What kind of historic onsen ryokan is Yunoshimakan?
This week, I was scheduled to work in Nagoya city for a business trip and return to Tokyo on Friday night. However I was lucky to book a room in Yunoshimakan with a private outdoor hot spring bath, so I decided to spend the weekend alone in Gero Onsen. I am going straight to the point, I had a wonderful weekend, enjoying a nostalgic atmosphere of Gero Onsen and a solemn ambience created by a snowy landscape and the historic ryokan. In the cold winter of January, the time I spent warming myself in hot spring baths and tasting local sake was an irreplaceable luxury for me.
After having Nagoya’s specialty miso cutlet set meal for lunch at a restaurant in Nagoya Station, I took an express train around 12:20. I arrived at Gero Station around 14:10 and took a free shuttle bus at 14:35. from there to the ryokan where I would be staying for the night. In front of the station, many shuttle buses from ryokans and hotels in Gero Onsen were parked, but I recognized the Yunoshimakan bus because it was purple. It was Saturday and the shuttle bus was full. It took less than 10 minutes from the station, which was not a long distance, but the ryokan was built on the slope of a mountain, and it was a terribly steep uphill climb, so it is recommended to take a shuttle bus or a cab from the station.
As I got off the shuttle bus, I was struck by the stunning Japanese architecture nestled among the cedar trees on the mountainside. The ryokan was built about 100 years ago and still retains much of its original Japanese architecture, making it a wonderful ryokan well worth a visit. At the entrance, there were quaint lanterns on either side of the entrance, and once inside, there was a large entrance hall. I took off my shoes and changed into slippers. A staff member immediately guided me to a lobby lounge with a red carpet. Here, I checked in with green tea and Japanese sweets. From the lobby lounge, I had a view of the amazing Japanese architecture and the straight cedar forest. The lobby lounge had coffee, latte, cappuccino, and tea available at any time for free. Then, next to the lobby lounge, there was a large sunken hearth room with a red carpet. On the hearth hung an iron kettle with dragonfly and leaf patterns painted on the ashes below it. How cute! I completed check-in procedures, selected my yukata here, bought some local sake at a souvenir store near the lobby lounge, and was escorted to my room by a staff member. The souvenir shop sold sweets, sake, and Gero Onsen specialties.
The ryokan is like a maze, and I would have gotten lost if I had not checked the signs as I moved about. There are 40 rooms in total, only 10 of which have private outdoor hot spring baths. However, because of the abundance of hot water, all private indoor baths are also said to be natural hot springs. In other words, everything from the indoor baths and showers in the rooms to the hot water in the washbasins is natural hot spring water.
This time, I stayed in the annex, room No.403 which has private outdoor and indoor hot spring baths. The room was renovated a few years ago, so it was equipped with the latest facilities. Upon entering the room, I found a hallway with a red carpet and two Japanese-style rooms on the right. Facing the Japanese-style rooms, there was a veranda called engawa with a small, well-kept, tasteful garden and a cedar forest behind it. Then, to the left of the engawa, there was a private indoor hot spring bath and an outdoor hot spring bath made of stones. Both hot spring baths also offered amazing views. I was very impressed with the wonderful room. I was disappointed when I stayed in a standard room a few years ago because the facilities were old and the view was not special, but I am so glad I could booked the room with the private baths this time. It was like Hieizan Enryakuji Temple in Kyoto surrounded by cedar forests.
It was so cold in Gero Onsen that day that it almost snowed, and the wind blowing from the north made my feet and hands feel even colder than usual, so I decided to enjoy the private onsen in my room. First, I warmed myself well in the indoor bath. I was cold to the core, so I appreciated the hot spring even more than usual. Next, I moved to the private outdoor bath and enjoyed the beautiful moss garden with a mystical cedar forest in the background. Although Shogetsu in Gero Onsen offers a spectacular view, the view from Yunoshimakan was also solemn, sacred, and relaxing. After enjoying the private onsen, I quenched my thirst with a bottle of the local sake I had just purchased near the lobby lounge while looking out over the garden from my Japanese-style room. The mini-bar in my room was empty. There seemed to be no room service. Vending machines for drinks and Haagen-Dazs ice cream were located near a communal bathing area on 2F in the main building.
Then since I had some time before dinner, I decided to visit the nearby Onsenji Temple. It was a cold northerly wind, but the sky was clear and cloudless, so the view of the city and mountains of Gero Onsen from the temple was wonderful. From the ryokan, it is only a short walk down to Onsenji temple, but if you are going from Gero Station, you need to go up 173 steep stone steps. Then, as I was leaving the temple, the sky was quickly covered with thick clouds and a few flakes of powder snow started to fall. The weather forecast said it was going to snow tonight, so it was no surprise when it did. I hurried back to the ryokan. During the season of autumn leaves, the grounds of the temple are illuminated.
Then when I returned from the ryokan, it was almost time for dinner. I could choose to start dinner at 17:30, 18:00, 18:30, or 19:00, and I chose to start at 17:30. About 10 minutes before, the staff came to my room and started preparing dinner. Dinner was the standard local cuisine, but it was a bit disappointing and none of the dishes left a lasting impression.
After dinner, I decided to go to a footbath on the terrace to sober up. The hot spring water was steaming, but it was lukewarm because it was freezing cold with snow flurries outside. As I warmed my feet in the footbath and gazed at the intricately layered traditional tile roofs, the straight cedar forests, and the mountains floating in the dark sky, I felt as if I had stepped back in time.
After a while, my body started to get cold, so I went back to my room. When I returned to my room, a futon was already laid out in the room. Then once again I took the private hot spring baths. I tried the outdoor bath, but it was too cold outside, so I decided to warm up in the indoor bath. Looking outside, I felt like I was in another world as I saw snowflakes dancing like petals in the silent surroundings. After warming up in the private baths, I watched the snowfall from the engawa, never getting tired of it, while enjoying a glass of plum wine. After a while, the snow stopped and the moon, hidden by thin clouds, floated in the sky. The moon, shining a faint blue-white light in the dignified winter sky, created a mystical world.
The next morning, I awoke to the sound of birds chirping just before 7:00 a.m. and looked outside from the engawa to find a surprisingly wonderful snow scene. The small snow-covered garden and the pure white cedar forest bathed in the morning sun were very impressive.
Before breakfast, I decided to take a walk in the garden. The clear, cloudless blue sky, the hundred-year-old cedar trees, and the stately, snow-covered dignified traditional sukiya-style architecture were in perfect harmony. Looking over the mountains in the distance, a faint mist was rising here and there because the air outside was very cold this morning.
After my walk, I went to a Japanese-style banquet room for breakfast on 8F of the new building. Basically, breakfast was served between 7:00 and 9:00 a.m. Although it was not a in-room dining or private dining room, there was enough space between tables to allow me to eat in tranquil. The staff showed me to a table by windows. From the windows I could see the wonderful snow-covered tile roofs and cedar forests. Breakfast, like dinner, did not offer any memorable dishes, but the magnificent snowy landscape directly below was exceptional.
After breakfast, I went to communal indoor and outdoor hot spring baths. The outdoor bath in particular have a spectacular view, but it was very cold outside and the temperature of the hot spring was lukewarm, so I only soaked in the indoor bath. There were also 4 family indoor hot spring baths, but they were closed due to the coronavirus pandemic or something. I then checked out before 11:00 and took the 11:10 shuttle bus to Gero Station.
If I had to raise a fault, I would say that I accepted the oldness and inconvenience of the ryokan because of its historical value, but in fact, it was a little difficult when moving around, using the elevators to get to the communal baths or walking down the long corridors. Also, it was a cold winter, so the hallways I passed through when moving around and the banquet room where I had breakfast was cold from the feet up. Then, the room I stayed in this time was in the annex, so it was quiet without any noise, but the standard room in the main building where I stayed last time echoed with the sound of footsteps and voices in the hallway. This ryokan is a traditional wooden structure, so it can’t be helped. However, I was truly happy to spend an extraordinary time with such excellent Japanese architecture and snowy scenery. I would like to visit next time during the fall foliage.
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Is the location easy to access?
Take an express train from Nagoya Station and get off at Gero Station. It takes 100min. Alternatively, the direct bus from Nagoya Station West Exit to Gero Station is available at 14:00. It takes approx.150min.
Free shuttle service is available from Gero Station to the ryokan at 13:35, 14:35, 15:35, 16:35, or 17:25.
Rooms I would recommend?
If you are going to stay here, I would recommend a room with a private hot spring bath. The spring quality is like skin lotion. Then if you don’t want to sleep on a Japanese-style mattresse in a tatami room, you may want to book a room with twin beds.
How about toiletries & in-room amenities?
All of the amenities are taken care of including minimum toiletries, yukatas, sweets, and green tea bags, etc. There were KOSE skincare products and POLA bath amenites in my bathroom. Free wifi reception was good on the property. Room service was not available during my stay. There is no convenience store nearby.
How about In-house Facilities?
There are amazing indoor and outdoor communal hot spring baths. There are also four private indoor family hot spring baths, which can be used for free at any time when no one is using them. All of them are open from 15:00-9:00 the following morning. If you have tattoos, you may not be permitted to use the communal bathing areas.
There is also a karaoke, billiards, a table tennis, a sun room, and a club, but advance reservations are required.
Then Yunoshimakan is not a universal design, but I did see a visitor in a wheelchair. There are many steps and like a maze. Wheelchairs are available for borrowing. If you bring people with weak legs, you may want to book a room with a private hot spring bath. Once you enter your room, you wouldn’t need to move around.
TOP5 Best Accessible Ryokans in Hida Takayama, Gifu
How about meals?
The kaiseki food wouldn’t be special. Dinner is served in each room. Breakfast is served in a large Japanese-style banquet room or your room. You can request breakfast served in your room at JPY2,000 in advance.
If you have any food allergies, please write them in a comment box when you book a room with meals. They probably wouldn’t be able to prepare alternative food if you request on that day.
Then, there are several local restaurants in the hot spring town, but it takes about 15 to 20 minutes to walk there. Also, there is a steep long slope on the way.
Then, there was a small local restaurant called Kagaribi on 4F of the recreation building on the grounds, where night meals were available. For example, ramen noodles, fried potatoes, chicken nuggets, fried chicken, kimchi pot, pork pot, beer, shochu, local sake, and plum wine, etc. It is open from 20:00 to 23:00.
My impressions
At last, if you want to chill out in a tranquil ambience, you might want to avoid during Lunar New Year, late April to early May, the weekends of Oct and Nov, and the end of the year and New Year holiday. If, like me, you love historical Japanese architecture and Kyoto, this ryokan is worth the trouble of visiting from afar. Have a nice trip! Welcome to receive any questions about Yunoshimakan from the below space.
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Info about Yunoshimakan
| Style | Traditional Onsen Ryokan |
|---|---|
| Check in and out | 15:00 / 11:00 |
| Estimated Price | 60,000 JPY for 2 adults per room |
| Contact | |
| Internet Connection | Free Wifi in the ryokan |
| Facility Information | Wheelchairs are available Pets are not allowed The free parking lot is available |
| Location | Yunoshimakan’s MAP |
| Access | Free shuttle bus from Gero Station Need to book in advance |
| Address and TEL | Tel +81 |
| Official Homepage | Yunoshimakan’s HP |
*All information above is as of the date that I posted on my blog.
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The shuttle bus now runs regularly, even if you did not preorder or don’t know exactly when you will arrive.
I came there from Takayama by train (1 hour local train 990 Yen or 45 minutes faster train 2000 Yen), busses also go from Takayama to Gero Onsen.
Hi Anja
Thank you for pointing that out.