A must do and definitely a highlight of our Japan trip. Initially my partner and I were worried that it might not be worth it, but this was a stay we will never forget. Only a 1 hour bullet train ride from Tokyo , then the hotel included a pick up and drop off from the closet train station in Jomo-Kogen (Shinkansen) . The bus ride to the hotel took roughly 35mins. The location was absolutely stunning right on the rapid river . The onsen pools outside were unisex (so both my partner and I could go simultaneously), however there is strict male /female onsens inside . The dinner and breakfast service was incredible . It was so relaxing and there were many pools to choose from. Do yourself a favour and go!!

The only thing I could fault was the limited access to food. There were some vending machines for ice creams and drinks on each floor, but no food machines (to my awareness). When booking there , please be aware there are no shops nearby , as the location is up in the beautiful mountains . Luckily , my partner and I had pre brought some snacks to have during the stay. Additionally, be mindful that the included Dinner and breakfast were all traditional Japanese (no other options)

Takaragawa Onsen was a magical experience. The entire process and experience was seamless, comfortable, considered and enjoyable. The bus shuttle services had plenty of options, were prompt, polite and efficient. It was me and my friend's first time staying at a Ryokan Onsen, and the culture and experience was explained to us well. The stay was peaceful and relaxing at all times. The food was exceptional, filling and delicious. The Rotenburo was an experience we will never forget (as Australians who had never seen snow). I felt amazing after our stay, it has been the highlight of my 3 weeks of travel through Seoul and Japan so far. Thank you to the staff at Takaragawa Onsen.

My occupation is a lighting technician for film & television. The lighting in the rooms were bright 'cool white' colour temperature bulbs. That is excellent for illuminating the space during the day, and if you need to see what you are doing. However, for maximum relaxation, some 'warm white' colour temperature bulbs would transform the feel of the room x10. Maybe just 1x lamp in the room with an LED warm white bulb, or change the bulbs in the overhead light fixture. There isn't anything wrong with cool white, but warm white would just make the room so much more relaxing. Just my opinion :)

We spent 4 nights in Takaragawa onsen ousenkaku. The onsen is just so tranquil and picturesque, this really is right up there with the best in the world in our humble opinion. 4 large onsen baths, varying in temperature, one for women only. All with views to a river, blended seamlessly into the stunning natural environment around. You really get an idea of traditional onsen in Japan here, we found the experience to be rejuvenating and restful. When we were there the baths were not busy at all, sometimes we had a whole pool to ourselves. It is also atmospherically lit, so bathing at night is also a pleasure and delight for the senses. Onsen are available 24 hours, with the exception of one hour here and there for cleaning. We didn't have great weather everyday, but honestly you're in a roasting hot onsen, so it actually doesn't matter and is beautiful anyway! In our opinion, you need to stay for at least 2 nights at the hotel to get the best of the experience and bathe at different times of day. The hotel is very quaint and we were fortunate enough to stay in a lovely old Annex room, right next to the river. The free transfer bus from Jomo-Kogen station is convenient and makes for a hassle free check in and check out, we were able to book via messenger on booking.com. The staff were all very lovely, in the restaurant, at reception and housekeeping. Amenities were fabulous. We were encouraged to wear yukata robes and change to different pattern each day if we wanted to! Food was delicious- very filling Japanese dinner and breakfast! They also offered a bento lunchbox and delivered it to the room for ¥1000. Public baths indoors were clean and lovely spaces too. If you want a gorgeous onsen experience just 1 hour by shinkansen away from Tokyo, just book it !

Nothing.

Such a gorgeous place! This onsen is in the middle of mountains (the courtesy transfer is very helpful) multiple natural hot spring pools built over a river, beautifully. We had one of the corner rooms in the old building which is very charming and traditional, down to the multiple rice paper sliding doors and has a toilet as well. It really is gorgeous, hanging over the river and also this side of the building has their fantastic kaiseki dinner in a beautiful traditional dining room with private booths. The dinner was also exceptional, multiple seasonal courses including sashimi, cherry blossom cheese, wagyu beef in udon soup and pickles. (This is just some of the list though.) The tatami mateases were very comfortable and the duvet warm. While it is an old building and did feel vintage, everything was clean and well maintained - in our room and area for sure. The indoor public bath was lovely but the real star of the show is the outdoor bathing: you can enjoy the rock pools at night too, until 12:00. Really enjoyed the provided cotton yukatas too, it’s great trying traditional outfits on.

They work like clockwork and thereby we felt a little bit rushed in the morning. (Large and delicious) breakfast from 7 to 9, checkout at 9:15 if you want to catch the transfer bus and that leaves by 9:30. It makes sense since we still only made it back to Tokyo by 12ish with the Shinkansen, but if you want to really relax, you enjoy soaking in thermal pools and looking at nature, and you have the time, I’d suggest two nights or buying a day spa ticket and being okay with making your way to Tokyo by yourself / later.

Amazingly beautiful Onsen! The food was delicious and more than enough to fill our tummies. Dinner and breakfast definitely made up for the higher price to stay only one night. If you can afford to stay 2 night, do it. Staff were helpful and friendly.

The check out time of 9am if you want to get the courtesy bus makes the morning feel very rushed. It’s quite a mission to get there (but still well with it). There are 3 pools but only the main one is ‘hot’ enough so it felt quite crowded as no one seemed to want to use the others.

We had a fantastic stay here. We chose a more budget friendly room in the "annex" section which had a shared bathroom. We were expecting a pretty small room, but actually our room was really spacious with an amazing view of the river and the hot springs! Guests are given these cloth outfits to wear while soaking in the hot springs - men have this wraparound skirt and women have this potato sack type dress. But actually it is pretty comfortable and dries quickly, so it was easy enough to wear at the hot springs. There are three spacious co-ed pools, and the pools never felt crowded, even during the peak time in the afternoon. When we went in the evening right after dinner we had an entire pool to ourselves for quite a while! The meals are a fantastic experience in their own right, with many traditional Japanese dishes and small hotpots or griddles to cook certain foods yourself at each meal. I recommend bringing some extra snacks for between meals. For lunch they offer a really yummy $10 bento box. The rooms are traditional style with tatami mats, sliding doors and futons, but they are really spacious and comfortable. They also provide you with traditional yukatas to wear while you are at the resort, which added to the cultural experience. The pools themselves have different temperatures, and the temps greatly depend on which part of the pool you are in. So there is something for everyone, whether you like it hot or lukewarm. We also enjoyed a short hike (maybe 1-1.5 hours round trip) behind the hotel. The trail starts from a back door in the annex of the hotel, and goes up a hill to a lookout point with pretty views. The trail isn't very well maintained and it's hard to trail find at points, but the main tip is when you get to the old abandoned hot springs building, follow the trail behind the building (not over the sketchy looking bridge thing).

Some of the facilities could use a bit of an update, but it also adds to the old rustic feel of the place. Also there is only one bathroom down by the pools that is open, but it'd be great if the second bathroom was open to make it easier to access the washrooms when you're at the pools.

Our experience was amazing. We absolutely loved everything about our stay wish we could have stayed longer. The staff were wonderful . The view from our corner room was picturesque and going to sleep with the sound of the river and the warmed floor was cozy. Bathing in the baths was therapeutic .The food was what I call clean food, fresh tasty with different unique things to try. Our boys even tried out some new things. Thank you so much . ☺️

so amazing! osens was great! safe was amazing! definitely recommend to get a more traditional japan hotel! Erica was so helpful with so many thing’s appreciate her so much as well as rest of the staff. definitely take shuttle bus it will save you $$. food was great! definitely recommend. they give you a beautiful kimono like rob that everyone wears around the hotel. so amazing

shuttle bus only runs from jomo station to hotel two times in the morning and one time in the morning from hotel to station

This place is magical. We spent 2 days completely immersed in the atmosphere of the ryokan, with the beautiful onsen and the delicious, very well curated meals. Yes, it's tourist-y, some "traditional" aspects of onsen culture such as bathing naked have been changed, maybe to adapt to a more international audience or other reasons. However, at least for a person travelling from Europe, those little details didn't make the experience any less beautiful. Me and my husband fully enjoyed the silence and the slow pace of this place. We had breakfast & dinner included and, as much as it was a bit hard to adapt to certain flavors in the morning specifically, we soon adjusted to it and enjoyed the experience fully. The staff is kind and ready to help at any time, which makes the experience even better. As much as we thoroughly enjoyed the experience while living it, thinking back to those days makes me realize even more how amazing and magical those two days really were. Would go back in a heartbeat :)

The place could use a little more maintenance. Some things looked like they had not been fixed in a long time, such as the door nob of our room. That was not a big issue, but small details that would elevate the experience even more. As for the room, we would have appreciated having a reading lamp or just a different light other than the ceiling lamp which was very strong and not great to use at night when reading. A little touch that makes a big difference :)

First off, the outdoor hot spring pools were absolutely stunning, and it was a bonus that I could sit in the outdoor pool with my husband because they are mixed gender. As well, tattoos are permitted. we were also able to use the different temperature pools, depending on our mood. The Kaiseki dinner meals were varied and delicious with interesting new options daily for us to try. It was an incredible Japanese culinary experience. The staff was extremely friendly and helpful whenever we had questions.

Being out in nature comes with the unfortunate appearance of horse flies. Breakfast menu for Westerners may want to skip the ayu river fish if staying for repeated days.