You get your own toilet, which, predictably is of the washlet persuasion, but if you’re looking to bathe you’ll be doing it in the onsen facilities. No sneaking into the western-style shower here, folks, and you can forget the beds as well. It’s a futon on the floor, a quilt over the top and that’s it. Pretty spartan, really, but I can vouch for the quality of the night’s sleep, which was sorely needed.
It is, on the other hand, reasonably priced (¥6,000 per head for a two (persons room) and there’s no price differential on weekends and holiday periods. There’s a Natural observation bathroom (Sky Spa) on the top floor giving you the onsen experience along with views over the Kurobe Gorge.
It’s the closest hotel to the Kurobe Torokko railway terminus, and a shortish walk from the regular train station, which is also the terminus of its like. There are plenty of alternatives if you’re chasing accommodation, and you can get some idea of the scale of the Japanese passion for the hot spring spa routine from the fact that the resorts in this particular location employ four thousand people.
If someone had sprung that factoid on me in the afternoon I’d have been loath to believe it, but that was before the following day’s experience.
Apart from the abundant waters (if you don’t believe me I’d point you straight towards the existence of a couple of hot spring baths where weary travellers can soak their aching feet, built to commemorate the resort’s eightieth birthday) the other attraction is the local beer, brewed using clear water from the Kurobe-gawa River and local barley from Unazuki. After a private session in the onsen I sampled the local brew over dinner with a curry, and can definitely say it lives up to its reputation.
Since I’d been suffering from the after-effects of overindulgence all day it probably comes as no surprise to learn I was on the futon under the doona, sawing logs like it was going out of style not long after seven-thirty.