Hacho no Yu

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 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.

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.

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.

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.