Teshirosawa Onsen — Hotel in Nikko

My wife and I stayed here over Christmas in 2009. We often visit visit onsen and or ryokan in the Kanto area, and I am a frequent traveler to the Nikko area. The stay here was one of the most enjoyable of my now 11 years in Japan.||||We went in the winter with 2 feet of snow at the lower elevations to over 3 feet in the woods at the higher elevation. The trip up was a challenge as we did not have a decent map and were hiking through the woods all the way. As we were the only people to recently use the trail, the snow was waist deep for me and much higher on my wife. Since it was nearing sunset, I decided to abandon the trail appraoch when I found the dirt road leading to the onsen. We arrive just before dark.||||The smell of sulfur was strong, but somehow not unpleasant. The room we stayed in was very spacious and very warm, apparently heated by the same source that heats the onsen (not sure, but maybe below the flooring heat). There was but one other couple staying there the night we arrived which made for an extra pleasant experience. Dinner was excellent---Japanese cuisine of course---served in the dinning room and included seasonal dishes. ||||You have a choice of bathing inside or outside under the bright stars---something one who lives in Tokyo or any other city ain't likely to see often---or both. The water outside was not as hot as inside, but it was more than enough to keep me very warm and allow me to have plenty of time to enjoy the view.||||All in all an extremely enjoyable experine that I plan to do again soon.||||It does require quite a bit of time and a little effort to get there in the winter. You have to take a bus or some other form of transportation from Kinugawa station which is close to an hour trip as I recall. Then you can hike to the onsen which will take 3 hours or more under good conditions. If the snow is deep and you take the trails, it will take longer. I would take the dirt road---it still likely be snow-covered, but there is less chance of getting delayed or even lost before sunset, plus even thought the route will be longer, it will take less time. Be prepared for cold and possibly tough conditions in either case.||||We saw plenty of animal sigh---deer, rabbit, even marten tracks---so you've a chance to see something if...

Visited this place with my Japanese husband. We sincerely recommend.

The mountain trial is very long and a little scary even in winter (bear warning signs) – however beautiful. The hotel owners and family – very kind, however not officious. Their dog – absolutely fine, not too sociable, attacking or loud. The building – not very new, however carefully cleaned, warm, calm, comfortable. Food – fresh, large, nicely served; well, I never eat typical Asian dishes, but found one European-style and it was delicious; tasted like Polish pierogi z mięsem ... I'm from Poland ... what a surprise then :D

The only 2 inconveniences in my opinion: Closed cabinet with futons (were decomposed only by workers and only in evenings) – I needed to take a nap immediately after arriving, without futon it was not cozy enough; but maybe I should request to open the cabinet earlier. Tap water smelling like an egg or onsen (hard for me, because I never use hot springs) – therefore during brushing teeth I used water from my own thermos.

Nonetheless, we spent a really great time. Dear hosts, thank you for everything and once again: happy...

Quaint onsen with only 6 guest rooms. Indoor & outdoor onsens are wonderful. Food is excellent with good selection of alcohol. Surroundings was nice & quiet, ambience of the facility is peaceful & relaxing. If I had to "complain" about something...perhaps the 2 hr hike up to onsen can be tough for some. If weather is nice, hike is bo issue. Our hike up was in pouring rain. Hike down was blessed with...