Ryokan in Kusatsu Onsen

Six of the eight reviewed Kusatsu inns are classic-tier houses and two, Daitokan and Nushiyu Ryokan, are value-tier; all draw on Kusatsu's strongly acidic springs, though not every tub is free-flowing. Daitokan, Naraya, Nushiyu Ryokan, Boun, Hotel Ichii and Kanemidori are within a few minutes' walk of the Yubatake and the bus terminal; Hotel Sakurai, the biggest, sits at the southern entrance to town, about 10 minutes' walk from the Yubatake, and Yuyado Toki no Niwa is in a quiet villa district on the hill above town, a 15–20-minute walk from the Yubatake and uphill on the way back; both run free shuttles from the bus terminal. Expect stairs at Naraya and Boun, five floors of stairs and no lift at Nushiyu Ryokan, a steep, narrow slope from the Yubatake back up to Kanemidori, long corridors at the much larger Hotel Ichii, and tatami corridors walked barefoot at Toki no Niwa.

Naraya sits right beside the Yubatake and softens its Shirahata water by resting and hand-stirring it rather than adding cold water; tableside sushi is a highlight, but dinners can run long, sound carries, and only one room has its own onsen bath. Like Naraya, Nushiyu Ryokan, a 14-room family-run house beside the stone steps up to Kōsenji temple about 15 seconds from the Yubatake, draws the Shirahata spring, pumped up but not recirculated, heated or diluted; it advertises Kusatsu's only open-air bath looking down on the Yubatake and adds a free private bath you use whenever it's empty, and two-meal stays run about ¥14,000–17,000 per person for two sharing on most dates. The view is mostly from the men's open-air bath (the inn warns it is hard to see from the women's, and trees block it while seated), payment is cash only, rooms are sold as smoking-permitted and have no air conditioning, and 2025–2026 guests mention worn bathrooms and sound carrying through the old building. Kusatsu Onsen Boun, up a steep slope above the Yubatake, offers two springs across three bath halls and a 2025 wing where every room has its own free-flowing bath; recent guests report uneven service and dinners rated below the baths. Kusatsu Onsen Hotel Ichii, directly across the street from the Yubatake, suits those who want the view and a big buffet: two free-flowing springs, an indoor bath with three tubs at different temperatures and a live-kitchen buffet with Jōshū beef and made-to-order sushi; only 23 rooms face the Yubatake, most rooms are dated, and there are no private baths. Kusatsu Onsen Hotel Sakurai, the town's largest hotel but run like a big ryokan, suits families: a 30-metre indoor bath and a rock open-air bath fed by three free-flowing springs (the Wata-no-yu spring is off until late October 2026), a nightly yumomi show, roomy tatami suites in the 16-storey new wing and a live-cooking buffet; it is big and busy, the main wing shows its age, tattoos aren't allowed in the baths, and the 12 rooms with open-air baths use heated ordinary water, not onsen. Kusatsu Onsen Kanemidori, a 30-room inn founded in 1902 as a restaurant and tucked behind the main street, suits those who come for dinner: a seasonal kaiseki of about nine courses with a miso-style Jōshū beef sukiyaki, plus Yubatake water in the indoor baths and the even more acidic Bandaikō water outdoors, both free-flowing; rooms have no views, its two private open-air baths cost ¥3,300 for 45 minutes and can only be booked on arrival, and many guests can't finish the portions. Kusatsu Onsen Daitokan, a 95-room Meiji-era inn also facing the Yubatake, is the budget alternative to Hotel Ichii: it pipes the Yubatake spring itself into its baths, serves an 80-dish Gunma buffet with tempura fried on the spot and Jōshū-beef sukiyaki, includes free use of the baths at two sister hotels, and two-meal stays usually cost about ¥9,000–16,000 per person; the building is tired, every room is a smoking room, 'Yubatake-side' rooms don't guarantee a view, its two shared baths are small and crowded, and there are no private baths. Yuyado Toki no Niwa is the pick for a bath of your own: all 64 rooms have an open-air onsen bath on the balcony, and with its sister inn Okyado Konoha it shares two bath halls on two acidic springs plus three free private baths, 23 tubs in all, with meals in private dining rooms and free late-night ramen; unlike the baths in Boun's new wing, though, the room baths are not free-flowing but filled with a switch each time, the private baths can't be booked and are often busy, two-meal rates for two start around ¥66,000–71,000, and 2025–2026 guests report worn tatami, musty smells and thin walls.