Wow! This ended up being my favorite experience in Japan. It’s not a glamorous place for tourists, it’s local and authentic. And that’s the great thing about it! I was the only foreigner there, but several ladies gave me a friendly push on etiquette. You also get a description in English once you arrive, but there’s still room for A LOT of confusion. I also opted for a one hour spa treatment. Again; it’s not anything fancy, but professional and with GREAT value. I had an amazing time, learned lots of new things and would definitely come back!

This was such a wonderful experience that we ended up going a second time when the weather was terrible on our last day in Kyoto. On both occasions there were very few tourists but that was a plus and it’s very easy to get the hang of onsen culture. Nobody should feel awkward about the nudity which feels completely natural when everyone’s doing it (men and women separately). For about £100 each time two of us got entry to the facilities, a treatment each and a fantastic lunch in the restaurant. That is incredible value for money! We sampled classic massage, Korean body scrub and shiatsu, which was particularly lovely and effective. It’s a nice upmarket environment and I will never forget soaking in my own very hot thermal bathtub under a gazebo then standing naked in the pouring rain to cool off. I already know this place is going to be one of the highlights of our trip - worth the Uber fares (couldn’t be bothered with public transport)

We spent a good afternoon here after visiting the Bamboo forest. We love the Onsen and the lunch in the restaurant. It was a great getaway from the crowd in Kyoto. Wish we had more time to simply relax in the Onsen. Will highly recommend this place and will come back again when I visit Kyoto the next time!