Lamp No Yado Aoni Onsen

You can't use your cell phone, there's no TV, and you can't even read a book after dark. There's nothing to do, but doing nothing is the best. The food is delicious, and the baths are great.

Simple, no frills, comfortable ryokan set in a very secluded beautiful narrow wooded valley with a rushing stream outside the windows. Be aware: the smell of paraffin from the lamps is unmistakable, pervasive, catches in your throat, and your clothes will smell of it after you have left. Having got that out of the way, everything else is makes it a really special experience. There is no wifi, phone signal, no television, so you can slow down, relax and appreciate the onsen and the nature surrounding you. The meals were healthy and delicious, featuring fresh foraged ingredients. You will not go hungry. We requested vegetarian meals a few days in advance. Eating the meal in the tatami dining room in the lamplight and watching the light fading outside was beautiful. You will make up your own futons and there are shared toilet and tooth cleaning facilities. Everything is spotlessly clean. There are several baths: two with a view of a delicate waterfall, which are not very hot, so good for summer, a mixed sex rotemburo with times for women only, an ofuro in the main building, and 2 cypress baths in a cypress building with a view of the river, and the water is gloriously hot. Plus an outdoor footbath. All are lit with atmospheric lanterns. There is a car park a short walk up the hill from the ryokan. The old wooden main building is full of character and decorated with items of local folk art. There are some small areas of garden planted with native plants near the entrance, but the rest of the surroundings are just the area's flora and fauna.

Pros: - Beautiful traditional Ryokan - Stunning scenery - Tasty local food Neutral: - None of the staff speak English but that’s to be expected in rural Japan, download the offline thing in Google Translate first Negatives: - Everything you bring will smell of paraffin afterwards, don’t make the mistake of bringing your luggage in other than what you need - No showers + cold water for washing face etc