The tatami area in my room (Photo: Peter Sidell)

Kashobou Fukumatsu Hotel, Kinugawa

Relax at this affordable hotel in Kinugawa Onsen

The tatami area in my room (Photo: Peter Sidell)
Peter Sidell   - 3 min read

One autumn I decided to treat myself to a couple of nights in Kinugawa Onsen, and set about finding somewhere to stay, looking for a balance of comfort and facilities and affordability. Of the many options available, I settled on Kashobou Fukumatsu, and thoroughly enjoyed my stay there.

Check in is slightly late, opening at 4:00pm, but when I got there it was smooth and friendly; the staff who checked me in spoke excellent English and was able to tell me about nearby restaurants. The lobby is a pretty interesting place, with a great view over the river, hand-made accessories for sale at reception, and a charmingly eclectic mix of decor; prints, traditional dolls, ceramics, musical instruments, a colourful hammock to laze around in, and plenty more.

The tatami area in my room
The tatami area in my room

My room was a very good size, with plenty of space to spread out: I had a little entrance hall, a traditional tatami area with low table and floor cushions, then twin beds and a table and chairs close to the window, also with a nice view of the river. It was showing its age - there were odd little knocks and chips on the fittings and nicks and frays on the tatami - but the low low cost more than made up for this.

Kinugawa Onsen being a hot spring resort, most hotels boast public hot spring baths, and this is no exception. The indoor bathroom was nice to relax in, though the sauna was temporarily closed; the outdoor bath was phenomenally hot, leaving me with a line across the top of my torso where my lower 80% had been poached red. I enjoyed the switch between the cold air and hot water, though there was a limit to how long I could stay in that water!

The view from the lobby
The view from the lobby

Getting there

The hotel is five or six minutes' walk from Kinugawa Onsen station on the Tobu line, following the main road north from the plaza in front of the station.

There are two kinds of rooms, traditional Japanese style or western style with tatami area, both of which can accommodate up to four people. The cost is per person rather than per room, and will vary with the season, but you shouldn't pay much more than about JPY5000 a head.

Peter Sidell

Peter Sidell @peter.sidell

I came to Japan from Manchester, England in 2003, and have travelled a lot since then, around Japan and in Asia. When I'm not working, I write satire and perform stand-up comedy in and around Tokyo. Check YouTube for a taste.