Kusatsu Onsen Kanemidori
昔心の宿 金みどり
Area photo — not the ryokan itself · Yubatake at night, Kusatsu Onsen, Gunma · Σ64 / CC BY 4.0
A 30-room Kusatsu inn, founded in 1902 as a restaurant, that guests choose for its nine-course dinners and two free-flowing springs — but the rooms have no views, the private baths cost extra and the portions defeat many
Kanemidori opened in 1902 and, according to a 2024 Precious.jp feature, began life as a ryōtei restaurant; a hot-spring blogger reports the house was once called Midoriya, with 'kane' (gold) added for luck. Today it's a renovated 30-room inn tucked behind the main street, three minutes from the Yubatake. The draw is two Kusatsu springs under one roof, both free-flowing: Yubatake water in the indoor baths and the even more acidic Bandaikō water (pH about 1.5, 96°C at source) in the outdoor bath and two private open-air baths in a separate annex. Then there's dinner. Japanese guests rate it 4.7 across 1,059 reviews on one major site, with dinner and service both at 4.8, and 4.51 across 863 on another. Bloggers who stayed in 2022, 2024 and 2025 describe a seasonal kaiseki of many small dishes — a miso-style Jōshū beef sukiyaki is the signature — and a Japanese breakfast with its own hotpot; reviewers add staff who meet cars with umbrellas and explain the town. The complaints are consistent: the inn's own FAQ warns there are no views, the private baths cost ¥3,300 for 45 minutes and can only be booked on arrival, and many guests can't finish dinner. In 2026 reviews also mention stained tatami in an older room, beer at ¥900–980, only two tea bags per room and a meat-free request that never reached the kitchen in the top-floor KaKuRe suite. Two-meal stays run about ¥23,000–30,000 per person.
Room Selection Guide
What the guests who stayed here actually recommendRecommended
Nishiki (錦) standard Japanese rooms — 10+2, 12.5 or 10+4.5 tatami
A step up from the basic Tokiwa rooms, with a sitting area or second room; the 12.5-mat and 10+4.5-mat versions have a bath and toilet, the 10+2 a shower booth (room baths are not onsen). A September 2026 reviewer found the fittings ordinary but spotless, and a July 2026 guest noted renewed tatami and washbasins. Book the cheaper 'no view' plans — there's no view to pay for anyway.
The Japanese-Western rooms Yamabuki no No (山吹の野) and Ai no Michi (藍の美路), or the KaKuRe suite
Yamabuki no No (about 22㎡, low twin beds, sunken kotatsu table, toilet but no bath) struck a November 2022 guest as modern and photogenic; Ai no Michi is a 12.5-mat indigo-themed twin with a bath. KaKuRe is a 120㎡ top-floor suite with its own private dining room and an in-room bath of Yubatake spring water, sold for two adults on Saturdays only.
Request To Avoid
Tokiwa (常磐) 10-mat rooms, especially the plain 'hitoma' type
The inn calls the single 10-mat Tokiwa room its lowest grade, with no chairs or spare space and a toilet but no bath; other Tokiwa rooms get either chairs or an entry nook, not selectable. An October 2026 guest found an older room with tatami covered in stains, and 2023–2024 reviewers found rooms dim. The Western-style Tokiwa twin is closed to children.
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Dining Deep Dive
Breakfast Consensus
4.5/5A Japanese set breakfast (not a buffet) at 8:00 or 8:30 with Gunma konnyaku sashimi and a small hotpot — suiton dumplings or yuba and trout shabu-shabu — widely praised, though coffee costs extra and one 2026 guest had no ladle for the suiton
Set your navigation to Kusatsu Onsen bus terminal, not the inn, and phone ahead — the inn talks drivers in through one-way lanes; parking is ¥500 a night and opens at 13:00. Book the private baths at check-in. If you're a light eater, say so: one 2026 guest asked for the rest of the courses to be brought at once.
Dinner Insights
4.6/5A seasonal kaiseki of about nine courses, served from 18:00 or 19:00 in the Shinryoku dining room around a wood fire or in Mokuryoku, fitted out with Kusatsu-themed pieces by a traditional craftsman (private rooms can be requested). An autumn 2025 menu ran from grilled-mackerel sushi to a 'yakuzen-style' Jōshū beef sukiyaki and chestnut rice; a 2024 journalist's version came with cheese-filled potato salad melted into the miso broth. Extras include Jōshū sirloin (¥3,500 for 80g) and horse sashimi. Complaints: portions too large (2024 and 2026), a long wait between courses and mushy rice (October 2024), and drinks at about ¥1,000 a glass.
Onsen & Wellness Realities
Two Kusatsu sources, both free-flowing (kakenagashi) according to the inn: Yubatake water (acidic sulphur spring, pH about 2.0, 53.9°C) in the indoor baths, and Bandaikō water (acidic chloride-sulphate spring, pH about 1.5, 96°C at source) in the outdoor bath and the two private baths.
Separate basement baths for men (Ho) and women (An) that don't swap, each with an indoor bath open overnight from 15:00 to 10:00 and an outdoor bath open 15:00–24:00 and 6:00–10:00; guests mention a hotter and a cooler tub. Some find the baths compact and, on the women's side, the outdoor bath a chilly walk from the indoor one. The two private open-air baths, wooden Mokuren and stone Shakunage, are in an annex across the car park: ¥3,300 for 45 minutes, booked on arrival only.
No policy found on the official site or Japanese booking sites — contact the inn.
Local Warnings & Nuances
- 01
Check-in 15:00, check-out 10:00; luggage is held before and after. Bathing tax is ¥150 per adult per night.
- 02
The inn's own FAQ says rooms look onto neighbouring buildings — there are no views.
- 03
Driving is tricky: narrow one-way lanes near the Yubatake, ¥500-a-night parking (13:00 to noon next day), and snow tyres or chains needed from November to April at 1,200m. A free pick-up runs from the bus terminal only, 9:00–18:00.
- 04
The shortest walk to the Yubatake is a steep, narrow slope — older guests and anyone in geta found it hard; the inn has a lift inside.
- 05
Children are welcome (primary school 70% of the adult rate, younger children 20–50% depending on meals and bedding), except in the Tokiwa Western-style room and KaKuRe. Cancellation: 20% from 3 days before, 80% on the day, 100% after 15:00 or no-show.
Sources
The real blog posts and stay reports this article draws on
More Consensus Reports
Kusatsu OnsenClassic
Kusatsu Onsen, Gunma — beside Yubatake, about five minutes' walk from the bus terminal
10 sources
Naraya
草津温泉 奈良屋
Kusatsu's famously soft-yet-acidic Shirahata water, cooled by hand the old way, a few steps from Yubatake — with tableside sushi, and dinners that can run long
Read the Consensus
Area photoKusatsu OnsenClassic
Kusatsu Onsen, Gunma — on the hill above the Yubatake, a 3–5 minute walk (uphill on the way back) from the hot-spring field and about 7 minutes from the bus terminal
11 sources
Kusatsu Onsen Boun
草津温泉 望雲
A Kusatsu inn dating to 1598, with strong, free-flowing acidic water from two springs and a new wing of onsen-bath rooms — but uneven service and dinners that recent guests rate below the baths
- Private Onsen Rooms
- Historic Ryokan
Area photoKusatsu OnsenClassic
Kusatsu Onsen, Gunma — directly across the street from the Yubatake hot-spring field, about five minutes' walk from Kusatsu Onsen bus terminal
10 sources
Kusatsu Onsen Hotel Ichii
草津温泉 ホテル一井
The closest hotel to Kusatsu's Yubatake, with two free-flowing springs and a much-praised live-kitchen buffet — but only 23 rooms see the hot-spring field, most rooms are dated, and it's a big, busy house with long corridors
- Historic Ryokan
Photo credits: Naraya — the entrance, Kusatsu Onsen · Abasaa / Public domain / Yubatake at night, Kusatsu Onsen, Gunma · Σ64 / CC BY 4.0
Kusatsu Onsen Kanemidori
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