beautiful outdoor bath, and sitting area with TV and fantastic massage chair! ||* 2nd floor - tatami style bedroom and small sitting area.||||Kounoyu Ryokan info:||Http://www.kounoyu.jp||Tel: +81 967 48 8700||Fax: +81 967 48 8701||||Meals were taken in a separate annexe in a private room just for my husband, my 2.5 year old son and I.||||It is nicely situated slightly apart from most of the other ryokans located in the center of Kurokawa village. That made for an even more peaceful environment despite the fact that everywhere was full for the New Year holidays...||||One head staff there spoke English very well!! A huge help for foreigners. ||||They also have a car/shuttle that can take you the center of the small Kurokawa Village. You can just call them when you need to be picked up again. ||||Our room was nice, not the best I've been to, as the furniture was slightly outdated, but the futons were perfect and so comfortable, I had one of the best sleeps there, compared to other Onsen places I've stayed in. It was extremely peaceful and our private rotenburo bath made up for the older looking rattan furniture...||||Our outdoor bath was made of stone, was of the perfect temperature and surrounded by trees and bushes... It had a little "cave" area which is perfect for rainy days to hide under and still be able to appreciate the view. It snowed on the night we arrived, so that made for an even more romantic and unique experience!||||The service was perfect! We were welcomed when we drove up to the entrance. As it was snowing, they quickly helped us with our luggage and then they drove our car a little further up to the parking lot, while we settled in the cozy Japanese style lobby to proceed with the check in. ||||We were greeted in the lobby by one of the ladies dressed in a kimono, who introduced our room to us and looked after us for both dinner and breakfast, until the checkout. She even gave my son a little packet of cookies as a good bye gift... :-) ||||We proceeded to the room and after the general introduction, were offered a welcome tea and a little snack of Zenzai (hot red bean soup with a mochi (sticky rice) ball)). We were also asked to choose from one of 6 choices of incense sticks which would be infused in our room during our dinner in the annexe cottage (1 min. Walk from our apartment), while the staff would set up the futon beds. A very nice touch I have not seen in other ryokans. Just a side note: the incense fragrance was extremely mild, for those who have sensitive noses, so it shouldn't disturb even the more sensitive...||||In terms of amenities provided, you have everything necessary, apart from shaving cream/gel - though a disposable rasor is provided. The amenities can be found in lovely Japanese style pouch bags that you can bring home with you. They also offer two medium sized hand or hair (for women with longer hair) japanese style towels for you to take as a souvenir. Another lovely touch. (see photos) ||||They also had make up remover, face cleanser, toner, lotion and Onsen water spray available. Not that this is a huge issue, but for women with long, difficult to control hair, I would suggest bringing your own shampoo and conditioner (smaller travel bottles can be purchased in any convenience store around Japan), though these, along with liquid body soap are provided... They are just extremely ineffective! (Again not big deal..., but just a side note).||||Dinner (kaiseki style) included a delicious array of sashimi (including a portion of horse meat sashimi - a delicacy in the Kumamoto region), small appetizer dishes, a mouth-watering puff-pastry pie filled with lobster, lobster miso soup and a shabu shabu with wagyu beef. ||||Breakfast was just as good, including hot tofu (served with a ponzu sauce - soya-sayce with lemon or yuzu juice) and other small dishes.||||For families with younger children, you can also ask for children's meals (at an extra cost).||||Following breakfast we went to use the family bath that you can book in advance for 1 hour (we booked the night before, since the evening was already booked out) that had a beautiful view and was spacious enough for at least 6 people. Again, the water was the perfect temperature and the ambiance delightful. |||| The only downer was that the changing area of this family bath had no heating!!! And there was literally frost on the mirror and clock - it was almost painful stripping down or getting dressed again! Obviously this is less of an issue in spring or summer... But in summer, when it gets quite hot, getting out of the bath and having no air conditioning (as other ryokans do) would be equally uncomfortable. ||||Overall, the service was wonderful, food was great and our private bath was perfect! I only gave 4 stars for the rooms simply because some of the items were getting old. And the "apartment" of 2 floors, in the stairway area, had no heating, so I was slightly hesitant to go to the restroom in the middle of the night, having to tear myself away from our toasty bedroom and futon... Besides that, the sitting area and bedroom were both extremely warm and accommodating...||||I would still suggest this lovely ryokan with exceptional service to any Onsen...

First of all, Kurokawa Onsen is really a good choice. Except for the slight inconvenience of transportation, it can only be reached by bus. This is my sixth trip to Japan. Compared with the hot springs in Hokkaido, Kinosaki, Shirahama, Kii Katsuura, Gero, and Hakone, this place is no less inferior. The entire Kurokawa Onsen is located on the mountainside. There are very few foreign tourists here, mainly Japanese local tourists. Compared with the feeling of being surrounded by Koreans in Yufuin Hot Spring this time, this place is simply paradise! As for the hotel, the service is very good. From the arrival at the station to the departure, the hotel picks up the whole journey. The number of hot springs and private hot springs per capita is definitely the highest here. There are relatively large private hot springs in the room, and secondly, you can make an appointment. The family private hot springs in the hotel, and finally the public hot springs in the hotel (because the number of rooms in each Kurokawa Hot Spring is generally small, generally 8-12 rooms, except for the properties of hotels such as Xinming Pavilion and Menglongdan, the rooms There will be more), and in the public hot springs, it is almost contracted by one person, so there is basically no time to buy hand cards to soak in other hot springs. The hotel is located at a slightly higher altitude than other hot spring hotels, relatively quiet, and each room is a separate building. If the only shortcoming, I think it is the dinner part, which provides local horse meat sashimi and wagyu small hot pot. The quality of wagyu beef is relatively average, and I personally have no feeling for horse meat sashimi. Hot spring hotels with the same price can provide more in some places. Excellent meal. The overall quality of Kurokawa Onsen is very good, it is worth...