Akebi Onsen

I am writing this review to share my personal experience and to help future visitors. I visited without a reservation and simply asked whether a one-hour private bath was available. However, before any clear explanation of the pricing or usage rules (such as a two-hour minimum), I was asked to provide my name, address, and phone number. After filling this in, I was then informed that the two-hour fee would apply. I explained that I was only checking availability and did not wish to use the facility for two hours. At that point, the staff member responded in a strong and intimidating tone, stating that only two-hour slots were possible due to reservations. When I asked for clarification, I was met with sighs and an attitude that felt unwelcoming. As a result, I decided not to use the facility and left. Unfortunately, comments that felt inappropriate were made audibly as I was leaving, which was very disappointing. Additionally, while the facility appears to accept online reservations, I found it difficult to clearly identify basic information such as the operating entity, contact details, pricing structure, cancellation policy, and refund policy. I also contacted a nearby hotel that appears related, but was told they are not involved in the management or operation, which made the responsibility structure unclear from a guest’s perspective. it is unfortunate that the lack of clear explanations and the manner of the reception left me with this impression.

We called on 10 Dec 25 to book a 3hr private family onsen for 11th. It is a wonderful serene experience. We only used the top onsen as it was much hotter than the open aired one but the top one was good as it was on a covered balcony but still open to view the river. As we booked from 1500hrs onwards, to see the place turned to night is magical esp after our bath as the whole forest was litted in small walk way lights. We drove here but saw some people arriving in taxis and also heard request to the manager for taxis back to the station for some. I would 1000% recommend Akebi for a day onsen. We were also thrilled to know that one of the porter is from Indonesia and we had a good chinwag! This place is magical. Kinugawa is sad as tourism is dead and so many abandoned hotels, restaurants and cafes but this one is at the beginning of the mountain so it was perfect, away from the depressed area. Whomever said that there is over tourism in Japan obviously did not come to Kinugawa. Akebi Onsen made the 2hrs drive so much better!

We had such a relaxing stay during our time at Akebi. Our time slot was for 19:00, which meant that we got to enjoy an evening hour in the baths with some of the trees illuminated overhead. Both baths were clean and very warm; the wooden rectangular bath felt slighter cooler and was were we spent most of our time. Although we didn't spend much time in the room itself, it was well situated with a sink, towels, mini fridge, hair dryer, and two rattan style seats to enjoy. The grounds around the private cabins were well kept and the staff were welcoming. As travelers with very limited Japanese, there was one staff person who spoke English who was kind to help us check in and find our cabin. Would love to come back again the next time we are visiting Nikko.

A truly beautiful place! If you are in the area, don’t skip the chance to relax in a private open air Onsen here. The owners are very friendly and the private rooms make it a good place even for tattooed gajins like us. Even the entryway feels like walking into a magical forest and if you are in the right room, you will overlook the river while relaxing in a hot bath. I saw another review mentioning that you can be seen in some rooms from the adjacent bridge, but they have already put up a new wall, so you really don’t have to worry about this. We spent a few beautiful days in Toshigi, but Akebi Onsen will remain our fondest memory. We came back for two days and if we had one more day in Toshigi, we would surely have come again!

Really glad we were able to book at this Onsen. They are all private cabins so it’s a good option for people with tattoos. The area overlooks a really beautiful river. A lot of trees for privacy. The price was surprisingly cheap. 3800 yen for 1 hour. The water comes from natural hot springs and was the perfect temperature if you enjoy really hot tubs. Two different tubs were included in our space. The wooden tub was really unique and relaxing. They have options to buy drinks for the room too. They only take cash and speak very limited English. Thankfully we were able to use a translation app to communicate. A perfect setting to relax in the mountains.