Shibu Onsen Kokuya - A Hidden Gem

Shibu Onsen Kokuya - A Hidden Gem

During my trip across Japan, I visited many fascinating places; from the busy streets of Shibuya and Shinjuku, to interesting museums such as Miraikan and teamLab Planets. But one of the places that I enjoyed the most was Shibu Onsen and the traditional ryokan at which I stayed called Kokuya. Shibu Onsen is a small mountain town located in Nagano Prefecture, only a one hour train ride from Nagano itself. It is famous for its many hot springs and monkey park called Jigokudani where you can see Japanese snow monkeys bathe in hot spring water. 

If you have been following my blog, you know quite a lot about Kokuya by now, but if you're reading this post first I will introduce you to it quickly before moving on. Kokuya is a traditional Japanese ryokan that was established in 1625 and is currently overseen by the 16th generation of owners. Other than great traditional rooms, Kokuya has six public and two private baths that use free-flowing hot spring water from six different spring sources. Guests of the ryokan can also enjoy full-course kaiseki meals made from local ingredients. The town of Shibu Onsen is a place that truly fascinated me. You could feel the history all around you walk its stones streets and tiny alleys. To me, it looked like I had traveled back in time or perhaps to a Ghibli film. And when the sun sets down and the lanterns lit up all across town, the whole place looks even more magical.

As I already said the town is famous for its many hot springs, because of that it is filled with many different ryokans and onsens. There are also 9 Public Baths all across town which you can access if you are a guest of one of ryokans such as Kokuya. Each of these parts, it is said, has some healing properties that help parts of your body. It is a popular activity for tourists to walk around town dressed in traditional Japanese clothing and try to experience each of the baths in a day. You can even collect stamps from each of the public baths. I suggest that if you visit this place, definitely take a nice stroll across town during the night. The atmosphere is incredibly peaceful and serene, with all the lanterns lit up around you and the sound of rumbling water beneath you. I believe that such an experience cannot be found easily so you should definitely do it. In the town itself, there is a brewery that you can visit to see how sake is produced and even taste some.

Jigokudani monkey park is located only a short drive away from the center of the town. There you can witness hundreds of snow monkeys walking around, playing end bathing in the hot spring water. It's quite fun to see them interact with each other, but be careful, don't approach them too close since sometimes they can react violently. You can even encounter them in the town itself sometimes. They descend from the hills to try to find some food in the town. One time as I was walking through the town I witnessed a group of monkeys trying to enter a store and the workers there had to chase them away. I also heard that they like to climb across the rooftops and sometimes even enter people's houses.

After I have visited the monkey park, the guide took me on a drive on the Olympic Road up to the top of 2,306m high Mount Yokoteyama. From there I had witnessed a spectacular view of the entire area around me which included many mountains, forests, and lakes. I also had the chance to eat lunch highest bakery in Japan. Also, a quick tip, if you're climbing on high mountains make sure to wear sunscreen because the sun there is much stronger and you can get sunburnt pretty easily.

After my lunch, I visited the border between the Nagano and Gunma prefectures which runs through a building and the highest point on Japanese roads. Drive across the Olympic Road, in general, was an amazing experience because you can witnessed views of the mountains, waterfalls, rivers, and Lakes. You can even spot a volcano called Mount Kusatsu-Shirane. However, you cannot approach it too closely because the volcano erupted in 2018 and since then the area around it is restricted.

These are just some of the things you can experience around Shibu Onsen. This is truly a hidden gem that not many people know about and I'm happy show it to you. I hope more people visit this great place, and if you are perhaps planning to go there sure to check out Kokuya. I absolutely loved every minute of my stay there I fully recommend you to book it if you plan on going here.

Shibu Onsen Kokuya

Shibu Onsen Kokuya

Kokuya is a traditional Japanese-styled inn, also known as a ryokan, located in Shibu Onsen, a small town in the mountains of Nagano Prefecture. Kokuya has a long history since it was founded almost 400 years ago and is currently overseen by the 16th generation of owners, making it one of the oldest hotels in Japan. Even though it is located far from the major cities like Tokyo or Nagoya, it is relatively easily accessible. I took a 4 hour-long bus ride from Shinjuku to Nagano, where I transferred to a local train, and one hour later I was in Shibu Onsen. There I was greeted by the staff of Kokuya who escorted me to the ryokan. 

When you get to the town and to the ryokan itself, you can feel the weight of history all around you. Everything is decorated in a traditional way and it makes you feel like you traveled back to a more simpler time. I really enjoyed the look and feel of Kokuya from the moment I got there. Not only did the staff pick me up at the train station, but when I arrived to Kokuya itself, even more members of the staff were waiting to greet me. They were all very friendly and explained to me all about Kokuya and how to experience it in the best possible way. Shibu Onsen Kokuya itself consists of three buildings that are connected and they contain many rooms and hot spring baths. 

The rooms are separated into two groups, ones with a private open-air bath with hot spring water and without one. The ones that have a private open-air bath with hot spring water included inside the room are separated into three categories C, B and A, from which A is the best. All rooms have that traditional look and feel and no matter in which one you stay at, I believe that you would enjoy it since it is quite a unique experience. 

Kokuya also has six public and two private baths that use free-flowing hot spring water from six different spring sources, and the guests can enjoy all of them. The private ones can only be occupied by one group of guests and the rest are free to use by everyone, however they are gender restricted. Half of them are for men and half for women, but every 12 hours they change which gender is allowed to use that bath. Some of them are outdoor or some of them are indoor, some are more large while some are smaller, some have warm water some have extremely hot water, so there's something for everyone. And if that is not enough for you, there are 9 additional public hot springs located inside town just a short walk from Kokuya. You can access them thanks to the key you receive as the guest of the ryokan. Apart from the rooms and baths, Kokuya has several dining rooms most of which have private enclosures so you can dine in private. 

One more thing I want to point out is the surrounding area. It has several interesting, although less known places you should visit. Some of these are mount Yokoteyama, Kusatsu-Shirane volcano, and the famous Jigokudani Monkey Park where you can witness Japanese snow monkeys bathing in natural hot springs. To conclude, Kokuya has a lot to offer, and if you want to get that feel of traditional rural Japan, it is an ideal place to stay at.