Tsukioka Onsen Hotel's Affordable Luxurious Lunch and Bath

A gourmet Japanese feast served for your pleasure in a private room, hours of relaxation, and leisurely baths in a spectacular hot spring need not cost an arm and a leg. In fact, you can splurge and soak even if you are on a budget.w

The best lunch package including access to hot springs that I have recently enjoyed was at the Tsukioka Hotel Masyuu (月岡温泉ホテル摩周) in Tsukioka Onsen, Shibata-shi, Niigata (月岡温泉、新発田市、新潟). Many Japanese hotels have exceptional deals for guests who do not want to stay overnight. These are called hikaeripuran (日帰りプラン): Hi is day. Kaeri means return. Puran is the Japanese pronunciation of plan.

You will be brought to your own room, where you can change into Japanese yukata, a light-fitting robe that fits loosely yet warmly. Soon afterward, a waitress, usually wearing a kimono, will come and serve tea. After taking time for a mellow period of intimate conversation, tea-drinking, and contemplation of the art in the room, you are free to appreciate the artwork, including ikebana, in the hallways on your way to the various hot spring baths. When you return to your room, you will discover mouthwatering sashimi, tofu, and other Japanese dishes artfully arranged on a table. In refined Japanese restaurants, food is meant to be appreciated with the eyes and the mouth. Eat slowly. You are in no hurry. The room is yours for several hours. You can go for a walk around town, slip into another hot bath, or take a nap.

For Japanese, a lunch-with-onsen experience at a good ryokan (旅館), or Japanese inn, is much more than just taking a bath. It is spending time with friends, slowing down, and being calmed by the surroundings. Well-designed ryokans are tastefully decorated with paintings, sculptures, and gardens. Many gardens are designed to evoke mountains, lakes, or the ocean.

Masyuu Hotel has gardens with koi ponds. One is in front of the lobby, which is a very restful place to enjoy a cup of coffee. Another is near the men's outdoor bath, called rotenburo (露天風呂) in Japanese.

Maybe there is another koi pond in the women's section, which has just been renewed. I have not been inside (I am a man), but photographs on Hotel Masyuu's website make me wish that I could be a woman for at least the time necessary to enjoy the new bath.

Prices for the gourmet meal and restful yet invigorating experience vary depending upon the choice of lunch, which starts at 4,000 per person, and tipping is not necessary.

Hotel Masyuu has not paid for this recommendation. I wrote glowingly about my experience there because I had a wonderful time, and my conversations with two members of the family-run hotel led me to believe that they are wholeheartedly striving to provide an exquisite experience for guests.

Another hot spring hotel in Tsukioka Onsen that I recommend is  Murakamikan (村上館）. Both hot springs have greenish alkaline water that is very smooth.

Tsukioka Onsen is located in Shibata City, Niigata Prefecture.

If you are interested in learning Japanese for communicating about Japanese onsens, please read this onsen glossary. Readers who are interested in snowshoeing or mountain climbing in Niigata close to Tsukioka Onsen might enjoy reading an article I wrote that was published in an international magazine for snowshoe athletes.

A Pool of Koi, Mint Green Spring Water, and a Smiling Okami-san

To soak up Japanese culture, explore hot springs and chat with the friendly people you encounter. Being sociable to strangers in springs is conducive to pleasant experiences with lovely people, such as the proprietress, or okami-san  (女将さん), of Murakamikan (村上館）in Tsukioka Onsen, Shibata City, Niigata (月岡温泉、新発田市、新潟).  

The Hot Spring Ryokan Okami-san and Her Pond of Koi

Wearing a sky-blue kimono and a warm, wide smile, she gave my wife and me a tour of the garden and springs in her traditional Japanese inn, or ryokan (旅館) in Japanese.
The koi pond, filled with flashing gold, orange, white, and red colors, was a relaxing place to enjoy a cup of coffee after a hard day of bathing; researching hot springs is exhausting work. Water pours through bamboo poles into the center of the pond, which is surrounded by Japanese maple trees and other greenery. The koi, expecting a meal, will swim towards you, or, perhaps, they are earnestly doing their job of greeting visitors.

A Relaxing Place to Drink Coffee After a Relaxing Bath - No Stress Allowed!

The hot bath water, oyu (お湯), is a light-mint green, indicating that the water is alkaline, which makes  skin feel slippery when wet and smooth when dry. This type of water is often called "the water of beautiful women," or bijinnoyu (美人お湯. For more on the characteristics of hot spring water, click here.

Mint Green Onsen Water / Outside Bath

Murakamikan has a variety of baths. Two baths are for the pleasure of the inn's guests and for guests dropping in just for a soak.  The more expensive rooms, reserved for overnight guests, come with private baths. Indoor, uchiyu, (内湯）and outdoor baths, rotenburo (露天風呂), are available.

Indoor Bath With View of Outdoor Bath

There are also baths that are for families or couples. These are known as kashikiriburo (貸切風呂). For an intimate experience choose this option. Murakamikan rents these private enclosed areas for periods of forty-five minutes, a bit too short in my opinion. In Beppu, Oita, where this way of bathing is very popular, one hour is standard.

This Private Hot Spring Bath Is for Families or Couples

 
To see some beautiful photographs of the food and the facilities at this inn, click here. The link will take you to a website written in Japanese.