Edit: Not Nagano but Gunma Prefecture
A few days ago, I celebrated my birthday and what better way to celebrate it than to go on a trip far from the busy city life? Actually, this trip was a little bit of a pain because of some personal circumstances but still I went on to this trip. I usually celebrate my birthday, either with a trip or with friends, so this is really something I would like to continue doing. I know it's okay not to celebrate it but I want to celebrate life and be grateful for it. Some people might not understand this pettiness so don't. 😂😇
It's my first time to travel with my partner and hmmm, it wasn't the most pleasant one and even if he didn't say it to my face, I could tell he's really being patient with my whims on my natal day. After all, I didn't want to be stressed on my day.
Also a few days ago I mentioned about my first ryokan experience, and how well it went. So for my birthday, I figured why not do it again, but this time, it's going to be in one of the famous onsen travel destinations in Nagano!
My partner and I stayed overnight at Hotel Takamatsu (japanese name: 草津温泉 喜びの宿 高松) in Kusatsu Onsen, one of Japan's famous hot spring resorts. In another post, I'll talk more about Kusatsu Onsen so for now, I'll just talk about our overnight stay in this ryokan.
The overnight stay in the ryokan is not cheap. It's a big hotel after all, and famous around the area. Dinner and breakfast are both included in the rates. Other amenities of the hotel can be paid upon usage but of course the public onsens (take note of the "s") are included in the overnight rate.
The best thing about this hotel aside from its convenient location to the center of the town is its onsen! This ryokan has both public and private onsen. In the public onsen, there are 5 areas where you can enjoy the hot spring bath: 3 inside, 2 open-air.
The 3 inside has 1 not so hot area and the other 2 are super hot area. I tried soaking in the super hot area and my body automatically absorbed the heat in less than 30 seconds. I thought I was being boiled. LOL The warm area is good when you're about to finish so before leaving the bath area, I dipped there for a cool down.
The open air bath had 1 wide bath and 1 small tub. Of course, I tried both. Since it's open air, you can enjoy the cold wind while your body's being heated. It was raining at that time, but there's a roof, so it's fine. I took my time in the small tub, since I was alone, it was all just for me. The small tub was the best!
No pictures because photos aren't allowed in the public onsen! No nudes! Sorry not sorry! LOL
The hotel is strict with guests with tattoos. If you have a tattoo, you can't bathe in the public onsen, but if it's a hand-size tattoo, it's fine as long as you cover it. Large tattoos aren't allowed but they have private onsen so it's a great option for guests who have tattoos and want to have privacy. The private onsen comes with a fee, and is only available for less than an hour for your group. It's a small one compared to the public onsens, so you can enjoy intimate time here. No weird stuff here please. Hehe
They provided yukata and you can use it while strolling in the town. I really like wearing yukatas, it's so comfortable and easy to wear after soaking in the onsen.
Oh right, the room. I totally forgot to share it as I was so excited to let you know about how great the onsen was! They have different types of rooms. I heard they also have western type rooms but not to spacious.
Our room is the typical Japanese room with 12 tatamis. That means it’s so big for just 2 people. They didn’t set up the futon for us unlike the ryokan I stayed in Hakone but it’s fine, I know how to set up my futon anyways. If you don’t know, please ask. 😅
And of course my favorite, the tea party. They had prepare a lot of tea bags and hot water in the container so I was enjoying the tea while looking at the view from the window.
The view was so calming. After a very tiring travel, I just had to sit by the window waiting for time to pass. My partner kept on sitting by the window too, smoking. LOL
Before dinner, I soaked in the onsen. Took me a while to be back in the room though, as there were a lot of people in the changing area. And my hair’s long, I had to dry it or else people will judge you for not drying your hair. Meanwhile, my partner who has tattoos can’t enter the public onsen so he had to take the bath in our room’s bath. 🥲 There are other hotels who will allow people with tattoos to enter the public onsen but when I called them to book for a night, a lot of them were already fully booked. So make sure to call them earlier.
Unlike the dinner I had in the ryokan in Hakone (sorry I just had to compare since this is my second time in a ryokan), we were told to go to the banquet hall as our dinner would be served there. I saw some of our neighbors had their dinner inside their room with a Nakai serving them. Oh well, maybe they organized it to be like that. Forgot to ask about it.
Even in the banquet hall, we have a Nakai accommodating us. We’re the only ones left there, I guess the others had their dinner served early.
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What a sumptuous birthday meal! Didn’t had a cake for this day but with this Kaiseki meal (in Japanese: 懐石料理 meaning multi-course Japanese traditional meal), I was so happy and full! Heart was full, tummy was full!
The next morning, breakfast was a buffet style in the banquet hall on the top floor of the hotel. On the 11th floor, you can dine while enjoying the view of Nagano. My partner decided the table for us and he wanted it to be near the food so I wasn’t able to enjoy the view by the window. 🥲
Check out was 10AM. It’s a little bit early but you can leave your belongings in the care of the hotel while strolling in the town. We were too tired on the check out day so we stayed in the lobby lounging in their comfortable sofa before we finally decided to go around the town.
The hotel arranged the pick up from the bus terminal when we arrived, and they have also brought us from hotel to the bus terminal on check out day. Talk about service! Really a tourist friendly hotel. Seems like most hotels in the town have their own transportation too.
Overall it was really a relaxing stay in the hotel. I could not help comparing it to the ryokan in Hakone where I first experienced the ryokan. There’s a huge difference, especially in the service and in the food but both experiences are truly remarkable. Didn’t regret staying in Hotel Takamatsu on my weekend birthday getaway. A bit pricey but it’s all worth it!
Next post will be about Kusatsu Onsen, the town where the hotel is located.
See you next!
またね！
All photos in this post are taken using my phone.