Ryokan Kono Onsen

It takes about five minutes to get to Mukoujima from the ferry terminal in front of JR Onomichi Station. After disembarking, it's about a five-minute walk along the canal toward the mainland. It's visible from Onomichi Station. The building is a four-story, reinforced concrete structure, but it's quite old and has no elevator. The room doors have patterned glass, allowing light from the hallway in. According to the proprietress, the inn originally catered to business travelers from nearby shipbuilding companies (Onomichi is also a shipbuilding town), but after discovering hot springs, the inn changed its name from minshuku to its current name. This explains why it feels more like a company dormitory than an inn. Although it's old, it's by no means sloppy or dirty. The hot spring, which is only open until 8 PM (no bathing the following morning), is heated and circulated, but there's no chlorine smell. The salty water warms you up nicely. We had both dinner and breakfast in the dining room on the second floor. It wasn't a typical inn dinner, more like a set-menu restaurant dinner. In the morning, we had a standard inn breakfast. It wasn't particularly local or extravagant, but the staff were generous enough to offer second helpings of rice. I booked this inn knowing it would be old, as it was a reasonably priced hot spring inn. It certainly doesn't have the charm of a hot spring inn. However, from my room, I was able to enjoy the night view of Onomichi city and the ferries that carry commuters and students, a part of the daily life of Onomichi residents, giving me an unexpected taste of travel. The landlady also shared many stories with me, including about celebrities she met on location at the now-defunct Fukumoto Ferry Pier. This inn has become one of my most memorable (stayed in February 2026).

I stayed at this inn during a trip to Hiroshima and Ehime. The inn is located on Mukojima Island, facing the Onomichi Strait, and the boarding point for the ferry to Tsuchido (Fukumoto Ferry) is right in front of me. My room was a 6-tatami Japanese-style room with a washroom, and the window offered a panoramic view of Onomichi city. The bath is a radon hot spring with a strong salt content of sodium chloride, and although the water is quite salty and hot, it was very refreshing. The bathing hours are short, from 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM, but day-trip bathing is also available. I ate both breakfast and dinner in the dining room, which overlooks the Onomichi Strait. For dinner, they had summer-inspired chilled Chinese noodles, which I tried for the first time this year. This was my first time staying at this inn, but I enjoyed the view of the ferry traffic from the inn and the conversation with the friendly landlady. I would definitely stay here again if I have the chance.

P.S. I had heard about it, but when I visited in May 2025, the Fukumoto Ferry, right across the street, had stopped operating at the end of March. Instead, I took the Ekimae Ferry, a leisurely 5-minute walk from the inn. This was also conveniently close. The Fukumoto Ferry dock (photo attached) is right in front of the inn, making it the perfect way to get to the center of Onomichi Station (I crossed the waterway and had some ramen, because I love it). The view of the city from afar across the waterway is so close, and it's really charming. 😊 The owner was very nice, and we had a great time chatting about all sorts of things. The service was also excellent. The staff were also very friendly, and I had a pleasant, relaxing time until my departure the next day. 😊 It was a great way to recover from the fatigue of my round trip 🚴♂️ on the Shimanami Kaido to Imabari. I would definitely use your service again. ✌️ Thank you very much.

It's located right in front of the Fukumoto ferry terminal, so access is good. The rooms have a Showa-era atmosphere, which might not be to everyone's taste, but the view from the window is nice, and I personally found it very comfortable. The meals weren't particularly luxurious, but they were delicious. The hot spring is a weakly radioactive sodium chloride strong cold mineral spring with a temperature of 19 degrees Celsius and a pH of 7.4. It tasted distinctly salty when I licked it, and it was a good bath, but it was a little disappointing that it was only open until 8 PM. There is also a family bath on the 3rd floor that seems to be open in the morning as well, but I was told that it is just regular water. I think it's a valuable hot spring inn in the Onomichi area.

The room felt like it was frozen in time, right in the middle of the Showa era. The slightly wobbly tatami mats and the awkwardly converted Western-style toilet were charming little details. I would have also appreciated a refrigerator. The hot spring water in the bath was excellent. However, it was only open until 8 pm, and not available in the morning, which was a shame. The food was like home-cooked meals prepared by an older woman, but not bad. I wouldn't recommend it to someone who is particular about details, but it's a good inn for those who aren't. Above all, the view of Onomichi from the room window was fantastic. I could drink sake just looking at that view! (laughs)