Overview

Manyou no Sato Hakuunsou gives you a refined ryokan stay in Yugawara Onsen, where the Chitose River, mountain greenery, and soft hot spring water create a quiet setting for rest. This Michelin-listed ryokan sits in a peaceful riverside location, with rooms and baths designed around the sound of flowing water and the changing colors of the trees.

You come here for privacy, seasonal Japanese dining, and the feeling of being away from the busy pace of everyday life. Many rooms have their own open-air or semi-open-air bath, and some include a private sauna. You can spend the day slowly, moving between your room, the hot spring, the private spa, and dinner by the river.

Accommodation

Hakuunsou offers a carefully designed room lineup that ranges from standard Japanese rooms to riverside rooms with private baths, detached villas, and sauna-equipped rooms. The best choice depends on how private you want the bath experience to be. If you want hot spring water in your own room, choose one of the rooms from Type B to Type H.

Shinonome is the newest special room, renewed in March 2024. This Type H room has Hakuunsou’s only two-person löyly sauna, a free-flowing Yugawara Onsen open-air bath, and a cold-water bath on the terrace. It is ideal when you want to stay in, bathe, use the sauna, cool down outside, and enjoy the ryokan almost entirely from your room.

The detached villas give you a deeper sense of privacy. Soseki, the Type G villa, is one of the highest-grade rooms at Hakuunsou and includes a free-flowing open-air hot spring bath and a private dry sauna. Toson, the Type F villa, also has a free-flowing open-air hot spring bath and sauna, with the Chitose River below and a view toward Sagami Bay beyond the bath. Doppo, the Type E villa, highlights Japanese architecture and has a hinoki-style open-air hot spring bath beside a spacious Japanese room, making it especially comfortable for a family or a quiet group stay.

Manyou, the Type D room, gives you a private open-air hot spring bath with a solid wood bar counter on the balcony. You can enjoy a drink after bathing, listen to music from the CD deck, and shape the evening in your own way. The Type C rooms, Tsubaki, Sakuraba, Ajisai, and Hanamizuki, sit closest to the river on the first floor. Each room has a tree on the balcony that matches its name, and the bath connects the indoor and outdoor spaces so you can enjoy the scenery from both sides. In winter, the next room area can be enjoyed with a horigotatsu.

Hakuun and Jikkoku are top-floor corner rooms with wide glass windows and open views. Their open-air baths were added during the 2021 renewal, giving you a bright, scenic room bath experience. Satsuki and Chitose were renewed in 2024 with refreshed wash areas and toilets, while Midori gives you a wooden deck and a private open-air bath in a quieter setting. The standard Type A rooms, including Seseragi and Hatsune, are top-floor Japanese rooms with indoor baths. These rooms do not have in-room hot spring baths, so they work best when you plan to enjoy the shared bath and the private spa.

Dining

Dining at Hakuunsou focuses on colorful seasonal Japanese cuisine made with ingredients from the Yugawara and Manazuru area. Dinner changes monthly, so the meal reflects the best flavors of the season. Fresh seafood and shellfish from nearby Manazuru are brought in daily and kept in tanks until preparation, helping preserve their freshness until they reach your table.

The dinner experience is elegant without feeling stiff. You can enjoy seasonal sashimi, carefully prepared local vegetables, seafood, and rice cooked at the table in an earthenware pot so it reaches you at its best. The meal is designed to please both the eye and the palate, with the Chitose River and surrounding trees adding a natural rhythm to the evening.

Breakfast is served at Dining Senkei, where morning light and riverside views set a calm tone for the day. The breakfast centers on Minamiuonuma Koshihikari rice cooked in a clay pot. You can also enjoy seasonal dried fish grilled at your seat, Odawara satsuma-age, miso soup made with carefully prepared dashi, and selected tsukudani and delicacies that pair well with rice.

Meals are served in the restaurant dining area, and private dining space can be arranged when available. This gives you a quieter meal setting for a couple, family, or small group.

Onsen and Wellness

Hakuunsou lets you enjoy Yugawara Onsen in several ways. Many rooms have their own free-flowing hot spring bath, so you can soak beside the river without leaving your room. Some rooms add a private sauna, cold bath, or terrace, giving you a more complete wellness stay.

The Suite Private Spa is a reservable private bath set among trees, with a jacuzzi-style semi-open-air bath. You can use it for 40 minutes at no extra charge per group. Reservations are made at check-in, and use depends on availability, so it is best to reserve early after arrival.

The large public bath, Sanuki no Yu, gives you a more classic ryokan bath experience. The two bath areas include open-air baths and switch between men and women during the night, so you can enjoy both spaces if you bathe in the evening and again in the morning. The large windows, river sounds, and outdoor air bring you close to the nature of Yugawara while you soak.

The shared public bath is open from 14:00 to 24:00 and from 6:00 to 10:30. The water is known for its soft feel, and the ryokan highlights Yugawara Onsen as a bath that gently warms the body and helps you relax after travel.

Guests with Tattoos

Hakuunsou has shared public hot spring baths, so you cannot use the shared Sanuki no Yu bath with tattoos. If you have tattoos, choose a room with an in-room hot spring bath or use the Suite Private Spa instead.

Facilities

Hakuunsou keeps the stay focused on privacy, hot springs, dining, and riverside calm. You can enjoy the Suite Private Spa, Sanuki no Yu large public bath, rooms with private open-air baths, Dining Senkei, private dining space Suzukaze, the entrance lobby, and the riverside setting along the Chitose River. The private dining space is suited to a more personal meal, while the lobby and surrounding views help you settle into the slow pace of Yugawara.

Massage service is available by reservation, while the esthetic treatment space is currently paused. The ryokan also has a souvenir shop, free Wi-Fi throughout the building and rooms, and free parking for around 15 cars. There is no elevator, no karaoke, and no vending machine, so the experience stays small, quiet, and ryokan-focused rather than resort-style.

Activities

Hakuunsou places you close to some of Yugawara’s best nature and cultural spots. Manyo Park is nearby and is known for plants connected to the Man’yoshu, along with a setting that reflects the long history of Yugawara Onsen. Makuyama Park is especially beautiful from early February to mid-March, when the Yugawara plum grove colors the mountainside in pink and white.

You can also visit Hoshigayama Park in early summer for its large satsuki azalea display and views toward Sagami Bay. Fudo Taki Falls gives you a short nature outing with a waterfall, a tea house, and small spiritual sites nearby. For a seaside change of mood, Yoshihama Beach offers swimming and coastal walks in season.

Yugawara also has cultural stops that match a slow ryokan stay. You can visit art museums, explore local cafés and bakeries, enjoy rakugo performances when available, or spend time walking through the hot spring town before returning to your bath and dinner.

Additional Features

Check-in starts at 15:00, and check-out is by 11:00. Children of elementary school age and above can stay at Hakuunsou. The building does not have an elevator, so rooms and facilities may require stairs. Pets cannot stay at the ryokan.

From Yugawara Station, a taxi is the easiest way to reach Hakuunsou and takes about 10 to 15 minutes. The local bus route involves a steep walk from the nearest stop, so a taxi is the smoother choice when you arrive by train. After check-out, the ryokan can provide a ride to Yugawara Station when arranged at check-in.