Overview

Tsuchiyu Bettei Satonoyu is a quiet nine-room ryokan in Tsuchiyu Onsen, Fukushima City. Opened in 1984, it sits in a valley within Bandai-Asahi National Park, surrounded by old forest, seasonal flowers, and the sounds of the stream and birds. In some seasons, you may see squirrels or Japanese serow around the grounds.

This is a stay made for privacy. You can soak in the hot spring bath inside your room, reserve larger baths for private use, and spend slow hours close to the forest. Tsuchiyu Onsen itself carries old legends tied to its hot spring origins and has long been known as a mountain onsen area with abundant water.

Accommodation

You stay in one of only nine rooms, divided into three categories: 春陽 Shunyo, 照葉 Teriha, and 炯然 Keizen. Five rooms are two-room Japanese-style stays, three are Japanese-Western rooms with beds, and one is a detached three-room suite. Every room looks toward greenery and has a source-fed ancient hinoki indoor bath, so you can enjoy hot spring bathing in private.

春陽 Shunyo is the standard category, with three pure Japanese sukiya-style rooms. All three rooms have two connected Japanese-style spaces and a source-fed ancient hinoki indoor bath.

Sakura is the most compact Shunyo room, with a simple two-room Japanese layout. It suits you well when you want a quiet, intimate stay with your own source-fed ancient hinoki indoor bath.

Ume gives you a two-room Japanese setting with a view toward the walking path. You can enjoy the changing seasons from the window, then soak in your private source-fed ancient hinoki indoor bath whenever you like.

Shakunage is a pure Japanese two-room stay with a traditional stepping-stone entrance. Your room also includes a source-fed ancient hinoki indoor bath, bringing the hot spring experience into your own space.

照葉 Teriha is the semi-luxury category, with four two-room stays. Three rooms have two semi-double beds, while one keeps a pure Japanese style. Every Teriha room includes a source-fed ancient hinoki indoor bath.

Momiji is a Japanese-Western room with two semi-double beds. From the seating area, you can look out toward maple trees, especially beautiful when the leaves change color. A source-fed ancient hinoki indoor bath adds private onsen time to your stay.

Keyaki is a Japanese-Western room with two semi-double beds. You can hear the sound of the Arakawa River from the room, then unwind in your private source-fed ancient hinoki indoor bath.

Matsu is a larger Japanese-Western room with two semi-double beds. The window view feels like a framed landscape, and the source-fed ancient hinoki indoor bath gives you a quiet place to soak after time outdoors.

Kaede is the pure Japanese room in the Teriha category. You can relax on the wide veranda with a view of the walking path, then enjoy your private source-fed ancient hinoki indoor bath.

炯然 Keizen is the luxury category, with two rooms that include private source-fed open-air baths as well as ancient hinoki indoor baths.

Kobushi is a Japanese-Western luxury room with a source-fed open-air bath called Kiyotae. Around late April, rhododendrons bloom near the bath. Large windows open the room to the seasonal scenery, and you also have an ancient hinoki indoor bath.

Hanamura is a detached three-room suite. Surrounded by trees, it gives you the most spacious and private stay at Satonoyu. You can relax with two semi-double beds in one room, a source-fed rock open-air bath, and an ancient hinoki indoor bath.

Dining

Dinner is a seasonal kaiseki meal made up of nine to ten dishes. You can taste mountain vegetables, bamboo shoots, and sea bream in spring; hamo, sea bass, ayu, iwana, and summer vegetables in summer; matsutake, other mushrooms, yams, and shrimp in autumn; and fugu, crab, turnip, daikon, and other root vegetables in winter.

A carefully selected domestic Kuroge Wagyu steak is served as one dish in the meal. The Japanese-style sauce uses bonito flakes, kelp, burdock, and soy sauce to bring out the richness of the marbled beef. Ingredients used at the ryokan pass strict radiation checks.

For two people, dinner and breakfast can be served in your room. For three or more, meals are served in a private dining room with chairs and a table. If you choose detached Hanamura, meals are arranged in a private room in the main building even when you stay as two people.

After check-in, you can enjoy handmade seasonal wagashi prepared by the head chef, served with matcha in a seasonal bowl.

Onsen and Wellness

The hot spring water comes from six sources managed by the Yu-Yu Tsuchiyu Onsen Cooperative, about two kilometers from the ryokan. The ryokan receives 50 liters per minute from these sources. The water is clear, gentle on the skin, and classified as a simple hot spring; the bath page also lists alkaline simple spring quality for several baths.

You can reserve four larger hot spring baths by room, with private use after arrival. Each bathing slot runs about 30 to 40 minutes.

Mihanada is a roofed semi-open-air hinoki bath facing untouched forest. You can enjoy the trees from the bath or from the resting space, even on rainy days.

Shinpeki sits down by the stream, reached by stairs through cedar trees. It has two open-air baths: a larger bath edged with hinoki and stone, and a smaller octagonal tub farther inside.

Hajizome is an ancient hinoki bath with a deep wood character. The hinoki used for this bath comes from old mountain cypress with a long natural history, giving the space a rich, distinctive atmosphere.

Seiran has both an indoor bath and a roofed semi-open-air ancient hinoki bath. The indoor bath has glass on three sides, so in winter you can watch snow falling as you bathe. The semi-open-air bath has a roof, so you can soak while feeling close to the seasons.

Mihanada and Shinpeki are available from 14:00 to 22:30 and from 5:30 to 10:00. Hajizome and Seiran are available from 14:00 to 23:00 and from 5:30 to 10:00.

Guests with Tattoos

Because you can soak in a private onsen inside selected room types, you can enjoy the onsen regardless of tattoos.

You can also reserve the private onsen on the properties so tattoos are not an issue at this property.

Facilities

You can spend time in the lounge with coffee, chilled beer, ice cream, or Fukushima sake while looking out through the large windows.

The floor map confirms a front desk, lounge, entrance, central garden, private dining rooms, smoking space, toilets, and the four reservable baths.

The whole building is non-smoking, with a separate smoking space available. Wireless LAN is available in rooms on request, though the connection may depend on weather and the surrounding environment.

A shuttle is available from the Tsuchiyu Onsen bus stop when you contact the ryokan before boarding the bus. A fixed-rate taxi from Fukushima Station can also be arranged in advance.

Activities

You can walk the paths around the ryokan toward Sangasawa and the Arakawa River. Along the way, you can enjoy seasonal plants, wild birds, squirrels, and sometimes flying squirrels. It is a natural choice after a bath, when you want to cool down and feel the forest around you.

In Tsuchiyu Onsen town, you can explore one of Japan’s three famous kokeshi birthplaces. Tsuchiyu kokeshi are known for their gentle expressions, wood texture, and traditional handcraft.

At the Tsuchiyu Onsen Tourist Exchange Center Yuaibutai, you can see about 2,000 kokeshi dolls from across Tohoku, try kokeshi painting, visit the event space, and enjoy the viewing plaza.

The wider Tsuchiyu Onsen area also offers four footbaths in town, easy hiking courses, seasonal scenery, and access toward Urabandai, Lake Inawashiro, and Aizu.

Additional Features

• Nine-room ryokan in Tsuchiyu Onsen, Fukushima City.
• All rooms have source-fed ancient hinoki indoor baths.
• Kobushi and Hanamura include private source-fed open-air baths.
• Four larger baths can be reserved for private use by room.
• Seasonal kaiseki dinner with domestic Kuroge Wagyu steak.
• Dinner and breakfast can be served in your room for two people, or in a private dining room for larger stays.
• Lounge, front desk, central garden, private dining rooms, and smoking space.
• Non-smoking building with a separate smoking area.
• Shuttle available from Tsuchiyu Onsen bus stop with advance contact.