Myogaya Honkan — Hotel in Nasushiobara

Actually, the hotel itself is quite shabby and worn-out. I visited Myogaya off-season with my family ad it looked almost like a haunted house with almost no guests and even some ruins of dilapidated hotels around it. On the other hand, the staff were nice and traditional food served in the rooms was delicious (although portions would not be sufficient for most westerners). ||||However, what this hotel is all about is its private spa. Its located down in a deep valley and by a crystal-clear stream. Its connected to the hotel via a roofed wooden corridor with hundreds of steps. BTW, its one of the few remaining konyoku - "mixed spas" in Japan, which means both sexes are supposed to share it. Because some customers may be uneasy with this arrangement, there are some hours allocated for women only at the main spa plus there are two cosy private spas (for extra fee). Its probably the most romantic spa I have ever visited. If you can bear slightly worn-out rooms, you will be rewarded with a unique...

I had booked this Onsen only because they were supposed to be “tattoo friendly”. But it turned out that was just a scam!!!||I found the info from a website called “tattoo friendly” which is a site listing Onsen in Japan where people with tattoos / body art are welcome. I followed the link from the tattoo friendly website to the Onsen website, where there were no statements about people with tattoos were not welcomed in the hot springs, so I proceeded to make a booking via the site “JapanIcan” and prepaid all.||Before my arrival I asked my Tokyo hotel help me make travel arrangements, only to find out that the Onsen did not accept tattoos.||I contacted all parties but no one were in mood to refund my money!!!!||I recommend EVERYONE WHO READS THIS TO STAY AWAY FROM ALL 3 organizations, and find other ways to make you Onsen...

It was absolutely beautiful place, the most traditional ryokan I have been so far. Mixed natural onsen was a bit hard to get as there were 88 stairs which is based on this hotels history, yet it was so satisfying to get in a bath and feel the nature and the beauty of it .

The food : In an amazing traditional room, you suppose to eat Japanese traditional food by sitting on Tatami. Normally dinner is with meat so better to tell them beforehand if you are vegetarian.

Room: clean, beautiful room With welcome tea and snacks, you can see the view of mountains and river from the window.

Others: when we were walking as the building is very old, it was freezing cold, at the same time I was worried that the stairs to the mixed onsen was so old that it might be broken soon. Maybe needs to be...