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There is a famous
hot spring resort in Yusai. One of the top spa
destinations in Kumamato is the spa in Kurokawa
Onsen. As one of the top spa destinations in
Kyushu in Japan, this famous hot spring resort
in Japan is fully booked most of the times.
For foreign visitors who wants to experience
the way traveling feudal lords were accommodated
in ancient times, then the best way is to find
yourself a room at one of the many famous
traditional Japanese spa inns in the country.
A typical room seen here at these onsen ryokan
is usually made up of a large room with simple
design and floored tatami straw matting. The
doors are usually sliding fusuma screens and the
furniture is limited to one low table unless
there is a window alcove or veranda that has a
small table and a pair of chairs. The baths in
the inns at these onsen resorts are extremely
relaxing. If you are sightseeing in south of Japan,
a good place for a good and hot bath is at the
country village of Minami-Oguri-cho where its
Kurokawa hot spring waters and Yusai spa inn is
one of the top spa destinations in Kyushu.
 Because of its
remote simplicity, Kurokawa Onsen has become one
of Japan's most famous onsen towns. The main
attraction at Yusai onsen ryokan is its soothing
mineral-rich waters which are not found anywhere
else in this part of Japan. Jyunichi Takashima,
the proud owner of Yusai, has managed to put
Kurokawa Onsen on the map of Japan as one of the
best places to visit for a soak in hot mineral
waters by helping to establish a community
ticketing system that allows guests to 'rotenburo
hop' among the 26 ryokan onsen found in this
area. While most onsen bring their hot-spring
waters indoor to their ofuro (bath), most have
built pools outdoors nowadays which are known
as rotenburo. Yusai is the largest onsen
resort in the area. Guests who Photo: Yusai
Onsen first arrived at Yusai may get the impression that the place is
another replica of a big and Western-style
hotel but once you are inside this onsen resort,
the inner sanctum depicts a different scenery.
The soft lighting directs guests' attention to
the walls of Japanese cypress, bamboo or
pointillist statements in stone. Floors of
tatami matting are open and uncluttered. Some of
the guests rooms in Yusai are equipped with
Western beds with minimum decoration.
The main attraction
at Yusai is its luxurious onsen, Chikurin-no-Yu
which is regarded as one of the most beautiful
in Japan. Here, guests can soak in healing
waters to relief stress and aches in the mist of
a green bamboo forest. The spa experience here
is simply too incredible to write down in words
and the best way to find out is to get a
first-hand experience. At Yusai, there are four
communal indoor hot springs, two for men and two
for women, two rotenburo and two family hot
springs to cater for guests who wish to have a
more private pool. The venue for dinner and
breakfast is up to the guests' preference and
the food served at Yusai are made up of
health-conscious servings of mountain
vegetables, bamboo shoots and mushrooms, and
over ten to fifteen other delicious choices of
delicacies. Travelers making a trip to this
onsen resort will have to spend an hour
and forty minutes flying from Haneda Airport
in Tokyo to get to Kumamoto which is located
in western Kyushu. Then catch a local train to
Aso which is the closest train station to Yusai.
From Aso, take an half-hour taxi ride to
Kurokawa Onsen. Your adventure starts the minute
you arrive at Kurokawa Onsen as you look forward
to the pleasure and benefits of a Japanese-style
hot bath.
Located at :
Kurokawa Onsen,
Minami Oguri-machi, Aso-gun
Kumamoto-ken 869-2402,
Japan.
Telephone : 81 (0)967 44 0111
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