Naraya
草津温泉 奈良屋
Naraya — the entrance, Kusatsu Onsen · Abasaa / Public domain
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
Naraya has stood beside Kusatsu's Yubatake since 1877, and it is one of the best-rated inns in Japan's most famous hot-spring town: 4.63 across 186 reviews on one leading booking site, 4.67 across 928 on another and 4.8 across 1,690 on a third, with the baths scoring highest (4.79). The water is the reason. It comes from the Shirahata spring at 55–56°C and a pH of about 1.2 — strongly acidic — and instead of adding cold water the inn's bath-keepers let it rest overnight and then stir it by hand (yumomi) to soften its bite. Guests describe it as 'gentle, just as its reputation says', a little hot but keeping them warm long after. The building is carpeted in tatami, corridors included, so you walk barefoot. Dinner is the other highlight: a sushi chef makes nigiri at your table, the head chef won a national Japanese-cuisine prize in March 2026, guests staying several nights say the dinners never repeat, and breakfast comes with big croissants. The criticisms are consistent: in summer 2026 several guests said dinner took two and a half hours (fewer of the latest reviews mention it); sound travels (footsteps, corridor voices, even the kitchen); older rooms show their age; and parking, a walk away, turned muddy during 2026 works. Only one room, Iwakagami, has its own onsen bath, and there are stairs everywhere.
Latest updates
What newer Japanese stay reports, posts and official notices have added since this review was written
Six Senyutei rooms were renovated in summer 2026, and the head chef won a national cuisine prize in March 2026 (official site); recent 2026 reviews keep praising non-repeating dinners on multi-night stays.
Room Selection Guide
What the guests who stayed here actually recommendRecommended
Iwakagami (いわかがみ) — the only room with its own onsen bath
A 90㎡ split-level room with a semi-open-air bath fed from the Shirahata spring and a view over Yubatake. It is the inn's only room with a private onsen, and one of only two with a Yubatake view (the other is Minezakura). Like five other rooms, it does not accept children. One August 2026 guest could not open the blinds on the half-open-air bath because a neighbouring inn's windows overlook it, and noticed people at the convenience store next door late at night.
Sen'yu-tei (泉游亭) rooms named after alpine flowers
Thirteen rooms, most with beds. The inn renovated 11 rooms between May and July 2026, including six here (Watasuge, Shakunage, Rindo, Azami, Komakusa and Kokemomo). Before that, a guest in Kokemomo said they 'couldn't hear any noise from other rooms at all', and a November 2024 couple in Watasuge and Kokemomo loved the dinner and the water but found the central air conditioning too warm — those comments describe the pre-renovation rooms, and we don't know whether the air-conditioning issue remains. Azami, Komakusa and Kokemomo do not accept children.
Request To Avoid
Single rooms (Utsugi, Waremokou)
Handy for solo travellers — a 2024 guest paid ¥28,050 a night with two meals — but theirs was about 15㎡ with no window and let in street and rain noise through a vent, and they could also hear people talking in the corridor.
Tsutsuji, Kiri, Momiji and Sakura, if stairs are hard
The inn notes these need extra climbs of 12, 12 and 16 steps. Everyone faces 11 steps at the entrance and 12 to the baths; there is no lift in the wooden wing and the inn cannot accommodate wheelchairs. Three 2026 reviews also said the stairs make the building easy to get lost in, that there is no handrail at the entrance, and that they had to wait for their shoes.
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Dining Deep Dive
Breakfast Consensus
4.4/5A Japanese breakfast with tamagoyaki — and the large croissants that nearly every blogger photographs
Bathe late at night or before breakfast: the large baths flow 24 hours a day, swapping men's and women's sides at 4:00, and are closed only for cleaning (1:00–4:00 and 10:00–12:30). Rinse off after bathing if you have sensitive skin — the inn warns the acidity can cause a rash.
Dinner Insights
4.3/5Served in semi-private dining rooms. In March 2026 head chef Waragai won the Japan Ryokan & Hotel Association prize in the modern cuisine category of the 35th All-Japan Japanese Cuisine Competition (official site). The signature is a sushi chef who makes nigiri at your table ('big, fresh toppings'), alongside dishes such as tomato hot pot and Joshu beef teppanyaki, and three 2026 reviews from multi-night guests say the dinners never repeated. Pace is the weak point: in July–September 2026 several reviews on two sites said dinner took two and a half hours or arrived unevenly, though only one of the latest reviews raised it; one could hear kitchen chatter, and a 2023 guest noted the dining space is not fully private and sushi requests are limited.
Onsen & Wellness Realities
Shirahata spring: acidic sulphur-aluminium sulphate-chloride water, 55–56°C at the source and about pH 1.2. It is cooled without added water — rested overnight to 46–47°C, then stirred by hand — and served at about 42°C. The inn calls it basically colourless with settling flakes; one blogger saw it milky white.
Two large baths, Okumiage-no-yu and Hana-no-yu (with indoor and outdoor tubs), both free-flowing around the clock. The semi-outdoor baths face the street and have no view, and there is no sauna. Three private baths with ceramic tubs (Hi, Fu, Mi) are open to guests 24 hours; a 2023 guest paid ¥2,700 for 45 minutes under the previous set-up, and one 2026 reviewer wanted more privacy and clearer instructions; another said voices carry between the private baths.
The inn's FAQ says large tattoos are not allowed in the public baths; small ones are fine if covered with a sticker. It suggests the private bath as the alternative.
Local Warnings & Nuances
- 01
Check-in is 15:00 (last 19:30) and check-out 11:00; a late check-out to noon costs ¥5,000 per room.
- 02
From Kusatsu Onsen Bus Terminal it is a 5-minute walk, or call and the inn will fetch you (tell them in advance if arriving after 17:00).
- 03
Parking is not on site: the inn uses a lot about 10 minutes' walk away and will pick you up. A temporary car park is in use from 25 August 2026 to 31 March 2027, and reviewers in September 2026 complained it was muddy after rain.
- 04
Day visitors can bathe 12:30–14:00 (¥1,500).
- 05
Prices in our sources: about ¥30,000 per person with two meals in 2022, and ¥28,050 for a single room with two meals in 2024.
- 06
Children are not accepted in six of the inn's 35 rooms: Iwakagami, Azami, Komakusa, Kokemomo, Nanakamado and Minezakura.
- 07
Night paving works are planned on the back street from 2 to 6 November 2026 (not on the 3rd). The inn expects little noise but suggests noise-sensitive guests pick other dates.
- 08
Three 2026 reviews mention being upgraded to a better room without asking.
Before your stay
Souvenirs from Kusatsu Onsen and practical help for your trip.
Kusatsu Onsen souvenirs on Rakuten
Rakuten prices as of Oct 18, 2026 — check the shop for current price and stock. Supported by Rakuten Developers Rakuten links are affiliate links: we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Things to do nearby
Kusatsu Onsen: sights, experiences and seasonal events from Trip Gacha, our sister site.
Sources
The real blog posts and stay reports this article draws on
- ☆2024年11月 草津温泉旅行 NO.4 『奈良屋』☆ (Ameba Blog)
- 【宿泊ブログ】口コミで評判の奈良屋の食事・部屋・温泉を一人旅で体験!
- 草津温泉 奈良屋 館内の様子 実際に1泊しての体験レビュー (きなこブログ)
- 草津温泉の湯宿「奈良屋」で贅沢でサプライズのある時を過ごす (note)
- 【草津温泉】奈良屋レビュー|泉游亭こけもも・カフェ喫茶去メニュー (Love travel)
- 宿泊レビュー!【草津温泉 奈良屋】老舗旅館で名湯と伝統を堪能! (fishand.tips)
- 草津温泉 奈良屋 クチコミ (一休.com)
- 草津温泉 奈良屋 クチコミ・感想 (楽天トラベル)
- 奈良屋 口コミ (Relux)
- 草津温泉 奈良屋 (公式サイト)
- 奈良屋 お知らせ:泉游亭 客室リニューアル (公式サイト, 2026-08-06)
- 奈良屋 お知らせ:料理長 全日本日本料理コンクール受賞 (公式サイト, 2026-03-21)
- 奈良屋 お知らせ:裏通り 夜間舗装工事 (公式サイト, 2026-09-15)
- 奈良屋 客室案内 (公式サイト)
- 草津温泉 奈良屋 クチコミ (じゃらんnet)
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Read the guidePhoto credits
- Naraya — the entrance, Kusatsu Onsen · Abasaa / Public domain
- Matsumoto Kiyoshi, Himeji Station, Hyogo · Corpse Reviver / CC BY-SA 3.0
- Pokémon Store, First Avenue Tokyo Station · 電車(新幹線)でゴー! / CC0
- Mukaitaki in the snow, Higashiyama Onsen, Aizu-Wakamatsu · Fumihiko Ueno / CC BY 3.0
- Gora Kadan — the former Kan'in-no-miya imperial villa, Hakone · 663highland / CC BY 2.5
More Consensus Reports
Kusatsu OnsenClassic
Kusatsu Onsen, Gunma — on a back lane behind the Honke Chichiya manjū shop, about three minutes' walk (steeply uphill on the way back) from the Yubatake and five from Kusatsu Onsen bus terminal
9 sources
Kusatsu Onsen Kanemidori
昔心の宿 金みどり
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
- Destination Dining
Kusatsu 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
Kusatsu 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
Kusatsu OnsenValue
Kusatsu Onsen, Gunma — beside the stone steps up to Kōsenji temple at the edge of the Yubatake (about 15 seconds' walk to the hot-spring field), five minutes' walk from Kusatsu Onsen bus terminal
10 sources
Nushiyu Ryokan
草津温泉 ぬ志勇旅館
A small family-run inn on the Yubatake with Kusatsu's only open-air bath looking down on the hot-spring field, fed by the rare Shirahata spring, plus a free private bath — but it's an old stair-climbing house with smoking rooms, no air conditioning and cash-only payment, and the view is mostly from the men's side
- Private Onsen Rooms
Kusatsu OnsenClassic
Kusatsu Onsen, Gunma — at the southern entrance to the town, about a 10-minute walk from the Yubatake hot-water field, with a free shuttle from the Kusatsu Onsen bus terminal
10 sources
Kusatsu Onsen Hotel Sakurai
草津温泉 ホテル櫻井
Kusatsu's biggest onsen 'hotel' is really a 179-room ryokan: mostly tatami rooms, a 30-metre bath fed by three free-flowing springs, a live-cooking buffet and a nightly yumomi show — but it's big and busy, and the in-room open-air baths aren't onsen
Read the ConsensusKusatsu OnsenClassic
Kusatsu Onsen, Gunma — in a quiet villa district on the hill above town, a 15–20-minute walk from the Yubatake (uphill on the way back), with free shuttles to the Kusatsu Onsen bus terminal
11 sources
Yuyado Toki no Niwa
湯宿 季の庭
A tatami-floored Kusatsu inn where all 64 rooms have an open-air onsen bath, plus 23 tubs shared with a sister inn — but the room baths are filled on demand rather than free-flowing, it's a 15–20-minute walk from the Yubatake, and 2025–2026 guests report an ageing building
- Private Onsen Rooms
Photo credits: Yubatake at night, Kusatsu Onsen, Gunma · Σ64 / CC BY 4.0
Naraya
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