Building, room interior and most of facilities were outdated. Room was extremely hot, but no air conditioner in the room.

free drink service. the drinks were also in good taste.

Stayed in July 2025

The hotel is definitely a little outdated and would benefit from some basic repairs. No aircon, but a fan in the room at least. No plugs near the beds as it was a tatami room with beds added.

Great bathing facilities with several baths, no issue with tattoos. Free breakfast. Traditional washitsu room with raised beds worked well. Lots of parking space. Charming in a time capsule kind of way. Reception (younger man) spoke good English and was very friendly.

Stayed in July 2025

Its age is showing in the rooms. The bathroom is tiny. The room door needs careful handling when opening and closing, sign of wear with age. The TV turned on by itself at 4am, a bit spooky.

Interesting old world charm

Stayed in September 2024

I don’t feel welcome as a foreign tourist. When front desk staffs were dealing with local visitors, they are lively and cheerful. When is my turn to check in , they just talk like robot . We stayed in room 310, the room is ok, bathroom amenities eg bath and hand soap are all diluted. I used the soap that is provided inside the onsen, they are thick and soapy.

Great onsen.

Stayed in October 2024

This review has been hidden because it doesn't meet our guidelines.

In the western room the toilet had a smell of old urine. There was dust several places in the whole room. During the summer the rooms get very hot, and it is difficult to cool down with just a fan. It is also difficult to keep the window open if there is a strong smell of sulphur from the outside. The onsen was good the first time we visited, and not so much the second time where the water temperature was markedly cooler than stated.

A good onsen.

Stayed in September 2024

Poorly maintained. Felt cheated cos there is no aircon in the room. Fortunately the outdoor temperature was 18-20, I opened the window to let the cold air in

Like the natural sulphur bath. Good breakfast buffet.

Stayed in August 2024

A bit older hotel, but the room is fine, the breakfast is good and they have a great onsen.

Stayed in May 2024

The place seemed dark. Dimly lit hallways and bathroom. No lights at all at the front door (no sign, no lights).

Across the street from a nice park and public foot bath. The town is small, so walking distance to everything. Multiple restaurants within five minutes walk. Parking in adjacent lot. Friendly front desk staff. Free sake tasting at lobby bar in the evening.

Stayed in October 2023

Nothing

Hot springs were exceptional. Free sake testing/ soft drinks/coffee.

Stayed in August 2025

No air-conditioned.

Hotel room size is ok.

Stayed in June 2025

No air-con at all. Thankfully, it was beginning to cool down in early Oct, but still, it was not as expected. Can't imagine hotels still do not have a/c at all. Dusty old worned out carpets. The laundry room was in a deep corner of the hotel thats i either being renovated or closed off. The overall hotel looks worned out. From the outside, it even looks closed or abandoned. :( Bed was sagging in the middle, and when we asked for extra pillows, they barely had 2 left in their closet. Its nothing at all like the pictures in Booking.com.

Nothing much because its a VERY old hotel. Even the phone is a rotary type!! Very pricey. We came from another area very popular and crowded and this place was just barely $100 cheaper and it does not have so many things and has the cheek to charge such a price!

Stayed in October 2024

Fin de siecle air of slow decline, mainly due to lack of maintenance

Stayed in September 2024

It's a pretty popular spot, both with tour groups from abroad and with the people of Hokkaido. As a result, the hotel itself was full of families who were (let's be generous here) maybe a little too tired to be able to even attempt to keep their children quiet. But that's hardly the hotel's fault. Maybe I should stop being such a grump. The breakfast was serviceable but hardly exciting - much like the kind of thing you'd find in a mid-range business hotel rather than what you'd expect in a place looking like this. It was OK.

Kawayu Onsen is a lovely little spot - as long as this is what you're looking for - and this is the perfect hotel to stay in if you're coming. I've been to a lot of onsen towns in Japan, some with fantastic waters, some with picturesque streets to wander around in your yukata and geta. Kawayu, though, is a quiet little spot nestled in the mountains with lovely people, a bit of a "frontier" vibe and WONDERFUL waters. The town is centred on a great little ashi-yu (natural footbath) a couple of souvenir shops with a wild-west mountain vibe (hand-carved bear-claw pendants, anyone?) some great restaurants (Inaka-ya Genpei - HIGHLY recommended) and an old-skool sumo museum dedicated to a local hero. The hotel itself is a bit "Showa-era-poi" and the waters, for which this town is justly famous, are bloody great. I used not dig the sulphuric (eggy) onsens but this place has converted me: it seems, unlike the vast majority of Japanese onsens, the bath water is not diluted at all, and - due to its purity - there are signs all over as to how long you should spend in each bath (there are a variety of temperatures maintained) so as to not be dissolved away(!) I loved it. I doubt the waters actually have all the healing properties they claim, but they certainly put a smile on my face, This is far from where I live, but I’d love to visit again (wearing my (hand-carved bear-claw pendant)!

Stayed in August 2024

Not having dinner at the hotel

The staff were superbly helpful, and the room was clean and spacious, the onsen was great.

Stayed in September 2023

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Stayed in June 2025

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Stayed in October 2024

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Stayed in December 2024

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Stayed in October 2024