Nagato Yumoto Onsen: Hoshino Resorts KAI Nagato
Deep in the mountains of Yamaguchi Prefecture is the Nagato Yumoto Onsen area. With a river running through the middle, the Hoshino Resorts KAI Nagato, a luxury onsen resort, sits right alongside it.
Hoshino Resorts is one of the most well known and sought after luxury hot spring and resort ryokan chains in Japan.
If you’ve looked around at my Japan travels on my blog or watched some of my videos on YouTube, you may know that I’m a fan of their KAI brand. I’ve been fortunate to have stayed at some of their resorts such as:
While on a trip around Fukuoka in late spring of 2022, we decided to cross into Yamaguchi and head into the mountains for a stay at their KAI Nagato location.
How to get there
The best way to get to the Nagato Yumoto Onsen area is by car.
That being said, we took the bus/train. Our route wasn’t a typical one, but there’s a train from Asa Station, which is also a stop for some Shinkansen, to Nagato-Yumoto Station.
The lobby
Nagato Yumoto Onsen is a hot spring town that dates back several hundred years, and was a destination for daimyo.
Becoming a bit dated, the area went through a rebranding and made some changes in the spring of 2020. Amongst those changes was the brand new opening of Hoshino Resort KAI Nagato.
Like other KAI locations, KAI Nagato focuses on the local area and its culture. The concept for this location is draws upon the old tea houses and accommodations that hosted feudal lords in the 17th century.
Travel Library
Outside of the Travel Library
Activities
The main activity that many guests take part in is ink making and calligraphy.
It is said that for over 800 years, artisans in the region have been crafting inkstones out of a local stone called Akamaga, which produces high quality ink.
Calligraphy room
Brushes for calligraphy
Carving tools in the calligraphy room
Calligraphy activity set
Rooms
We stayed in the Japanese-style Room TA3, a room that measures 48㎡ big with 2 beds in the main space and a bathroom with shower (you probably won’t need it because of the onsen).
The window had sliding doors that opened to a view of the river.
Main area of the room
Main area of the room
Bathroom
The Hot Spring
The onsen hot spring baths at Hoshino Resorts KAI Nagato are both indoors and outdoors.
Public onsen bath
The water that flows through Japanese onsen hot springs vary and depend on where the water is coming from. Each has a slightly different combination of minerals carrying different benefits to the skin and body.
Hoshino Resorts KAI Nagato’s onsen water is from the Nagato Yumoto hot spring and is alkaline and pretty clear in color. It’s said that the benefits include helping with nerve pain, muscle soreness, joint/arthritis pain, and general fatigue.
The water is really silky and smooth, and it made my skin feel really nice after. The indoor bath was not as hot, more lukewarm, but the silkiness feeling was the highest.
Dining
Like most ryokan stays, Japanese kaiseki meals are included. Hoshino Resorts KAI Nagato’s meals are served in a dining hall that has separated rooms.
Like every other Hoshino Resorts KAI resort, this location had great meals.
Yamaguchi prefecture is known for foods like yuzukichi citrus and fugu (blowfish) and both were part of the meal.
We opted to go for the Special Dinner: Spring-Summer option, which focused on kawarayaki, Wagyu beef cooked in a way that resembles kawarasoba, a Yamaguchi style of cooking soba on a heated roof tile.
Breakfast was also good and stayed with the regional concept. Some dishes were a local miso soup and kamaboko (fish cake).
This was yet another enjoyable stay at a Hoshino Resorts KAI location and one in a rather remote, peaceful location that’s rich in history.
Furoshiki
If you’d like to watch a video of my stay there, please check it out below.
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Visiting the Furano area of Hokkaido in the summer, a popular tourist destination for Japanese