Kita Onsen（株）北温泉旅館

Update Nov 2, 2025. It’s a great onsen but there are many rules and the place can be hard to navigate. You cannot use the outdoor waterfall. Woman cannot enter one of the baths until a certain and only if staying overnight. Anyways, just consider this prior to going. We used it for day trip on April 1, 2025. Paid ¥700. This is a very old inn that felt very warm and taken care of. I’d like to stay over night next time I visit.

I gave it 4 stars for *atmosphere*. The entrance is almost like walking into the Meiji era. If you're looking for a tidy place that has showers and soap, this place is definitely NOT for you. The riverside rotenburo has no shower at all. You have to wash carefully scooping water with a bowl. The indoor women's bath on the second floor is bigger and has a trough for scooping water to wash. Windows all along one side let in the refreshing green scenery. This has a nice & relaxed atmosphere. The *huge outdoor hot spring pool(with a mini slide!!) is mixed bathing although changing areas are separate. You can see it on the right as you approach Kita onsen. No shower & and no soap. Beware, the floor of the pool was extremely slippy!

1200+ yr old onsen that existed since the Edo era. There are selections of onsen to choose from. Will be back next time but it is better for 2 nights atleast as there are some nice walks around and finish your day with onsen bath.

One of the craziest onsen I have ever been to, and I mean that in a good way. They have a mixed bath onsen pool in the front of the building with a slide for kids. They have multiple different kinds of baths each with their own theme and speciality. The building is very old as I believe it is from the Edo period. They also have rooms to stay in. A super fun way to finish your hike of Mt. Nasu

Parking lot is far from the ryokan. You need to walk around 5-10 mins. They kept the building inside and out as it is which has its pros and cons. Pros is that you get to appreciate the interior and exterior structure of how Japan was in old times. Cons is that it is not fully maintained so there are some parts within the building that have depreciated. They have 2 cats (Momo and Maru). The room is pretty simple. No AC nor fridge however you can use the main fridge for ¥250 yen. They also sell drinks (alcoholic and non-alcoholic) and some snacks. They serve dinner and breakfast if you choose this option upon reservation. Or you can also cook your own food. They will let you use the kitchen for free. Just bring your own ingredients. Kitchen items are available. They have a lot of indoor and outdoor onsens. You should try them all! The main outdoor onsen which looks like a pool with slide is slippery due to moss so be careful. They only provide small towel so you should bring big towels if you need big ones. Television viewing inside your room is ¥100 per hour. You can smoke inside the room. They also have a library with Japanese books. Toilet is shared. Food was good. If you don’t mind a not fancy and old style ryokan then you would like this place.

Kita Onsen was a beautiful memorable place that I will certainly return to again. They had delicious food for breakfast and dinner. The staff was very helpful and friendly, even their cat made our stay more pleasant. The abundance of different onsens available to use was very nice. The views from the outside ones were beautiful and helped make relaxing easier. One even was next to some waterfalls.

Great rustic Japanese style inn. Mixed bathing with various old-style facilities (though at least one or two baths are gender segregated). You can bring your own food and cook your own meals. There are all sorts of nooks and crannies to hang about it, and the inn, itself, is well off the beaten path. You'll have to do a bit of walking to get to it, so you might want to avoid bringing bulky luggage in the winter. The room we stayed in was washitsu style and very basic; but perhaps Kiki the cat will wander in for a visit, as she did with us. There's a common area where you can relax and watch TV, as well; and you might meet Momo the cat here, too.

Fantastic onsen hidden away in the mountains. There are seven baths, some for women and men. Two are mixed, including the outdoor pool. If you are a woman ot child it is fine to wear a towel or swimsuit in the outdoor pool. This onsen is hundreds of years old. You really feel that you are stepping back in tine.