Kawayu Onsen is a lovely little spot - as long as this is what you're looking for - and this is the perfect hotel to stay in if you're coming. I've been to a lot of onsen towns in Japan, some with fantastic waters, some with picturesque streets to wander around in your yukata and geta. Kawayu, though, is a quiet little spot nestled in the mountains with lovely people, a bit of a "frontier" vibe and WONDERFUL waters. The town is centred on a great little ashi-yu (natural footbath) a couple of souvenir shops with a wild-west mountain vibe (hand-carved bear-claw pendants, anyone?) some great restaurants (Inaka-ya Genpei - HIGHLY recommended) and an old-skool sumo museum dedicated to a local hero. The hotel itself is a bit "Showa-era-poi" and the waters, for which this town is justly famous, are bloody great. I used not dig the sulphuric (eggy) onsens but this place has converted me: it seems, unlike the vast majority of Japanese onsens, the bath water is not diluted at all, and - due to its purity - there are signs all over as to how long you should spend in each bath (there are a variety of temperatures maintained) so as to not be dissolved away(!) I loved it. I doubt the waters actually have all the healing properties they claim, but they certainly put a smile on my face, This is far from where I live, but I’d love to visit again (wearing my (hand-carved bear-claw pendant)!

It's a pretty popular spot, both with tour groups from abroad and with the people of Hokkaido. As a result, the hotel itself was full of families who were (let's be generous here) maybe a little too tired to be able to even attempt to keep their children quiet. But that's hardly the hotel's fault. Maybe I should stop being such a grump. The breakfast was serviceable but hardly exciting - much like the kind of thing you'd find in a mid-range business hotel rather than what you'd expect in a place looking like this. It was OK.

Whilst the public areas reflect the age of the hotel and years of wear and tear, the room I occupied was in pretty good condition. The room was spacious and had all the requisite facilities. It was delightfully warm and cosy all the time. The onsen is a fine facility despite its age and has 4 or 5 baths of varying temperatures. Breakfast was a buffet with a reasonable choice of dishes and started at 6.30, so plenty of opportunity for the quick getaway afterwards. The hotel is also close to a number of pretty decent restaurants. Overall, I enjoyed my 3 nights in this hotel. It's good value for money and a much more affordable alternative than the hotels on either Lake Akan or Lake Kussharo.

The only thing I didn't like was that the bed didn't have a headboard which meant that I had to make a workaround so that I could read in bed.

The staff were superbly helpful, and the room was clean and spacious, the onsen was great.

Not having dinner at the hotel

A bit older hotel, but the room is fine, the breakfast is good and they have a great onsen.

Great onsen.

I don’t feel welcome as a foreign tourist. When front desk staffs were dealing with local visitors, they are lively and cheerful. When is my turn to check in , they just talk like robot . We stayed in room 310, the room is ok, bathroom amenities eg bath and hand soap are all diluted. I used the soap that is provided inside the onsen, they are thick and soapy.

Across the street from a nice park and public foot bath. The town is small, so walking distance to everything. Multiple restaurants within five minutes walk. Parking in adjacent lot. Friendly front desk staff. Free sake tasting at lobby bar in the evening.

The place seemed dark. Dimly lit hallways and bathroom. No lights at all at the front door (no sign, no lights).

A good onsen.

In the western room the toilet had a smell of old urine. There was dust several places in the whole room. During the summer the rooms get very hot, and it is difficult to cool down with just a fan. It is also difficult to keep the window open if there is a strong smell of sulphur from the outside. The onsen was good the first time we visited, and not so much the second time where the water temperature was markedly cooler than stated.

Interesting old world charm

Its age is showing in the rooms. The bathroom is tiny. The room door needs careful handling when opening and closing, sign of wear with age. The TV turned on by itself at 4am, a bit spooky.

Like the natural sulphur bath. Good breakfast buffet.

Poorly maintained. Felt cheated cos there is no aircon in the room. Fortunately the outdoor temperature was 18-20, I opened the window to let the cold air in

Fin de siecle air of slow decline, mainly due to lack of maintenance