Konpira Onsen Yumoto Yachiyo

Kotohira's original onsen inn, founded in 1725 and steps from the Konpira approach: cheap, generous kaiseki and a rooftop bath with views — but an ageing building, repeated cleanliness complaints and a rooftop bath that women can use only in the evening

Yachiyo traces itself to 1725, when it opened as Shiragaya; the inn says its spring was struck in 1976 and that until 1998 'Konpira Onsen' meant Yachiyo alone. Today it is a 39-room, mostly tatami ryokan in a Showa-era block on the main street a minute or two from the shrine steps. Five independent blogs from 2022–2024 describe what you get: big, plain Japanese rooms (a cheap 4.5-tatami booking upgraded to 8 tatami in 2023), a two-meal stay for two at ¥26,400 in May 2024, kaiseki with sashimi, beef, kamameshi and Sanuki udon that every blogger found filling, a hot indoor bath and a rooftop open-air bath — rebuilt in spring 2022 with a lie-down tub and a round sitting tub, and since 2026 two barrel saunas. The verdict on recent stays rests mainly on booking-site reviews, and they are weak: 2.8 across 74 Jalan reviews (cleanliness 2.4, bath 2.7, breakfast 3.6) and 3.17 across 766 on Rakuten (location 3.42, facilities 2.85). The location, the price, the breakfast and kind front-desk staff win praise; the complaints in 2025–2026 are consistent — rubbish, hair and bird droppings in the baths, a musty smell, broken taps and lights, thin walls, and a rooftop bath guests say can be seen from neighbouring buildings. Jalan lists the bath water as diluted, heated and recirculated. Treat it as a cheap, convenient Konpira base with old-fashioned charm, not a polished onsen stay.