Okukinu Onsen Kaniyu — Hotel in Nikko

This onsen Ryokan is a mixed bag of good and not-so-good things. Let's clarify. First, the good points:

1-location is perfect if you're looking for something off the tracks. You need to leave your car in a parking lot and a bus will take you to your hotel. It takes about 20 minutes of bumpy roads.

2-onsen water quality is very decent. It has this peculiar and irresistible rotten eggs smell no one can resist. Plus you have different types of pools. There is even a free feet bath for hikers.

3- it's relatively cheap compared to the other facilities. But there are several reasons for that.

4-you can check in early at 13:00, which gives you a lot of time to enjoy the pools and even take a little hike around.

5-private bath can be reserved for you and your partner and they're included in the price.

6- baths are open H24.

7 - staff is friendly and you can meet friendly people. A local talked about his association which goal is to preserve local wildlife.

Not so good points: 1- there's a lot of mess around the facility that really spoils the view: cables, hoses, piles of garbage etc. It's hard to take a nice picture when there's such a mess around you. I understand it's a secluded place and garbage processing is not easy but could they at least hide them?

2- they don't care about the environment maintenance: they could pull off the weeds, get rid of unwanted plants, plant hydrangea or beautiful trees, create a colourful environment but unfortunately, no one seems to have the slightest interest in improving the general view (or maybe they are understaffed). Even the rooms have no personality: no decorations, nothing to make you feel cozy: just walls and basic necessities. The corridors reminded me of a typical Japanese training center or facility.

3- cleaning: as some people already pointed out before, it's not always clean, so I hope you don't have a cobweb phobia.

4- The guest reception can be disappointing : we were given a different room than the one we reserved and they couldn't find a suitable alternative. They said this one was better.

5-pools are not cleaned properly and regularly: I had to grab a net and do the cleaning by myself: there were a lot of dead leaves and insects.

6- food is ok but not unforgettable. No meat was served. Only one cold fried fish.

General impression: this facility lacks personality, maintenance and warmth. It has a good location and good assets but they are not used properly. If I could sum up the general feeling in one word, it would be "lazy". Still, this can be an alternative if you're on a budget. But If you can afford it, treat yourself with a beautiful onsen Ryokan that will give you Unforgettable memories.

Therefore I would recommend it for the location and the general decent experience, as long as you are not bothered with the issues...

My 2 days at Kaniyu were spent like this: Eat, hike, bathe, nap, read, eat, bathe, sleep.

If that sounds like something you‘d enjoy, go here! Bang for buck ratio is great. The building is older and some things are a bit rusty, which adds to the charm in my opinion.

I‘ve seen some reviews saying the food wasn‘t great, which I cannot confirm. I found it tasty, healthy and veried. There is a dish prepared with Onsen water for every meal, which is fun. Although it might not hold up to (at least twice as expensive) Onsen luxury resorts, you‘ll have the full Japanese Ryokan experience here.

The hikes around here were amazing (I was there in summer). Kaniyu is beautifully nestled in a river valley that cuts through the mountains. The outdoor baths with a view of a waterfall are fantastic.

Some information I wish I had had to make your stay easier:

This is cash only and the next ATM is at least 2h away. Before going up the mountain, pick up your room rate in cash + at least 20.000 Yen for extra purchases The staff speaks some English and are very friendly! Don‘t hesitate to give them a call if you don‘t understand the reservation website. It will work out in English! Lunch is not included, but you can buy some for reasonable prices (800-1000¥) or bring you own when going up the mountain. There is a fridge in your room. It‘s in the middle of the mountains. There is gonna be bugs, spiders and other insects. I loved it and saw at least 5 different types of butterflies, but be aware. You can go by city bus to Meteobuchi and be picked up there by a free shuttle bus (make sure to reserve it when booking, but it usuall runs anyway according to the city bus timetable). You can also walk around 2h up the mountain from Meteobuchi. There a two routes, one for the shuttle bus and one only accessible by foot. Second one is shorter and a lot more beautiful, highly recommend it! There is a don‘t enter sign because of falling branches and stones which is - as I was told - more of an „at your own risk“ warning. Like everywhere in Japan, the path is well secured in areas where rockslides would even be remotely possible. Several waterfalls and beautiful sights up the path, I saw a deer even. Hiking further upstream from Kaniyu to the marshlands will tempt you, like it did me. The hike is very challenging and only for very experienced hikers with proper equipment. Prepare accordingly...

KANIYU ONSEN RYOKAN 加仁湯 ||||The baths: ||There are so many baths that we are spoilt for choice. There are three Konyoku rotenburo (mixed gender outdoor baths) with beautiful tree trunks and boulders. There are also segregated baths and multiple smaller family baths. Three of these family baths are lockable and come with milky waters and big river stones. Another four are smallish granite tiled family baths separated by wooden partitions (no doors). The no. 2 family bath has both a large wooden tub with milky water, and a granite tiled bath with clear spring water. ||||All the rotenburo have views of nature, be it the mountain, the valley or the stream within metres of the rotenburo. ||||The Kaiseki meal: ||The ingredients for the multi-course Japanese dinner were fresh and sumptuous. The mountain trout was of the right size and delicately seasoned. There was a baked cheese dish that was excellent. Other dishes include sashimi, tempura, awesome yuba, wild mountain vegetables (sansai), and a piquant white fungus with kelp, and chawan-mushi (Japanese egg custard). Altogether there were 15 dishes! We finished the meal with a cup of sweet plum wine. ||||The accommodation: ||Accommodation-wise, our 25 sqm room retained its old world charm. The room came with a heater, television, yukata, toiletries, and a Japanese washlet. ||||The drive: ||We travelled 50 km through mountain roads to reach the pickup point at Meteobuchi. At times the road only has room for one car to pass through. Hence, cars from one direction have to stop to give way to cars from the other direction. The shuttle bus took about 24 minutes (~18 km) through gravelled road to reach the Ryokan. ||||Psst! ||An interesting fact regarding the pickup point is that there was a Meteobuchi Hotel which was destroyed in the 2012 earthquake. Ruins can still be found by the river next to the green bridge. ||||Okukinu Onsen (奥鬼怒温泉) is a collection of 4 secluded hotspring Ryokan (Kaniyu, Hatcho-no-yu, Teshirosawa, and Kawamata) in the Tochigi mountains, referred to locally as the "home of the secret spas." ||||Kaniyu (2144-002) 加仁湯 ||Address : Japan, 〒321-2717 栃木県日光市川俣 ８７１ ||871 Kawamata, Nikkō-shi, Tochigi-ken 321-2717, Japan ||Phone : 0288-96-0311 ||Check-in...