Namegawaonsen Fukushimaya

Just getting to this onsen hotel deep in the Yonezawa mountains was an experience, arriving at an unmanned train station to be met by a little van that carried us up a steep and winding road to the hotel, which sits next to a cool little waterfall. The hotel is a typical labyrinth like many onsen hotels, with amazing wood flooring. Welcome was extended by the resident cat, fat and shiny. My room was in the newest wing, a comfortable two room suite with views of the waterfall. Meals were served in rooms and featured lots of local seasonal delicacies; a real treat! There are three baths to choose from, including an outdoor "stone" bath, an outdoor cedar bath and an indoor bath. The stone bath is a bit of a walk upstream and has scheduled times for use by men or women. A sign is posted to tell guests which gender is permitted at any point in time. The cedar bath is usually mixed bathing but can be reserved for private use. There is one indoor bath for women only and a larger one that is mixed bathing. It can be a bit complicated to figure out and one of my companions got a bit of a rude surprise. Because of the hotel's remote location, there was limited mobile phone service and the hotel's wifi was also a bit weak. Of course, if one is traveling to such a remote location, perhaps the point is to get away from it all. Certainly I enjoyed the chance to just chill out.