Hot Springs Hotels in Gunma Prefecture, Japan

My stay at Kamenoi Hotel Kusatsu was excellent. The onsen was very clean and quite spacious, making it a relaxing experience. The hotel also has a convenient shortcut that leads directly to the Yubatake pedestrian area, which is a big plus. Both breakfast and dinner were buffet-style with a wide variety of dishes — plenty of options and all very enjoyable. The service was great, and the room was comfortable to sleep in. The only downside is that there were a bit too few power outlets in the room, but it wasn’t a major problem. Overall, a fantastic stay and highly recommended for anyone visiting Kusatsu.

Stayed for 2 nights in early Dec 2024. Booked the mountain view twin room with cypress bath which comes with both dinner and breakfast. The ryokan styled hotel is located diagonally opposite from the shibukawa bus stop and about 5 mins walk (turn right from the hotel) to the Ikaho stone steps around the mid section of the steps. The hotel is old ryokan style but well maintained and does not see much wear and tear. The lobby which is on the 3rd floor (ground level) is big. No shoes allowed in the hotel, guests have to deposit their shoes at the entrance. Staff were all friendly and polite though not all can speak well in English. They do go much more to make you feel at home. Yutaka is provided at the lobby. My room which is located on the 4th floor corner is considered big. Old styled ryokan kind of design but with western bed. Though the room is laid with tatami on the floor but can still hear people walking if they area heavy or run. Corridor noise does filter in as well but muffled. Unblocked view of the mountain as the hotel sits on an elevated hill. I would recommend to stay with mountain view. The cypress bath can fit 2 person but takes a while to fill, I rather go to the public onsen. Besides the usual amenities, they even provide face wash, face moisturiser, etc in the room. Safe box is provided in the room as well. Wifi seems weak. No place in the bathroom however to hang your clothes or towel. There is an indoor onsen on the first floor and an outdoor one on the 8th floor. The onsen are gender separated. They rotate the male and female onsen on the first floor though both has the same look and facilities. The onsen on the 8th floor has a nice view of the city but no shower facilities. There is a massage chair on the first floor as well. Breakfast and dinner are served on the 2nd floor. I would not say that this is the best, but definitely delicious and sufficient. Check in at 3 pm and check out at 10am which I find a bit too early. Hope they can consider to extend. Overall I would recommend this place to stay if you are coming to ikaho.

Charming ryokan with excellent service! After renting a car near Karuizawa station, we arrived at Kusatsu onsen town to find the narrow roads packed with holidaymakers. It was quite harrowing finding our way to the ryokan after circling around. On arrival the front office people were very helpful and led me to a free parking area some distance away. Our experience was very much as described by past reviewers...a traditional ryokan right in heart of the hot spring attraction centre. The room was very spacious. Dinner and breakfast were good enough but no wow factor. What was most delightful for our stay was the very friendly and attentive Nepalese front-end staff named Khadka, who made it easy for us with his good English. He was almost always there to attend to our every need and we enjoyed our conversation with him when he served us at the bar. I would highly recommend having drinks at the bar with its cosy ambience and enjoying the front seats facing the window where we can see people walking by as well as a view of the pagoda. Our stay there was memorable!

Love this ryokan! Such a gem in winter time with steaming onsen and dramatic snow falling on the river. If you need mental reset, you must come. Great food, super clean place and hospitable people. Highly recommend to bring snacks and your own beverages as there is no cafes nearby. Overall experience is memorable.

Traveling with my best friend, we booked a tatami room with half board (dinner and breakfast included). It had two beds within the tatami setup. The room was compact but very clean, and they provided a basket for each of us with a bath towel and toiletries, which was super convenient for taking to the hot springs. The absolute highlight was the two meals – fresh ingredients like Japanese cuisine and the exquisite presentation of French dishes. Absolutely perfect!

The location is superb, right by the Yubatake, the most popular attraction. There's also a souvenir shop on the first floor. Although it's an older hotel, the facilities are well-maintained and don't feel dated at all. Both breakfast and dinner are buffet style, with a wide variety of dishes, including some Chinese options, but predominantly Japanese.

We had an amazing and relaxing stay! We truly loved it and had a wonderful night surrounded by serene nature. The view was absolutely beautiful — the lake is just right in front of the hotel! The place is spotless and very well maintained. But what truly made our stay special was the incredible staff. A big shoutout to Mr. Ozu, the General Manager, for going the extra mile with his thoughtfulness! When he learned that we were heading to the ropeway the next day (and that there were no bus trips on weekdays), he kindly offered us a ride. He was also genuinely concerned about our hike and overall safety — so heartwarming! Since we didn’t get the dinner package and there was only one restaurant nearby that closed at 4 p.m., we decided to get a takeout for dinner. My friend also asked if there was a nearby café to buy a cake for my birthday, but there wasn’t any. Later that evening, after we came back from the onsen, someone knocked on our door and surprised us with a complimentary cake! They said it was because we didn’t have dinner and they wanted to celebrate my birthday. Awwww! Such a thoughtful and sweet gesture! 🎂💖 In the morning, Mr. Ozu even gave us taxi numbers and the bus schedule for Yumoto Onsen, making sure our travel plans went smoothly. Truly amazing hospitality — we felt so cared for and appreciated throughout our stay! 🌿✨

You need to wear slippers to get in. The staffs can only speak little english, but they are very kind and polite. The room is huge, it's like an apartment. It also has nice snow view from window. And the location is very close to the main road. It also close to the bus station. The dinner and breakfast also tasty. Japanese fine dining haha.

Everything about our stay at Kusatsu Boun Hotel was perfect. The room appeared to have been very recently renovated—it looked brand new, yet still retained a strong sense of traditional Japanese charm and essence. It was also clean, modern, and very comfortable. The only mild minus point is that the 2 TVs using inside the suites are of the same model and brand thus they share the same remote signal. The service was outstanding throughout our stay. The staff were consistently friendly, attentive, and welcoming. They also accommodated our limitations and requests with great care, which made us feel truly appreciated. One of the highlights was the onsen facilities. The hotel offers three spacious public baths sourced from two different hot springs (Nishi-kawara and Bandai), making the bathing experience both unique and relaxing. In addition, our room included a private bath of a very good size, allowing us to enjoy the onsen in complete privacy. The food was also excellent, adding another highlight to an already wonderful stay. Overall, an exceptional stay. Highly recommended for anyone visiting Kusatsu.

The hotel was very clean, and the staff were incredibly polite. It was definitely worth the money I paid. I also got to try both types of private open-air baths, and the in-room open-air bath was spacious enough. All the meals were delicious and thoroughly satisfying. My only minor disappointment was that the next course was brought out very quickly, one after another, before I had even finished the previous one. This might have been because we had the 8 PM dinner slot. I'd recommend booking your dinner time early if you can. I wasn't able to choose and only had the 8 PM slot available. Also, I was advised that the earlier breakfast slots were recommended and that other times might not allow me to fully enjoy the meal, but that wasn't the case at all. Everything was fine.