Overview

Kamenoi Hotel Fukui sits on the summit of Mount Usagoe, perched above the city with panoramic views that stretch across Fukui and, on clear days, all the way to the great peak of Mount Hakusan in the distance. At night, the same view becomes a sweep of city lights below. This is not a downtown hotel: the setting is scenic and removed, yet still practical, with JR Fukui Station about 15 minutes away by car.

The hotel describes itself as a hot spring hotel where you can enjoy the bounty of Echizen, and that framing holds up. The natural hot spring, the garden restaurant, and the seasonal produce of Fukui’s mountains and sea are the real draws here. It works well for anyone who wants a relaxing, view-focused stay with good food and a proper bath, rather than a city-centre base.

Accommodation

The hotel offers a good range of room types that suit both solo travellers and larger groups. The Superior Twin Room is one of the most popular, featuring a contemporary design with Japanese-style walls and ceilings. The Japanese-Western Room combines two single beds with a 6-tatami Japanese-style area, giving you the best of both layouts in one space. For a more traditional feel, the Japanese-Style Room A has 10 tatami mats and a calm, spacious atmosphere that works well for groups. The Twin Room uses the same Japanese-inspired walls and ceilings as the Superior Twin and can accommodate three people with an added extra bed. For those needing accessible accommodation, a Barrier-Free Twin with a generous layout is available at 73 square metres. All rooms include air conditioning, a flat-screen TV, a refrigerator, a safe, free Wi-Fi, and amenities including a hair dryer. The entire building is non-smoking.

Check-in is from 3:00 PM and check-out is by 10:00 AM. If you plan to arrive after 6:00 PM, contact the hotel in advance.

Dining

The hotel’s restaurant has an open ceiling that lets in natural light and looks out over greenery, giving it a garden atmosphere whatever the season. Dinner is a kaiseki course using seasonal ingredients from both the mountains and the sea of Echizen, prepared with care by the head chef. Fukui is crab country, and the hotel offers a dedicated “Kani Zanmai” crab course for those who want to make the most of the region’s most prized ingredient. Dishes such as Fukuchi chicken and Fukui salmon also feature on the dinner menu. Children’s kaiseki and children’s set meals are available.

Breakfast is a buffet that draws on local Fukui specialities alongside more familiar morning options. The spread includes oroshi soba, the buckwheat noodle dish made with grated daikon radish that is one of Fukui’s most iconic foods; takuwani, a local simmered pickle made from salted daikon; and suko, a pickled dish using stems of the eight-headed cucumber, a Fukui speciality. From March 2026, crab has been added to the breakfast buffet as a morning indulgence. Breakfast runs from 7:00 AM to 9:00 AM. Lunch is also served at the restaurant.

Please flag any food allergies when booking, as the kitchen cannot accommodate requests on the day.

Onsen and Wellness

The large public bath sits on the 3rd floor and offers a panoramic observation view over Fukui city, with the skyline and surrounding landscape spread out before you as you soak. The hot spring is Bessho Shinkaga Onsen, a transported natural spring popularly known as “Bijin no Yu” or the Beauty Hot Spring. The water is slightly alkaline with a smooth texture against the skin, reputed for its moisturising properties and the way it warms you through to the core. It is cited for benefits including neuralgia, rheumatism, back pain, recovery from fatigue, and sensitivity to cold.

The public bath has two tubs: a hot bath at 41°C and a cold bath at 30°C, and the hotel recommends alternating between them. Amenities in the bathing area include hair dryers, shampoo, conditioner, and body soap. Baby beds, bath chairs for newborns, shower chairs, and wheelchairs for use within the bathing area are available in both the men’s and women’s baths. A cold water server is in the changing room.

Guests with Tattoos

The Kamenoi Hotel chain’s policy, confirmed across its properties, is that guests with tattoos are generally not permitted to use the large communal bath. However, entry is permitted if the tattoo can be fully concealed with a sticker so it is not visible to other guests. Contact the hotel directly before your visit to confirm the current policy at this specific property and plan accordingly.

Facilities

The garden restaurant with its open ceiling is the heart of the hotel, framed by greenery and designed to feel connected to the outside. A gift shop sells local Fukui specialities including habutae mochi, a delicate silk-smooth sweet made from steamed mochi powder that is one of Fukui’s most famous confections, and Eiheiji sesame tofu, the chewy, smooth tofu prepared with white sesame that is eaten as a vegetarian staple at the great Soto Zen temple of Eiheiji. A karaoke room with online karaoke is available and must be reserved in advance. Free parking is provided in both an underground car park and an outdoor lot, with dedicated spaces for guests with disabilities in the outdoor area. Banquet and conference facilities are available for groups. Free Wi-Fi runs throughout the building, though signal can vary in some areas.

Activities

The summit location of the hotel means the view itself is an activity: the panorama of Fukui city and Mount Hakusan from both the rooms and the public bath is something that shifts beautifully through the day and changes completely at night. The hotel is also well placed for some of Fukui’s biggest attractions.

The Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum, one of the three largest dinosaur museums in the world, is approximately 50 minutes by car. Tojinbo, the dramatic columnar basalt cliffs stretching about a kilometre along the Sea of Japan coast and one of Japan’s most striking natural landscapes, is about 40 minutes away. Eiheiji Temple, the head temple of the Soto sect of Zen Buddhism and one of the most atmospherically powerful sites in all of Japan, is accessible for a half-day visit. The Osagoe Folk Village Museum, a collection of traditional farmhouses, is close to the hotel.

JR Fukui Station is about 15 minutes by car, giving you straightforward access to the Hokuriku Shinkansen for wider travel.

Additional Features

• Located on the summit of Mount Usagoe with panoramic views of Fukui city and Mount Hakusan
• About 15 minutes by car from JR Fukui Station
• Bessho Shinkaga Onsen (Beauty Hot Spring) on the 3rd floor with panoramic observation bath
• Natural transported spring, slightly alkaline, known for skin-moisturising properties
• Room types including superior twin, Japanese-Western, traditional tatami, and barrier-free options
• Garden restaurant with open ceiling serving seasonal Echizen kaiseki dinner
• Breakfast buffet including local Fukui specialities and crab from March 2026
• Lunch also served at the restaurant
• Gift shop with local Fukui products including habutae mochi and Eiheiji sesame tofu
• Karaoke room (reservation required)
• Free parking, underground and outdoor
• Banquet and conference facilities
• Free Wi-Fi throughout
• Check-in from 3:00 PM, check-out by 10:00 AM