These rooms only have a small table, that’s it. In the closet you’ll always find the bedding: futons, pillows, and thick, fluffy comforters. There were 4 futons, so mike and I doubled up and slept like kings.

The unique thing about this particular inn was its onsen. This onsen is nicknamed “The 1,000 person onsen” because of its immensity. Obviously no cameras are allowed inside, but basically it had 2 very large rectangular soaking tubs filled with hot mineral water. This water was a beautiful teal green- opaque with minerals after only a few inches. Have you ever seen pictures of high glacier lakes, well that’s what this water looked like, only it was piping hot. There were two features that made this onsen my favorite yet. One was how old it was: Mike said the inn was built around 300 years ago, and the intricate wood of the place definitely made it feel that way. The whole place was old, grey wood, up to the doors, walls, windows, slats on the floor… it really had a neat, ancient feel. The other features were the onsen waterfalls. Maybe 20 feet up on one of the walls were 8 thick bamboo tubes spaced maybe 4 or 5 feet apart. Out of each tube poured a powerful thick, hot stream of this same healing onsen water. With the added gravity the effect was incredible: a virtual water massage. You could stand or sit underneath one of the streams for as long as your heart desired. I saw a few Japanese men on all fours, moving so that the stream would massage their calves, back, and shoulders. Placing your courtesy towel over your head and closing your eyes you were transported into another time and place, mind drifting into a time of samurais and feudal lords. The best thing was that the onsen was open all night for the guests of the inn and Mike and I took full advantage of this. There was even a women only hour every morning from 8 to 9. It was truly a spectacular place. The picture attached is the inn’s claim to fame that 1,000 people could actually fit in the onsen, but Mike and I guessed it could really hold more like 300.