- 4 min read

Ryokan Funamisou [Closed]

Quiet retreat in the Nikko/Kinugawa Onsen area

Archived content

This location now operates as LiveMax Resort Kinugawa.

Last updated: May 22, 2019

After a sleepy train ride with a group of hard-partying OAPs, we arrived at Kosagoe Station in the late afternoon, ready for an onsen dip before dinner. Ryokan Funamisou’s website beautifully illustrated the 7-to-10 minute walk from the train platform to its doors, so there were no worries about getting lost. Along the way we engaged in a hearty exchange with some sociable local children (“Hello!”—“How are you?”—“Good-bye!”). That, along with the lack of skyscrapers and crowds, drove home the point that Dorothy and Toto were definitely not in Tokyo anymore.

We checked in and were given a quick overview of the facilities by the manager in foreigner-friendly Japanese, mixed with English for the parts we didn’t quite understand. The hotel has English-speaking staff and plenty of bilingual information for those who require it.

Our room on the fourth floor (the top) was fantastic. The photos online do not do it justice. We had a great view from the balcony overlooking the Kinugawa River, the tatami room was spacious, and the place was stocked with all the conveniences a traveler needs: flat-screen TV, hair-dryer, towels, yukata (robes for wearing around the hotel), toothbrushes, razors, and DHC-branded skincare products for both sexes. (My manly-man companion was a little perplexed by the products for him, trying unsuccessfully to deduce which should be applied first—after-shave gel or facial lotion.)

With the business of settling in finished, we stood outside looking at the gorgeous view of trees, mountains, and gushing river surrounding the hotel. It’s easy to exhale in such environs, and we could have happily spent the late afternoon lounging in the little sunroom or on the balcony, but there was an onsen beckoning us for a pre-dinner dip.

Being low season, I managed to have the women’s onsen mostly to myself (my companion on the other side had a bit of company). After the obligatory scrubbing away of the day’s accumulation of grime, I traipsed outside and down through the covered stairwell to the rotenburo (outdoor onsen). It was blissfully empty and opened up on one side to a view of the river. Lovely. I slid into the pool and soaked up the sounds of nature. There was a slightly disconcerting layer of algae in some spots of the outdoor onsen, but having spent three hours on a train I was too content to concern myself. As with all Japanese onsens, I assume that if it’s in there, it’s good for you. And having bathed in pools with charcoal, sulfur of some form, wine and tea, algae was merely another substance to experience.

Yukata back on, Toto and I found ourselves in the dining room at 6:30pm on the dot, ready for dinner. I am governed by my stomach, and was eager to try the Funamisou set that we had reserved via tasty photos on the hotel website. Yummy! The sashimi was succulent, the tempura terrific, and the ayu (local fish) was worth the dissection we had to perform to remove the bones. Our trays were filled with little dishes of pickles, vegetables and other tasty treats, plus rice and asari (clam) soup. Dessert was half an orange each, and we were pleasantly filled…though another plate of sashimi would not have been turned down.

After dinner we explored the hotel on our own. Particularly impressive is Ryokan Funamisou’s gym, with an extensive array of swanky, like-new equipment. I have never laughed as much as I did on the vibration machine (now, now), which has you standing on a little platform that moves your legs up and down (like you are walking) at various speeds. Try level 16 for some awesome voice-reverberation effects, which would probably combine well with karaoke. Next up, I managed about 30 seconds on something resembling a moving saddle before giving up in pain and giggles. There is other more traditional equipment in the large room, for those who are more into workouts than amusements.

The traditional Japanese breakfast the next morning was delicious and punctuated by a magnificent chunk of salmon. Tofu, poached egg, pickles , vegetables, rice and miso soup rounded out the meal. Check out was simple, and after a small chat with the staff (mostly in English this time) we took a walk around the grounds one last time and headed off for the nearby foot-bridge traversing the river.

It was a relaxing weekend, and one that you can easily duplicate using the 3600-yen World Heritage Pass that gets you two days of unlimited travel between the Nikko area and the Kinugawa Onsen area (including Ryokan Funamisou).

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