Hot Springs Hotels in Gunma Prefecture, Japan

Very nice Japanese style room overlooking the river and the tree filled riverbank hill. It was very private. Breakfast and dinner was served at the table and was excellent. Much variety of fish, chicken, pork, tofu, and vegetables. The overall atmosphere was very elegant and relaxed. The ryokan is located right on one of the bus stops for easy access from the train station. It is a short 10 minute walk to the main area of town. There are several onsen pools. Some rotate between men and women at different hours. Very clean with good amenities. Overall a very memorable stay.

A relax and nice view in Kusatsu. The hotel is located a bit far from bus terminal. However, there is a free shuttle bus service which connected with bus service. I strongly encourage the private onsen package where we can taste three different type of onsen in the hotel. My platinum ring changed colour, may be due to the acidity of onsen water😂. The dinner and breakfast inspired and it is good for family trip with a number of accessible service for elderly with physically limitations.

The facilities were very clean as they had just been renovated. The buffet had a great variety, and both dinner and breakfast were delicious! The heating in the room was apparently faulty, but I suspect the entire facility might have had issues, as even with the provided heater, some areas were very cold. At dinner, we were seated near the entrance, and it was so incredibly cold that many of the dishes were already cool, which was a real shame. When I went to the onsen in the morning, the changing room was so cold it felt like being outside. I warmed up in the hot spring, but then got cold again in the changing room. Also, there was a lot of hair on the floor near the dryers in the changing room, which was quite unpleasant. I used the onsen three times but never saw any staff cleaning it. There were hair straighteners in addition to dryers, but there were no outlets to plug in my own, which was also disappointing. I hope these issues can be improved.

The room is clean, tidy, comfortable, spacious, bright and sanitary. It is very comfortable to live in. The breakfast and dinner are rich and delicious. I arrived early and the front desk arranged for us to check in in advance. The hotel's gold and silver soup is great and it is very comfortable to soak in!

the dinner is insanely large portion, i feel so bad wasting alot of food and skipping some courses luckily the breakfast is in normal portion the onsen is nice, the outdoor onsen is less hot compare to the indoor they also offer different design of yukata to pick from

Pros: + Stunning outdoor onsen: The outdoor bath is the highlight. The natural scenery is beautiful, especially with the surrounding mountains and snow. + Tourist-friendly onsen: The resort provides special underwear so guests can comfortably enjoy the onsen without needing to be fully nude, which makes it much more accessible for international visitors. + Excellent kaiseki dinner: The traditional multi-course meal is well-prepared and delicious. Definitely one of the highlights of the stay. + Great atmosphere: The entire setting feels very authentic and relaxing, especially in winter. + Service meets expectations: Staff are professional and the hospitality is solid throughout the stay. Cons: - Outdoor bath is quite far from the main building: You need to walk through a snowy path wearing the traditional yukata, which can feel very cold and slightly inconvenient. - TV lacks modern app support: The in-room TV does not support apps like Netflix or other streaming services. - Tight schedule for check-in and check-out: The first shuttle bus arrives at the resort around 2:00 PM, leaving only a few hours before dinner at 5:45 PM. After dinner you can enjoy the onsen again until midnight, and it reopens at 5:00 AM. However, breakfast starts at 7:00 AM, and guests must check out by 9:00 AM to catch the 9:15 AM bus. This makes the morning feel rushed and limits the time you can spend enjoying the onsen. The rest of your day might be feeling tired. Despite a few inconveniences - mainly the walking distance to the outdoor bath and the tight check-out schedule. Takaragawa Onsen is still a highly enjoyable experience. The stunning outdoor, beautiful scenery, and great kaiseki dinner make it a memorable stay. If you're visiting Japan and want to experience a famous outdoor onsen, this place is definitely worth it and shouldn't be missed.

Remember to check the bus schedule when you go, as there are only a few buses (around 9 am, 2:30 pm, and 4 pm). Basically, you'll need to eat all three meals at the hotel. The round trip by bus down the mountain takes about 2 hours. The hotel doesn't include air conditioning. I went in early October and the temperature was 11 degrees Celsius, which was quite nice. Hiking was comfortable, and the scenery was superb. You can even ski in winter. WiFi isn't available in every hotel; the one I stayed at, the Forest Trail Inn, didn't have it—it was quite secluded! 👍

We had a very good overall experience at this onsen hotel. The atmosphere was relaxing, and we enjoyed our stay very much. We especially appreciated having an English-speaking staff member available — it made communication much easier and helped us feel more comfortable during our visit.

Excellent value for money, with a half-board package that included dinner and breakfast. Dinner was very generous, though the aftertaste was just average; the Jōshū beef was the highlight. Breakfast quality was superb. Very satisfied with the cleanliness and comfort.

My stay at Kamenoi Hotel Kusatsu was excellent. The onsen was very clean and quite spacious, making it a relaxing experience. The hotel also has a convenient shortcut that leads directly to the Yubatake pedestrian area, which is a big plus. Both breakfast and dinner were buffet-style with a wide variety of dishes — plenty of options and all very enjoyable. The service was great, and the room was comfortable to sleep in. The only downside is that there were a bit too few power outlets in the room, but it wasn’t a major problem. Overall, a fantastic stay and highly recommended for anyone visiting Kusatsu.