I cannot in words accurately describe the beauty and tranquility of this place. Many of the people I met there extended their stays because they loved it so much. If you want to escape the world, there is no better place. It is literally hidden deep in the mountains between waterfalls and a river. The inn itself is elegantly simple and purely Japanese. The rooms are a cross between alpine luxury lodges and traditional Japanese style ryokans. You can also get rooms with western style beds, but the futons here were the most comfortable on my whole trip, so I recommend going that way. The lounge is a mix of western and eastern culture that will make you feel adventurous and at home at the same time. The meals are traditional kaiseki (many courses), and the quality is gourmet restaurant grade. The service is the most attentive I had on my whole trip. One nice man even insisted on getting me a new pair of slippers to walk to the next room because I had forgotten mine. Because Nikko National Park is literally huge, you will only be able to see a small part of it by using the inn as a starting point. However there are plenty of options for hiking from this spot. They also offer guided treks throughout the seasons. If you have a chance to be guided by Kikuchi, you must do it, and tell him Cody San says hello. The onsens are beautiful and relaxing, with amazing views of a natural waterfall. Everything here is fresh and immaculate, with most of the facilities being newly renovated, while retaining an authentic style. They take absolute care of you here. Because I had to leave before breakfast, the kitchen even made me a very nice bento box for the train. The owner personally came to see me off, as did the guide I became friends with. The value for the price is seriously unbelievable. I cannot say that enough times. I am certain if you stay here you will be far from disappointed. Personally, after a very long adventure, this was the place to end my journey.

This is not a dislike. Just be aware that Hatch-no-Yu is not easily accessible. That is part of what makes it so amazing. It is good to know when planning that you will not make it there quickly. Once you get to the last train station you have another two hours by bus and shuttle, which only run 4 or 5 times a day. So plan on taking most of a day to journey there, and the same going back. That said, the journey is absolutely worth it.

This is such a beautiful onsen tucked away in the middle of the mountains. They have 6 onsens to choose from and 4 are outdoors. Two are unisex. This being our first trip to Japan we weren't to sure on the etiquette but the staff explained everything and made it easy. For those first time travellers like us the Unisex onsen is generally quite quiet but you are allowed to use towels provided and keep them on in the Onsen. For the same sex ones it is kind of expected to go without a towel. There is no shower in room or shared shower facilities at the property and the bathing area at the indoor male/female onsen is where you rinse off. Alternatively clean yourself at the basins provided. The surrounding area is wonderful for hiking and I suggest taking good hiking clothes and shoes. They offer busses from the nearby parking area to the lodge if you are self driving. You do need to contact them to tell them which bus you need to catch. You can also use the onsens after and before checkout time if you want to catch a later or earlier bus. As far as I'm aware there is a bus from Nikko to the parking area that services the lodges in the area but I did not ask the details of this as we opted to rent a car. Be sure to contact the property to pre-book the traditional dinner for at least one night. There are other meals in the lounge area available but I think the traditional dinner was a great experience for locals and travellers. Biggest advise is don't be afraid to ask what the etiquette is if you aren't sure. We just kept asking and staff were happy to answer our questions.

This is my second time at Hatcho No Yu, and I will go back every time I’m in Japan. There’s no better place to escape from the world. From the food, to the room, the staff and the location, everything is absolutely perfect. It truly is a hidden hotspring inn with everything that comes to mind when you think of what one would be.

This is not an issue, just a note to those who would go, Hatcho No Yu takes a while to get to. That is what makes it great, because you really can escape from the world. Just give yourself time to get there and back, and give yourself at least a couple days there to really enjoy it.

Absolutely amazing location, food, setting, and activities. It's quite a long ride from nearby major cities, but the Hacho bus shuttle from the national forest parking lot aligns perfectly with the city buses, which take 1.5h from Kinugawa Onsen Stayion and run at least four times daily. Alternatively, the hike from the parking lot to the hotel is only about an hour or so, though it can be steep. The space itself is truly the perfect retreat. Secluded, with beautiful nature hikes (from mild to intense, with stellar views of old forest and Japan's highest wetland). Incredible tasting menu style meals for breakfast and dinner. Best curry I've ever eaten, a la carte at lunch time. The Superior Cabin room was absolute paradise, with comfortable beds and a relaxing river noise and beautiful views. Loved the onsens, embedded in the middle of the forest by a river. Amazing and accommodating staff, who can all communicate in English as a bonus!

Everything was perfect. Room warm and comfortable, staff was very accommodating and spoke brilliant english, dinner and breakfast were something out of this world. Baths are also exceptional and I was even gifted by the good weather to have an opportunity to bathe when it was snowing and then observe the starry sky. Location is fantastic.

If only the transfer schedule was a little more clear. Adding that transfer will come to meet you for every bus coming to Meotobuchi (instead of having 16:30 as time when last transfer departs, which is an hour before the last bus) would definitely help.

They gave us japanese clothes (yukata) to walk around with in the hotel. The futons were super comfortable. We went during the week and there were not so many people, most of the time when we went to onsen we were the only people there as if it was a private one. The onsens were cleaned every day. We paid for the expensive dinner (according to their website) and it was totally worth it. The food amount was also enough and had a good diversity. Staff was very polite and responsive. Moreover, we had a balcony in the room where we could smoke cigarettes. If you plan to shower outside the onsen baths you might freeze to death on the way back to the room from the public bath. (In May). Getting to the hotel from Tokyo was also straight forward but it took some time.

The staff could give instructions on what is the best way to eat the food. Moreover, we are slow eaters and we felt presured to finish our meals.

A wonderful place located in an amazing place high in the mountains. The hot pools were beautiful and you could sit in the water and gaze at the waterfall and the autumn leaves. Friendly staff and fabulous food. Each meal was presented as if it was a work of art- with a range of courses on pretty crockery. Great for walking and we saw monkeys nearby.

The information about how to get to and from the train station was inadequate/incorrect. The information implied that there was a shuttle bus from the Kinugawa Osen Station but actually you had to get a public bus to the Moetobuchi car park to meet the shuttle bus to Hacho No Yu. It is an hour and a half bus ride then a half an hour shuttle bus ride. On the way back we got off the shuttle bus and had a 2 and a half hour wait for the bus to the station. The staff could have advised us to get and earlier or later shuttle bus so there wasn’t such a wait.

Exceptional onsen experience. The staff is lovely and hardworking. Everything was super clean and the meals were absolutely delicious (a 5-star breakfast and dinner are included with your stay, lunches are available for purchase and equally delicious)! The bathrooms are shared, but plentiful. Hiking in the area was wonderful and easily accessed right from your doorstep. There is a cute outside dog on the grounds. FYI: There are single sex hotsprings as well as mixed, all are nude. This secret onsen is a remote mountain inn and you should come with the expectation that this is a true getaway from city conveniences. It takes a bit of travel time and coordination to get to, but is well worth it!

Once booked, do not try to communicate with the hotel via Booking.com. They don't seem to monitor it, but once you arrive you'll see that this is probably because they prioritize top-notch in-person service over online communication. You MIGHT have better luck with calling them directly or having a japanese speaking person call on your behalf. The only way to access this onsen is by taking their shuttle from Meotobuchi parking lot, which runs a few times a day (reference their website and booking.com listing for times). There are only a few city buses from Kinugawa Onsen to the Meotobuchi parking lot, so plan your travel accordingly.

Everything! We stayed for two nights the third week of October. The trees ranged from just beginning to change color or were 30% there so it was a good mix of autumn plus greenery. So beautiful and the air smelled so good! The staff were all amazing. The food is delicious. We got breakfast and dinner. We had our own private onsen and it was so worth it to be able to wake up and hop on right on our balcony. Bring your own towels if you can as extra will cost you 400 yen each. You can wear the towels they provide at the hotel into the onsen. There are four outdoor onsen. One is women only. The other three are mixed bath. From 9-10pm daily those are reserved for women only. We got the smallest room with a private onsen and private bathroom. It was way bigger than expected! See pictures. We did not order breakfast or dinner with our booking but were able to place the orders once we arrived. It was cold up there! We traveled from Asakusa and the weather was warm enough for shorts but once we got up the mountain, it was very cold. We regretfully could not join any of the night activities like star gazing. Bring long pants and jackets if you are staying in autumn and winter. Here is advice for traveling up: 1) You need a reserved seat on the limited train. You don't need a physical card. Email confirmation is good enough. Just tap in with your IC card. So the trip is the cost of the reserved seat plus IC card payment. Make sure you have enough on your card. 2) The bus that takes you to the parking lot takes cash only. They can provide change. When we went it was 1570 yen per person from their recommended station to the parking lot. 3) Let Hatcho no Yu know in advance which of the free shuttle time you are taking. This will let them plan how many shuttles to send. There will be room for you. Even if they don't respond don't worry. You cannot walk the distance from the parking lot. It is about a 30-45 minute ride up the mountain.

The slippers were all one size. They were too big for my feet so I kept tripping on them. They were too small for my partner. The pillows are flat.

This place is superb. It was the best sleep in 5 weeks in Japan, the outdoors private thermal bath was excellent, the food was beautiful, they accomadated me being vegetarian. The onsens were great, outdoor ones being hotter than indoors. The national park it's in is beautiful. The staff are amazing, just delightful.

It is a mission to get there using public transport, from Asakusa to the lodge it took us about 5 hours. But it's absolutely worth it, plus the bus journey is beautiful. Try and do 2 days. The actual lodge is large and if you have sore hips or knees I would imagine the stairs etc could be tricky..