Gorokaku — Local services in Numata

|The most amazing onsen experience ever for my wife & me. It was like a dream! My review can help guests that don’t have a car. We visited in late September for 2 nights.||Location: |In Oigami Onsen, which is a small onsen town in the mountains. The clouds were low and there was a mystical fog that we could see from the baths. In late September, the climate is moderate, & we could bathe for a long time. Late Fall/Spring would be very nice to come.||Ryokan:|A Ryokan is more unique than a typical hotel. It’s a place for relaxation, food, comfort, & self-reflection. Gorokaku is an older facility, which is what made it so magical. The Yukata (comfortable Japanese style clothing) are given to you at the start. All the staff were so amazing! They helped us so much with all our questions. If you stay more than one night there is also a change of towels.||Accommodation:|Different rooms & prices to choose from, depending on the size, with or without q balcony, & food. After living in Japan for 2 months, we booked the most economic room available & it was so worth it! I heard the ryokan’s food was amazing though. The beds are futons on tatami mats. It was very comfortable, but just know it may not be as soft as a conventional mattress. The weekdays were not too busy. The baths are open all night, and many times we had the baths alone to ourselves. ||Mixed Bathing:|My wife & I chose this place specifically for the 混浴 (mixed bathing). We have visited many onsens & sentōs during our time here with friends & family. Even in non-mixed baths, the feeling of communal bathing is both relaxing & freeing! & nudity has now become normal for us. Still, separating couples can feel lonely at times, & my wife & I want more options for couples to bathe together, that is, without spending ¥5,000+ on a 貸切風呂 (rental family bath). We wish every onsen had a designated time for couples, but alas.|—This mixed bath was wonderful! We were the only foreigners, but the Japanese staff & guests were very kind! There are 4 different spots & 8 total baths, some smaller (2人) & some bigger (8-10人). There are 2 indoor baths & 2 mixed 露天風呂 (outdoor baths). We never used the indoor baths since the mixed outdoor baths were so beautiful. The water is a crystal clear, alkaline spring, that leaves the skin feeling baby smooth. The outdoor baths have a range of temperatures. In the daytime when it’s warm, many people sat together in the bigger, lukewarm bath named 岩鏡 “Iwakagami” (8-10 人). We bathed maybe 8x in 3 days. Onsens pair very well with naps; I recommend bathing & sleeping a lot.||Etiquette:|At Gorokaku, it is a glimpse into this past, from when men & women bathed in harmony together. Although swimwear can be rented, I did not see one person wearing it. It actually might have been weird to be the only people wearing anything. It is a Japanese onsen, & nudity is customary, & if everyone respects each other, there is no need for shyness.|—Naturally, there are more men than women in the the mixed baths. Still, none of them showed any bad “ワニ” (crocodile) behavior. My wife was comfortable & did not feel the need to cover up. We saw many couples during our stay. |—Manners are very important. Men should be respectful, but also there is no reason to physically cover your eyes (which we saw one gentleman doing). It is ok to look, but just don’t stare! It is also ok to greet others & acknowledge their presence. Don’t talk loudly, but certain things like smiling, nodding your head, & small greetings make people feel more comfortable, & less like your goal is to just stare at them. My wife & I made friends with an older Japanese couple. It was a very pleasant experience. |—Women should know that it is normal for Japanese men to wear glasses in the baths. I saw a comment wondering why men wore glasses. Anti-fogging glasses are very normal & worn in the mens baths all the time; they are not doing it to stare at women. They just cant see without them. |—There will be less and less mixed baths if guests don’t follow the etiquette. So please uphold this amazing culture and know how to treat others.||Getting there:|2 options from Tokyo by train.|#1: (cheaper) JR line to Numata Station [¥2500-¥3800; 4-5 hrs] & wait for the free Gorokaku shuttle bus @14:20 (1 per day; schedule in advance).|#2: Via Shinkansen to Jōmō-Kōgen Station [¥6000-¥8000; 3-4 hrs] then await the free shuttle bus @14:00.|- There are still transit busses that go to Gorokaku & they pass every hour [¥1000-¥1500]. Our trip was very affordable since we road the cheaper JR line and the free...

|The most amazing onsen experience ever for my wife & me. It was like a dream! My review can help guests that don’t have a car. We visited in late September for 2 nights.||Location: |In Oigami Onsen, which is a small onsen town in the mountains. The clouds were low and there was a mystical fog that we could see from the baths. In late September, the climate is moderate, & we could bathe for a long time. Late Fall/Spring would be very nice to come.||Ryokan:|A Ryokan is more unique than a typical hotel. It’s a place for relaxation, food, comfort, & self-reflection. Gorokaku is an older facility, which is what made it so magical. The Yukata (comfortable Japanese style clothing) are given to you at the start. All the staff were so amazing! They helped us so much with all our questions. If you stay more than one night there is also a change of towels.||Accommodation:|Different rooms & prices to choose from, depending on the size, with or without q balcony, & food. After living in Japan for 2 months, we booked the most economic room available & it was so worth it! I heard the ryokan’s food was amazing though. The beds are futons on tatami mats. It was very comfortable, but just know it may not be as soft as a conventional mattress. The weekdays were not too busy. The baths are open all night, and many times we had the baths alone to ourselves. ||Mixed Bathing:|My wife & I chose this place specifically for the 混浴 (mixed bathing). We have visited many onsens & sentōs during our time here with friends & family. Even in non-mixed baths, the feeling of communal bathing is both relaxing & freeing! & nudity has now become normal for us. Still, separating couples can feel lonely at times, & my wife & I want more options for couples to bathe together, that is, without spending ¥5,000+ on a 貸切風呂 (rental family bath). We wish every onsen had a designated time for couples, but alas.|—This mixed bath was wonderful! We were the only foreigners, but the Japanese staff & guests were very kind! There are 4 different spots & 8 total baths, some smaller (2人) & some bigger (8-10人). There are 2 indoor baths & 2 mixed 露天風呂 (outdoor baths). We never used the indoor baths since the mixed outdoor baths were so beautiful. The water is a crystal clear, alkaline spring, that leaves the skin feeling baby smooth. The outdoor baths have a range of temperatures. In the daytime when it’s warm, many people sat together in the bigger, lukewarm bath named 岩鏡 “Iwakagami” (8-10 人). We bathed maybe 8x in 3 days. Onsens pair very well with naps; I recommend bathing & sleeping a lot.||Etiquette:|At Gorokaku, it is a glimpse into this past, from when men & women bathed in harmony together. Although swimwear can be rented, I did not see one person wearing it. It actually might have been weird to be the only people wearing anything. It is a Japanese onsen, & nudity is customary, & if everyone respects each other, there is no need for shyness.|—Naturally, there are more men than women in the the mixed baths. Still, none of them showed any bad “ワニ” (crocodile) behavior. My wife was comfortable & did not feel the need to cover up. We saw many couples during our stay. |—Manners are very important. Men should be respectful, but also there is no reason to physically cover your eyes (which we saw one gentleman doing). It is ok to look, but just don’t stare! It is also ok to greet others & acknowledge their presence. Don’t talk loudly, but certain things like smiling, nodding your head, & small greetings make people feel more comfortable, & less like your goal is to just stare at them. My wife & I made friends with an older Japanese couple. It was a very pleasant experience. |—Women should know that it is normal for Japanese men to wear glasses in the baths. I saw a comment wondering why men wore glasses. Anti-fogging glasses are very normal & worn in the mens baths all the time; they are not doing it to stare at women. They just cant see without them. |—There will be less and less mixed baths if guests don’t follow the etiquette. So please uphold this amazing culture and know how to treat others.||Getting there:|2 options from Tokyo by train.|#1: (cheaper) JR line to Numata Station [¥2500-¥3800; 4-5 hrs] & wait for the free Gorokaku shuttle bus @14:20 (1 per day; schedule in advance).|#2: Via Shinkansen to Jōmō-Kōgen Station [¥6000-¥8000; 3-4 hrs] then await the free shuttle bus @14:00.|- There are still transit busses that go to Gorokaku & they pass every hour [¥1000-¥1500]. Our trip was very affordable since we road the cheaper JR line and the free...

The most amazing onsen experience ever for my wife & me. It was like a dream! My review can help guests that are without a car. We visited in late September for 2 nights.

Location: In Oigami Onsen, which is a small onsen town in the mountains. The clouds were low and created a misty fog that we could see from the baths. In late September, it’s a moderate climate, & we could bathe for a long time. Late Fall would be very nice.

Ryokan: A Ryokan is more unique than a typical hotel. It’s a place for relaxation, food, comfort, & self-reflection. Gorokaku is an older facility, which is why it was so magical. The staff were absolutely amazing & helped us so much! Thank you Gorokaku!

Accommodation: After living in Japan for 2 months, we booked the most economic room available & it was so worth it! I heard the food service was amazing though. The beds are futons on tatami mats. It was very comfortable, but just know it may not be as soft as a conventional mattress. The weekdays were not too busy. The baths are open all night, and many times we had the baths to ourselves.

Mixed Bathing: My wife & I chose this place specifically for the 混浴 (mixed bathing). We have visited many onsens & sentōs with friends & family. The feeling of communal bathing is both relaxing & freeing! & nudity is now normal for us. Still, separating can feel lonely, & my wife & I want more options for couples to bathe together, that is, without spending ¥5,000+ on a 貸切風呂 (rental family bath). We wish every onsen had a designated time for couples. —The mixed bath is wonderful! We were the only foreigners, but the Japanese staff & guests were very kind! There are 4 different spots & 8 total baths, some smaller (2人) & some bigger (8-10人). There are 2 indoor baths & 2 mixed 露天風呂 (outdoor baths). We never used the indoor baths since the mixed outdoor baths were so beautiful. The water is a crystal clear, alkaline spring, that leaves baby smooth skin. The outdoor baths have a range of temperatures. In the warm daytime, many people sat together in the bigger, lukewarm bath called 岩鏡 “Iwakagami” (8-10 人). We bathed around 8x in 3 days. Onsens pair very well with naps; I recommend bathing & sleeping a lot.

Etiquette: At Gorokaku, it is a glimpse into this past, from when men & women bathed in harmony. Although swimwear can be rented, I did not see one person wearing it. It might have been weird to be the only people wearing anything. It is a Japanese onsen & nudity is customary, & if everyone respects each other, there is no need for shyness. —Naturally, there are more men than women in the the mixed baths. Still, none of them showed any bad “ワニ” (crocodile) behavior, & my wife did not think she needed to cover up. We saw many couples during our stay. —Manners are very important. Men should be respectful, but there is no need to physically cover your eyes. It is ok to look, but just don’t stare! It is also ok to greet others & acknowledge their presence. Don’t talk loudly, but certain things like smiling, nodding your head, & small greetings make people feel more comfortable, & less like your goal is to stare at them. My wife & I made friends with an older Japanese couple. It was a very pleasant experience. —Women should know that it is normal for Japanese men to wear glasses in the baths. Anti-fogging glasses are normal & worn in the mens baths all the time; they are not doing it to stare at women. They just cant see without them. —There will be less and less mixed baths if guests don’t follow the etiquette. So please uphold this amazing culture and know how to treat others.

Getting there: 2 options from Tokyo by train. #1: (cheaper) JR line to Numata Station [¥2500-¥3800; 4-5 hrs] & wait for the free Gorokaku shuttle bus @14:20 (1 per day; schedule in advance). #2: Via Shinkansen to Jōmō-Kōgen Station [¥6000-¥8000; 3-4 hrs] then await the free shuttle bus @14:00. There are still transit busses that go to Gorokaku & they pass every hour [¥1000-¥1500]. Our trip was very affordable since we road the cheaper JR line and the free...