Our stay at Yamabiko Ryokan in Kurokawa Onsen

4 November 2024

People come to Kurokawa Onsen for only one thing – soaking in the onsen. The town has about thirty plus onsen inns to soak in. Most are clustered along the Tanohara River which winds its way through town, while a few are scattered further away.

One of the ryokans located next to the river that flow through Kurokawa Onsen.

Map showing the locations of the onsen inns in Kurokawa Onsen.

Each inn has rejuvenating hot spring baths that offers picturesque views of the water and leafy forest or gardens. Many of the inns offer superb kaiseki dinner and breakfast for guests who stay overnight.

Choosing which inns to stay is a matter of preference and budget. I shortlisted a few but not all are available when I tried to book a stay. Since the number of inns are limited, it is good to book about 3 months ahead.  

Initially, I managed to book a stay at the Yama no Yado Shinmeikan ryokan. It has the most iconic building in Kurokawa onsen with many people taking photos of the picturesque footbridge that leads to the entrance of the ryokan. 

Yama no Yado Shinmeikan ryokan and its footbridge across the Tanohara River that runs though the town.

Shinmeikan features 5 hot-spring baths, including a 30-metre long cave bath. Apparently, the founder of Shinmeikan spent 13 years carving the cave bath by himself with just a chisel.

Subsequently, Yamabiko Ryokan opened their rooms for booking. I managed to cancel my booking with Shinmeikan and booked a stay at Yamabiko Ryokan instead. Yamabiko Ryokan has 6 small private hot spring pools, either in wood or carved in the rock and 2 shared outdoor hot spring pools with views of the natural surroundings. The pictures of the outdoor hot spring at Yamabiko are more inviting than an onsen inside a cave, hence the switch.

Getting to Yamabiko Ryokan

We drove into Kurokawa Onsen, coming from Yufuin via the Yamanami Highway to the Senomoto Plateau. From there, Route 442 leads into town and the access road leading to Yamabiko Ryokan is just off Route 442. This means we need not have to drive our car through the narrow lanes in the town.

Layout of the ryokan

When we arrived at the entrance at about 4 PM, an attendant at the car park helped bring our luggage into the main building where we did our check-in processing. The restaurant and entrances to the 2 outdoor baths are also located in this building.

Main entrance to Yamabiko Ryokan facing the car park.

A nice garden with a koi pond is located behind the main building.

Colourful kois begging to be fed.

Entrance to the outdoor baths. One of the baths is women only, while the other is men only, alternating on a daily basis. The baths are surrounded by rocks and plants.  

Yamabiko Ryokan’s buildings are spread on both banks of the river with a covered bridge connecting the 2 sides within the inn’s precincts. This traditional ryokan has 18 Japanese-style and combined Japanese and Western-style guest rooms. The guest rooms are all located in the building across the bridge from the main building.

A footbridge over the Tanohara River connects the main lobby building with the accommodation building.

View of the accommodation block and the river from the footbridge.

Beautify vase of lilies at the entrance provides a nice fragrance.

We were assigned Room 101, located on the same level as the bridge and nearest to the lobby in the accommodation block. It is a Japanese-style room with tatami mats, futons, and ensuite toilet with washbasin. The room has a balcony that overlooks the river. This balcony is fitted with a coffee table and chairs. It is a perfect place to relax with a cup of coffee from the pantry.

Our room is right next to the connecting bridge and has nice views of the river and lush greenery. Steam was rising from the outdoor hot spring bath behind the trees. 

I could hear the faint, therapeutic sound of the flowing river while sipping my coffee.

The accommodation block also houses the 6 private baths located right next to the river. These are free to use anytime of the day without any need for prior reservations. The TV in the room has a channel that shows whether the baths are vacant or occupied. Bath towels and yukatas are provided in the room. Just go to the bath when it is vacant and lock the door before using. The TV screen will update the occupancy status.

TV in the room shows whether the baths are vacant or occupied. There are 2 family baths, suitable for families with kids.

Exploring Kurokawa Onsen

We made use of the time before sunset to explore Kurokawa Onsen. The town is pretty compact and can be easily explored on foot.

A back entrance from the ryokan leads directly to the town center.   

We spent about 30 minutes to explore the main strip and see the sights. By this time, most of the day-trippers had left and the town was quiet and peaceful. Those who find Yufuin too happening or touristy would love it here.

The town's lanes are lined with ryokans, public bath houses, a few attractive shops and cafes and a small shrine. The shops were closed or closing by this time. There are a few foot spas dotted around town. Most are free, while some charge a few hundred yen. Quiet and peaceful in the evening. 

Most shops were closed or closing by this time.

Enjoying a stroll through the quiet Kurokawa Onsen in the evening.

Ryokans line both sides of the river. Steam from their bath houses could be seen rising through the air.

I noticed the roads are very narrow and difficult to drive if there is another car coming from the opposite direction. I was glad that access to our ryokan was via the main highway.  

Car driving through the narrow lanes in Kurokawa Onsen to get to a ryokan.

We saw some people, dressed in yukatas, moving from one ryokan to the other. They are people who have purchased the Onsen Hopping Pass.

In Kurokawa Onsen, there is an Onsen Hopping Pass that is sold at the tourist information centre in town for ¥1300. With the Onsen Hopping Pass in the form of a giant wooden necklace, onsen lovers can pick up to three inns of their choice to soak in. A map detailing the services and onsens provided by each inn would be provided with the pass.     

Most inns offer single-sex baths and some inns offers mixed bathing. Pass holders can only access the public baths in these inns between 8.30 AM to 9 PM and not any private baths that are reserved for in-house guests.

I think the above is ideal for people who wants to try different onsens in town. It is also good for day-trippers (mostly from Fukuoka or Kumamoto) who had not booked a stay in Kurokawa Onsen. For us, Yamabiko Ryokan who has 6 private spas and 2 big shared baths is more than enough for us.

Enjoying the private onsens at Yamabiko Ryokan

We had our bath in the private onsens after we returned to our ryokan at 5 PM. We went to try the unique “hanging bath” first. This bath has a depth of 1.5 m and a “chin-up bar” over it. There is another bar on the surface where we can rest our body on.   

Resting on the bar on the surface of the hanging bath.

Doing chin-ups in water for the fun of it.

We only had time to soak on one of the 6 available baths before it was time for dinner. We can try the rest of the baths anytime during our stay.

Yukatas are provided and we could wear them for dinner as well as to the onsens.

Kaiseki Dinner

One of the best thing about staying in Yamabiko Ryokan with half board is their excellent kaiseki dinner.     

Outside the private dining room located in the main building.

We had our dinner in a private room located in the main building. A menu for the various courses in the kaiseki dinner were provided. Unfortunately, it is all in Japanese and I had to use Google Translate. The server speaks a little English and provided some instructions on how to best enjoy each course that was served up.

The appetiser, consisting of an assortment of 7 elements and a plate of sashimi was on our table when we were seated. There was also a cup of the proprietress’s homemade umeshu (plum wine) and a small bowl of gingko tofu with grilled eggplant, carrots and wasabi. The appetiser included the karashi renkon (lotus root stuffed with a spicy paste made from miso and Japanese mustard). It is considered a specialty of Kumamoto prefecture in Kyushu. There was also a snail!

Appetiser includes a sea snail, chestnut, karashi renkon (lotus root stuffed with a spicy paste made from miso and Japanese mustard), yam wrap with something and tasty sauce on top, edamame and jelly, cherry tomato stuffed with yoghurt.

The plum wine in the small cup was very nice. If only we could have more! Drinks not included except for ice water and hot green tea.

The sashimi plate was very interesting as it included a plate of raw meat next to a plate of the usual raw fish with 2 different dipping sauce. The server told us the thinly sliced raw meat presented like a rose was horse sashimi (basashi) and is best eaten with a dip in the sweet soy sauce and garnished with finely chopped green onions, grounded ginger and sweet white onion slices.

Sashimi course with basashi and seafood.

We had never tasted horse meat before, let alone eating it raw but this is a must try since basashi is the most famous specialty of Kumamoto, Japan's largest producer of horse meat. The meat is quite lean and delicious with the garnishing and sauce. In any case, I still preferred my meat to be cooked.

The seafood sashimi was fresh (as expected) and delicious with the soya sauce and wasabi.

Once we were done with the appetisers and sashimi courses, the server brought us a plate of raw Misai wagyu beef from Kumamoto Prefecture with assorted root vegetables. She then lit up the stove with a piece of lava rock on top. This is the lava grilling course and we were to cook our beef and root vegetables using the hot stone.

Grilling our wagyu beef and root vegetables using the hot lava stone.  

While waiting for the grilled food to cook, we were served a soup and the steamed courses.

Soup dish  -   clear soup with fish, yuju skin and matsutake mushroom.

Chawanmushi with steamed barley and prawns.

I also enjoyed eating the grilled salt yamame trout on skewers. My wife ate it using chopsticks. For me, I just bite and eat the whole fish with the skin, bones and all, except the head, tail and belly. 

Salt-grilled yamame trout on skewer.

Next came the rice and tempura course. The tempura consists of green pepper, lotus root and eggplant. The rice came with salted vegetables (pickled mustard green), sour pickled onions and crunchy pickled radish and a bowl of milky looking miso soup with tofu. Rice and tempura courses.

We finished the kaiseki dinner with a cheesecake made with Oguni-grown sweet potato and seasonal fruits like persimmons, orange and melon.

Overall, the dinner served is delicious and filling. We had a chance to try the local Kumamoto delicacies such as basashi which I would never order in a restaurant.

Onsen hopping within Yamabiko Ryokan

After dinner, I went to use the outdoor onsen. I had the whole onsen to myself. No photo-taking is allowed in the shared onsen and although I was alone, I resisted the temptation to take photos.

Outdoor onsen at Yamabiko Ryokan has rock pool surrounded by trees. Photo taken from ryokan’s brochure.

The hot spring is nicely lit at night and I had a relaxing soak in the outdoor pool. I actually prefer the large outdoor onsen instead of the enclosed private onsens. The only downside was that there was no showering facility at the outdoor onsen. I went to the private indoor onsen to have a further soak and shower before going to bed.  

Another one of the private hot spring baths at Yamabiko.

This family bath has two pools. The source of the hot water is from the tree sculpture at the upper pool. The lower one has a lower temperature, suitable for kids.

      
In Yamabiko’s Japanese-style rooms, we slept on futons laid out over the tatami mats on the floor. The beddings were prepared by the ryokan’s staff while we were having our dinner. The futons provided were quite thick and comfortable.

Comfortable thick futons in the Japanese-style room.

Breakfast at Yamabiko Ryokan

Breakfast was served in the same private room where we had our dinner.

Breakfast all laid out for us when we entered.

Yamabiko serves a delicious Japanese breakfast with rice, pickles, salad, grilled fish, hot steamed food and many other elements. 

After breakfast, I had time to go to the last private hot spring at Yamabiko Ryokan before checking out.

Another private hot spring at Yamabiko Ryokan. This one has views of the river.

Check out processing was fast. I just need to pay the 300 yen (150 yen/person) onsen tax on top of my pre-paid stay.

We finally saw the ryokan’s big and friendly dog at the lobby.

Ryokan’s big and friendly dog.

The elderly ryokan staff helped us bring our luggage to our car. He had a white towel in his hand to clean the condensations off my windscreen and side mirrors before bidding us goodbye. This is typical service and hospitality in a quality Japanese inn.

Overall, we had a very satisfying stay at Yamabiko Ryokan. Good food, good facilities, good service and good memories.