Overview

Stay in the centre of Kusatsu Onsen at KAMENOI HOTEL Kusatsu Yubatake, only three minutes on foot from the famous Yubatake hot spring field. A private passage called Yubatake Koji gives you a convenient route between the hotel and the steaming heart of the town.

The property reopened as KAMENOI HOTEL Kusatsu Yubatake on November 15, 2023, following renovation of the lobby, restaurant, shop, and selected rooms. Its location gives you quick access to Yubatake, Sainokawara Park, footbaths, shops, cafés, and the traditional streets of Kusatsu.

Three natural spring sources flow into separate baths inside the hotel. You can compare the soft Nishi-no-Kawara water, the sulfur-rich Yubatake water, and the highly acidic Bandai-ko water without leaving the building.

Accommodation

Choose from seven Japanese-style room categories with tatami flooring. The current room selection does not include Western-only or standard Japanese-Western rooms.

The ten-tatami Japanese Deluxe Twin measures 31 square metres and includes two mattress beds. When three people share the room, an additional futon is prepared on the tatami. Windows look across the townscape of Kusatsu, while the private bathroom and toilet sit in separate spaces.

The upper-floor Standard Japanese Room provides ten tatami mats, approximately 30 square metres of space, and futon bedding for up to four people. These rooms also give you views across the hot spring town. Most have separate bathroom and toilet areas, although selected rooms use a unit-bath layout.

Lower-floor ten-tatami rooms offer the same approximate size and capacity without the elevated town view. Bathroom designs differ, with some rooms using a unit bath and others separating the bath and toilet.

The 14-tatami Lower-Floor Japanese Room measures approximately 38 square metres and accommodates up to six people. Its larger tatami layout gives you more room when travelling with family or friends. The private bathroom and toilet are separate.

The 12-tatami Lower-Floor Japanese Room also measures approximately 38 square metres and accommodates up to four people. It combines futon bedding with a separate private bathroom and toilet.

The eight-tatami Lower-Floor Japanese Room measures approximately 30 square metres and accommodates up to four people. The compact six-tatami category measures approximately 23 square metres and accommodates up to three. Both include a private bathroom.

Private room baths use regular heated water rather than natural spring water.

Every room includes heating and air conditioning, a television, refrigerator, hot-water dispenser, safe, hair dryer, Washlet toilet, free Wi-Fi, towels, slippers, toothbrushes, and a drawstring bag. Yukata, razors, brushes, shower caps, hair ties, and cotton swabs are available from the amenity area near reception.

All accommodation rooms are non-smoking. Smoking is limited to designated booths inside the building.

Dining

Dinner and breakfast are served as Japanese and Western buffets at Kusatsu Bold Kitchen on the third floor.

At dinner, you can watch tempura being fried in the live kitchen and try dishes inspired by Gunma. Regular highlights include Joshu beef sukiyaki, stewed beef meatballs, warm Japanese dishes, Western food, salads, rice, noodles, and desserts.

Seasonal ingredients and local flavours change across the year. Drinks include soft drinks, sake, beer, wine, cocktails, and an original grapefruit-based drink inspired by the colours of Yubatake.

Dinner is served from 18:00 to 21:00, with final entry and orders ending earlier. Dining sessions normally last 90 minutes to reduce crowding.

Breakfast runs from 7:00 to 9:00 and gives you both Japanese and Western choices. You can select rice, bread, warm dishes, salads, side dishes, fruit, and drinks according to your morning plans.

A complimentary late-night dandan noodle service runs from 21:00 to 22:30. One bowl is included for each person staying overnight. The noodle selection includes spicy red, black sesame, and creamy white sesame styles, with the available flavour changing according to the service schedule.

The buffet displays the main allergens, but all food is prepared in a shared kitchen, so complete protection from cross-contact is not possible. Baby food for selected age groups and high chairs are also available.

Onsen and Wellness

Experience three of Kusatsu Onsen’s six principal spring sources inside one property. Every source flows into its assigned bath without recirculating used water.

The large indoor bath receives Nishi-no-Kawara spring water. This source feels softer than many other Kusatsu springs and is supplied to only a limited number of accommodation properties.

The open-air bath receives water from the Yubatake source. Its noticeable sulfur scent gives you the classic Kusatsu experience associated with the steaming hot spring field in the centre of town.

The cypress bath and rock bath receive Bandai-ko spring water. Bandai-ko is one of the hottest and most acidic sources in Kusatsu, giving it a stronger mineral character.

All three sources are acidic, high-temperature springs. Their detailed classifications differ slightly, but they contain sulfur, aluminium, sulfate, and chloride components.

The spring water has traditionally been associated with easing fatigue, muscle and joint discomfort, stiff shoulders, sensitivity to cold, bruises, sprains, minor cuts, burns, and long-term skin concerns.

You can use the baths from 15:00 until 9:30 the following morning. The bathing areas close between midnight and 1:00 for maintenance.

Bring the bath towel and face towel provided in your room. Lockable lockers are available in the changing areas without the need for a coin.

The hotel does not have a reservable private hot spring bath or a private in-room onsen.

Guests with Tattoos

You cannot use the large indoor bath, open-air bath, cypress bath, or rock bath if you have tattoos. Covering the tattoo does not create an exception under the current property rule.

There is no private natural hot spring bath.

Facilities

The lobby gives you comfortable seating and space to rest before heading into the town. You can leave your luggage at reception before check-in.

The shop sells Gunma products, Kusatsu souvenirs, sweets, drinks, and items created in collaboration with Kusatsu Yuina, the local Onsen Musume character. It opens in the morning and again during the afternoon and evening.

Table tennis, billiards, and darts are available from 10:00 to 22:00. Reserve your session at reception after arrival, as advance reservations are not accepted.

Massage treatments can also be arranged at reception after check-in. Availability depends on the day, so bookings are handled in order of request.

Free Wi-Fi is available throughout the building, although the signal may become weaker in selected areas. The property also includes elevators, vending machines, smoking booths, a restaurant, and accessible routes between most rooms, the lobby, and the dining area.

The building is not completely step-free. Wheelchairs are available with an advance reservation, and some shared areas may require assistance.

There is no coin laundry inside the hotel. A public laundry is available elsewhere in Kusatsu.

Free outdoor parking includes approximately 25 spaces beside the hotel and around 50 spaces at the nearby Sainokawara Park parking area. Two EV chargers are available in the onsite parking area.

Activities

Walk through Yubatake Koji and reach Yubatake in around three minutes. Here, thousands of litres of natural spring water flow through wooden channels each minute before dropping into a steaming waterfall. The area becomes especially atmospheric after dark when lights illuminate the water and rising steam.

Netsunoyu is also around three to four minutes away. You can watch the traditional yumomi performance, which shows how Kusatsu spring water was cooled by stirring it with large wooden paddles.

Yukemuritei footbath stands beside Yubatake and recreates the appearance of an Edo-period bathhouse. You can sit beneath the cypress pavilion and rest your feet in natural spring water.

Sainokawara Park begins around one minute from the hotel. Walking paths lead past streams of hot water, stone scenery, and the large Sainokawara outdoor bath.

Ura-Kusatsu Jizo is around seven minutes away on foot and includes a footbath, hand bath, and face-steaming experience. The nearby Manga Hall holds around 10,000 books inside a wooden building.

You can join a local guided walk around Yubatake to learn about Kusatsu’s spring sources, history, and bathing culture. Other nearby experiences include making a gourd lamp and creating limestone art that develops through contact with the highly acidic spring water.

Kusatsu Onsen Ski Resort and the Tenguyama activity area are around two minutes away by car. Winter brings skiing and snowboarding, while the green season offers the BanZip Tengu zipline and mountain activities.

A hot spring stamp rally also connects KAMENOI HOTEL Kusatsu Yubatake with two sister properties. During the operating period, you can visit the participating baths and experience more of Kusatsu’s principal sources.

Additional Features

Check-in begins at 15:00, and check-out is by 10:00. Reception procedures for arriving stays begin from 12:30.

Kusatsu Onsen Bus Terminal is around ten minutes away on foot. Buses connect the town with Naganohara-Kusatsuguchi Station, Karuizawa Station, Shinjuku, and other transport centres.

The drive from Shibukawa-Ikaho Interchange takes around 90 minutes, while Karuizawa is around one hour away by car under normal conditions.

Kusatsu stands at an elevation of approximately 1,200 metres. Snow and frozen roads are common from late November to mid-March, so you need winter tyres or suitable chains when arriving by car.

Your stay includes free Wi-Fi, access to three free-flowing Kusatsu spring sources, buffet dining according to your plan, late-night dandan noodles, complimentary parking, and easy walking access to Yubatake and Sainokawara Park.