7 luxury ryokan in Echigo onsen. A short trip to a healing place about 80 minutes from Tokyo / Niigata

Feeling a bit tired from work or everyday life and wanting to relax? We recommend a trip to Echigo Yuzawa onsen in Niigata for those who feel that way. It takes only about 1 hour and 20 minutes by bullet train from Tokyo Station to Echigo Yuzawa Station, making it an excellent place to get to. Surrounded by onsen, including one of Japan's 100 most famous mountains, you can admire the magnificent nature and relax in onsen.

If you want to relieve your fatigue, we recommend taking a slightly luxurious trip that you can't usually enjoy. Echigo Yuzawa is close to Tokyo, so you can keep transportation costs down and stay at a slightly nicer inn than usual. Open rooms with great views, onsen that warm the body and soul, and exquisite cuisine to eat with the local specialty Koshihikari rice... We will introduce you to high-class inns where you can refresh both body and mind.

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Satoyama Jyujyo is about a five-minute taxi ride from JR Osawa Station. There are 13 guest rooms in total, with a variety of types, including rooms with open-air baths, detached rooms, and maisonettes. This ryokan consists of five buildings, and the reception was built by renovating a 150-year-old traditional Japanese house. This precious building, constructed without the use of nails, has a very calming atmosphere. The lounge next to the reception serves soft drinks, alcohol, and snacks, so you can relax as much as you like.

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From the hot spring "Milky Way," you can see mountains over 2,000 meters above sea level, and at night you can see a sky full of stars and the Milky Way. Refresh yourself to your heart's content in this superb hot onsen while watching the great outdoors!

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Their unique "local gastronomy" based on Japanese cuisine and using herbs and spices has been awarded a star in a famous gourmet guide. The menu mainly consists of natural dishes using wild plants and vegetables harvested locally in Uonuma. You can enjoy the dishes, which combine the fermentation and preservation culture that is said to have originated in Niigata, together with the famous Koshihikari rice.

Ryugon is a 30-minute shuttle ride from JR Echigo Yuzawa Station, and is surrounded by mountains. It is a lodging facility consisting of 16 traditional houses. There are plenty of facilities for relaxation on the premises, such as a lounge, Sakadoyama Terrace, a library, and a bar. You can enjoy a relaxing resort atmosphere while feeling the nature. There are three types of guest rooms: a villa suite with an open-air bath, a classic Japanese-style room with a rich atmosphere that was relocated from a building from the 1800s, and a private villa with a garden that can be rented as a whole.

During your stay, be sure to try participating in one of the activity plans. In addition to trekking and mountain climbing, there are plans that are unique to this place, such as "Doma Cooking" where you learn how to cook from a local cuisine expert grandmother, "Gastronomy in the Rice Field" and "Gastronomy in the Snow" where you have lunch in the countryside or on a snowy field, and "Rice Field Pottering". Reservations for these plans must be made at least one day in advance, so be sure to ask the inn for more details.

The large public bath, built in the traditional Japanese style of architecture known as "dozo-zukuri," has a very relaxing atmosphere. There is also an open-air rock bath from which you can enjoy the countryside scenery. onsen here is odorless, colorless, and gentle on the skin. Relax and soothe your day to day fatigue.

In the main dining room, you can enjoy "Snow Country Gastronomy" based on the traditional cuisine of the Snow Country. In addition to the mountain vegetables and fermented foods that are staples of Snow Country cuisine, you can enjoy meat and fish carefully grilled on the hearth located in the center of the dining room, along with the local specialty Koshihikari rice. Of course, locally produced sake and wine are also available. The many nutritious dishes will satisfy both your stomach and your heart.

"Yukemuri no Yado Yukinohana" is conveniently located about a 3-minute walk from JR Echigo Yuzawa Station. This is a modern inn where you can enjoy both the relaxation of ryokan and the comfort of a hotel. This is a "Japanese Suite" with a natural onsen open-air bath. It has four beds and is recommended for families and groups.

From the large public bath "Hanayama no Yu," you can see the majestic mountains of Echigo. There is also an open-air bath, sauna, and three private baths, so you can relax and enjoy onsen. Drinks, ice cream, and massage machines are available in the bath area. It's the perfect place to take a break after a bath.

Dinner is a Japanese banquet that uses plenty of ingredients from Niigata. At the meal "Sekfuan," the seats are separated by tables, so you can enjoy your meal as if you were in a private room. After dinner, they also serve "Yonaki Soba" (a type of noodles served at night) to satisfy your hunger.

Inside meal there is a sake tasting area where you can sample several different types of sake. Find your favorite brand and enjoy it with meal.

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Oku-Yuzawa Kaikake onsen is located in the mountains, about a 15-minute bus ride from JR Echigo-Yuzawa Station. It is a traditional, hidden hot spring that has been in operation for 700 years since the Kamakura period. The two-story wooden guest room building was built in 1869. You can relax and unwind in a space where time seems to stand still. For those who value privacy, we also recommend the annex, which was built in 2022.

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This onsen famous as the "eye onsen," is a lukewarm 37 degrees, and is characterized by the fact that you can soak in it for a long time. It is said that the famous Uesugi Kenshin visited the hot spring for a therapeutic bath. The open-air bath is surrounded by greenery, and at night, lanterns are lit and you can gaze at the starry sky. The excellent quality of the spring water, as well as the beautiful scenery and the pleasant mountain air, seem to soothe the body and mind.

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For dinner, try the Minami-Uonuma Yamazato Kaiseki course meal, which is made with plenty of local ingredients. Enjoy it with koshihikari rice, which is sourced unpolished from a contracted farmer and polished at ryokan. There is also a wide selection of local sake made from delicious rice. If you're having trouble deciding which sake to drink, be sure to ask the knowledgeable staff.

Shiki Yuzawa Quattro is located about a 5-minute walk from JR Echigo Yuzawa Station. As its name suggests, it is a quiet ryokan with only 4 rooms themed around the four seasons. All rooms are maisonette-style with an open-air bath. The first floor is the dining room and bedroom, and the second floor is a luxurious living room and deck terrace.

All rooms have an open-air bath with natural hot spring water, and there is also a glass-walled indoor bath. From the open-air bath, you can see the illuminated waterfall and the falling snow. Please enjoy your private time at your leisure.

Dinner is a Japanese-Western fusion course meal called "QUATTRO Dinner." It is served in the dining room of the guest room, so you don't have to worry about disturbing others. Along with Niigata Echigo gourmet food such as Niigata wagyu beef and seafood from the Sea of Japan, you will be served Minami Uonuma Koshihikari rice cooked in a kettle. Enjoy the nutritious food with local sake.

Located about a 7-minute walk from JR Echigo Yuzawa Station, "Echigo Inn Interwoven with Water - Echigo Yuzawa onsen Hotel Futaba" is a hotel in Echigo. There is a waterfall running around the lobby, and the sound of the water flowing will soothe your soul during your stay. There are 78 guest rooms in total, including Japanese-style rooms, Japanese-Western style rooms, and 29 rooms with open-air baths. Please choose the room that suits your travel style.

The most distinctive feature of Hotel Futaba is the large, spacious public bath with a wide variety of baths. There are a total of 28 different types of baths, including the Sky Bath, the Mountain Bath, and the Village Bath. You can enjoy bathing in the open-air baths with spectacular views, the cave baths, the saunas, and more. Enjoy Echigo Yuzawa onsen to your heart's content and be completely relaxed.

Dinner is served in a private dining room. The chef is very particular about his choice of vegetables and fresh fish. The fish from the Sea of Japan are firm, and you can tell the difference with just one bite! Along with the kaiseki cuisine, you can also order special dishes such as whole snow crab and assorted sashimi, so be sure to fill your stomach.

Shosenkaku Kagetsu is located about a 5-minute walk from JR Echigo Yuzawa Station. It has a nostalgic, relaxing atmosphere that makes you feel like you're back home. There are 28 guest rooms in total, including modern Japanese style, rooms with open-air baths with natural hot spring water, and simple Japanese-style rooms. All are spacious and perfect for relaxing. Enjoy your stay however you like, whether you want to lie down or chat.

The large public bath is available 24 hours a day. You can enjoy Echigo Yuzawa Onsen hot onsen from the source in four open-air baths and two indoor baths. Men and women switch baths at midnight, so be sure to relax in onsen both in the evening and in the morning. There are also private baths with natural hot spring water available, so please make a reservation if you would like to enjoy them privately.

Dinner is served at meal. You will be able to taste freshly prepared seasonal vegetables, one by one, in a beautifully arranged kaiseki course. After dinner, head to the "Hozuki" bar where you can enjoy a cocktail of local sake, Jozen Mizugoto. Listen to the soothing jazz music and savor the unique drinks. The night goes by in a relaxed atmosphere.

Niigata's Echigo Yuzawa is full of healing, including nature, gourmet onsen, hot springs, and spectacular views. If you enjoy an extraordinary stay at a high-class inn with excellent hospitality, you're sure to feel even more relaxed. Why not spend your next vacation in luxury at Echigo Yuzawa onsen?