Kitakami onsen

This post depicts an interesting experience during our recent trip to Japan and trying Onsen in the traditional Japanese style with an affordable price compared to the ordinary costs. For anyone who is about to travel on your own to Japan, don’t miss out on this post. Now, let’s check it out Hanamaki onsen bath through our review Japanese onsen bath in Kitakami (Kitakami onsen), Japan below.

Hakone-Onsen
Hakone Onsen

HakoneOnsen08-1024x728

Shiobara Onsen in kitakami,kitakami onsen,semi onsen kitakami,semi onsen,hanamaki onsen kitakami,hanamaki onsen
Shiobara Onsen in kitakami | kitakami onsen
Watari Onsen Hotel Satsuki,kitakami onsen,semi onsen kitakami,semi onsen,hanamaki onsen kitakami,hanamaki onsen
Watari Onsen Hotel Satsuki
Fumiaki Yoshimatsu Tsurunoyu Onsen,kitakami onsen,semi onsen kitakami,semi onsen,hanamaki onsen kitakami,hanamaki onsen
Fumiaki Yoshimatsu Tsurunoyu Onsen in winter | kitakami onsen
Irihata Onsen,kitakami onsen,semi onsen kitakami,semi onsen,hanamaki onsen kitakami,hanamaki onsen
Irihata Onsen
Kitakami onsen
Kitakami onsen
Kitakami onsen,kitakami onsen,semi onsen kitakami,semi onsen,hanamaki onsen kitakami,hanamaki onsen
Kitakami onsen in Autumn | kitakami onsen
onsen bathing,kitakami onsen,semi onsen kitakami,semi onsen,hanamaki onsen kitakami,hanamaki onsen
Onsen bathing, a culture feature of Japanese people

Onsen is the natural hot spring originated from volcanoes so the water here is pure mineral water, which is really good for your health. The Japanese often come here not only to relax but also to take good care of their bodies and prevent any potential illness.

Kitakami onsen,kitakami onsen,semi onsen kitakami,semi onsen,hanamaki onsen kitakami,hanamaki onsen

Kitakami onsen,kitakami onsen,semi onsen kitakami,semi onsen,hanamaki onsen kitakami,hanamaki onsen
| kitakami onsen

Kitakami onsen

Hakone Yumoto Onsen Hotel1,kitakami onsen,semi onsen kitakami,semi onsen,hanamaki onsen kitakami,hanamaki onsen
Hakone Yumoto Onsen Hotel in Hakone
Onsen-in-Winter japan
Onsen in Winter

The location we selected to experience onsen bath is Kitakami City (Kitakami onsen), Iwate Prefecture, Tohoku (the Northeastern of Japan). We travelled to Kitakami from Matsumoto. For those of you who would like to travel from Tokyo, the instruction is available as follows:

  • At Tokyo Station, you can catch the Tohoku Shinkansen and the train goes straight to Kitakami Station, which is 497 km away and only takes 2 hours and 57 minutes by the high-speed Shinkansen with the retail ticket price of up to 1,160 yen for one way.
  • Remember to make reservation in advance and use JR Pass All Japan to save a whole fortune on travel expenses when visiting Japan on your own.
Kitakami onsen
Kitakami City

Kitakami onsen

Kitakami onsen,kitakami onsen,semi onsen kitakami,semi onsen,hanamaki onsen kitakami,hanamaki onsen
Sakura trees along the Kitakami River
Kitakami onsen
Tohoku Shinkansen
Kitakami onsen
Kitakami Station
Travel Tohoku With a JR East Pass
Travel Tohoku With a JR East Pass
Fuji Mountain review: how to go
JR pass card

Back to Kitakami, the first concern is accommodation. We were really lucky to be able to reserve an amazingly affordable, nicely decorated Japanese-style hotel. You can have an experience of staying in a traditional Japanese-style house with two floors, which is finished with wooden walls and kept astoundingly tidy.

Kitakami onsen
Kenji-no-yado Hotel address: 1-7-7, Koshio, Hanamaki-shi. Source: Jalan

You can only book your room here – a reservation website for Japanese hotels, which used to be only for the domestic, fortunately it is recently open for international visitors. When making a reservation, you do not have to pay in advance or make a deposit; you only have to pay for your accommodation during check-in. Japanese people do respect trustworthiness, so make sure you only make your hotel reservation when you are definitely going to stay there.

Hotel Henji-no-yado3
Bathroom at Hotel Henji-no-yado | kitakami onsen

The hotel we selected is Kenji-no-yado. Room rate is 4.800 yen/2 people/night, including taxes and service charge fees. The hotel only accepts payment in cash. And we experienced two nights here.

Hotel Henji-no-yado

Kenji-no-yado Hotel is located just right off the Shin-hanamaki Station (Tohoku Shinkansen also stops here). It is 5-minute walk straight from the station.

Hotel Henji-no-yado35
Exterior of Hotel Henji-no-yado

Hotels in Japan have very late check-in and early check-out hours, and it is similar at Kenji-no-yado Hotel: 4 P.M. for check-in and 9 A.M. for check-out. We arrived at Shin-hanamaki at 5 P.M. Since this place belongs to the countryside and there is no available shop around, you should always have dinner first at the station.

Kitakami onsen
Shin-hanamaki Station

At Shin-hanamaki Station, there is a Soba noodle soup shop, which is one of the most famous traditional noodles in Japan that you must try when coming here.

Kitakami onsen
The seafood soba noodles I had at Shin-hanamaki Station with fresh ingredients. | kitakami onsen

In Japan, the image of the food on the menu always looks exactly the same as the food in reality. One thing you should note is that you will order food on a machine, so be prepared with a few coins.

meal Hotel Henji-no-yado35
Meal at the hotel | hanamaki onsen

After settling the stomach issue, you should be ready to carry your luggage to the hotel for check-in. When entering the hotel, remember to remove your shoes and leave them outside. If you have a wheeled suitcase, you can ask the staff to wipe to wheels thoroughly before taking them inside. Everything here is super clean that you may feel really uncomfortable or even guilty to leave a couple stains on your way.

Kitakami onsen
| hanamaki onsen

Kitakami onsen

Kitakami onsen
Welcome to Kenji-no-yado Hotel

Kitakami onsen

Kitakami onsen

Upon arrival, you will also receive a form to fill in your personal information like this: your full name, date of birth, passport, home address, duration of stay, etc. In Japan, most people don’t speak English or are only able to understand very basic terms, so we mainly communicated via Google translate with the staff.

Kitakami onsen

You will receive an instruction guide as the above photo and remember to note the selected time to use the bathroom. You have up to 30 minutes to use the bathroom and you should notify the hotel staff which time frame you choose to take a bath (from 5 P.M. to 11 P.M.) for preparation in advance. This is to guarantee a clean and tidy bathroom with a hot tub available for you.

Kitakami onsen

Our room is room number 25; everything is clean and adorable here.

Kitakami onsen

The view of the whole room. Pajamas are prepared by the hotel during the entire stay of the guests.

Kitakami onsen

Kitakami onsen

Kitakami onsen
The toilet is also super cute and clean.

Kitakami onsen

Kitakami onsen spring

Always remember to order breakfast for yourself here (500 yen/person) because besides the station, there are no other restaurants around here.

Kitakami onsen
Book your breakfast in the previous evening and have your breakfast scheduled for the next day

There are three time frames for breakfast: 7 A.M., 7:30 A.M. and 8 A.M. The Japanese are really punctual. You appear on time and should expect your breakfast is already set on the table. The rice is free and served in a pot, which you may have as much as you want. There are tea, coffee and milk, which are also free of charge.

When you’re done eating, clean up after yourself and bring the plates to the kitchen for the staff or at least stow the tray tidily if you have time.

Kitakami onsen
The panoramic view of Kenji-no-yado Hotel. You can see the dining room through the window with a circular roof. Source: Kkday

In Kitakami, there are two popular Onsen places: Semi Onsen (You can check rates and reviews on Agoda.com or Booking.com) and Hanamaki Onsen. We chose to visit Hanamaki Onsen. Hanamaki Onsen primarily offers service to the Japanese from the city coming here on vacation.

Semi Onsen Yamabuki no hana
Semi Onsen outdoor bath
Semi Onsen Yamabuki no hana4
Semi Onsen indoor bath
Hanamaki Onsen2
Hanamaki Onsen
Hanamaki Onsen2
| Kitakami Onsen

Continued reading…