Gunma Nakanojo Town
Sekizenkan Kashotei
A historic onsen inn where you make your way around natural baths fed straight from the source and the famous Genroku-no-Yu, alive with Taisho-era romance
- Shima Onsen
- Nature Immersion
- Onsen Ryokan
- Reserved onsen available
- Drinking spring water available
- Natural Hot Spring
About Sekizenkan Kashotei
Sekizenkan Kashotei is an onsen inn in Nakanojo, Agatsuma District, Gunma Prefecture. It has welcomed guests for more than 300 years, since it opened in the fourth year of the Genroku era, and it is known as Japan’s oldest onsen inn. Wrapped in the rich nature of Shima, it offers a deeply restful place to unwind. All of the water is natural onsen water fed straight from the source, never recirculated, with no water added and no heating. You can make your way around several baths, each with its own character, from Genroku-no-Yu, a Registered Tangible Cultural Property of Japan with the air of Taisho-era romance, to Kashotei’s Mori-no-Yu, where you can take in the colors of the surrounding trees. There is also a single-person steam bath, said to be the origin of the sauna. A teahouse and a lunch spot set in the historic buildings round out a stay that promises to leave both body and mind fulfilled.
Hot SpringONSEN
[Main bathhouse] Genroku-no-Yu
A bathhouse in a historic Western-style building from the early Showa era, filled with the atmosphere of Taisho-era romance. Natural light pours in through arched windows onto a tiled floor lined with five stone tubs. In a distinctive design, the water wells up directly from the bottom of the tubs, so you can enjoy fresh natural onsen water fed straight from the source, never recirculated, with no water added and no heating.
[Main bathhouse and open-air bath] Mori-no-Yu
A spacious main bathhouse and open-air bath surrounded by the rich nature of Shima. As you soak, you can feel the changing colors of the trees up close through the seasons, from fresh green breezes to beautiful autumn leaves. Give yourself over to fresh natural onsen water fed straight from the source, never recirculated, and you may find a deep sense of healing and relaxation, as if you had become one with the forest.
[Private bath] Sanso-no-Yu
Two private baths tucked quietly away in the Sanso area, free to use. Lock the door from the inside and spend time alone with family or someone special. In a private space where no one will disturb you, you can indulge in having natural onsen water, rich in beneficial properties and fed straight from the source, never recirculated, all to yourselves for as long as you like.
[In-room open-air and semi-open-air baths]
Private open-air and semi-open-air baths in some of the special guest rooms. From a superb setting overlooking pines more than 300 years old and the nature of Shima, you can enjoy natural onsen water fed straight from the source, never recirculated, whenever you like and as often as you like. Listening to birdsong and the sound of the wind, you can savor a blissful stay with the view and these renowned waters all to yourselves.
SaunaSAUNA
Mushiyu steam bath
A single-person steam bath said to be the roots of Japanese bathing. In a historic space steeped in Taisho-era romance, you can try a traditional way of bathing regarded as the prototype of the sauna. Steam fills the small space and gently envelops your whole body, slowly drawing out a pleasant sweat. In the silence you can sink into a world of your own and deeply soothe the fatigue of body and mind.
Stay here
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Facility Information
- Address
- 4236 Shima, Nakanojo-machi, Agatsuma-gun, Gunma 377-0601
- Business Hours
- 05:00〜00:00
[Day-use bathing] 10:00–17:30
- Closed Days
- Irregular Holidays
- Gender Access
- Gender Separated
- Tattoo Policy (Communal Bath)
- OK if fully covered with designated stickers
Guests with tattoos are welcome as long as the tattoos are fully covered with stickers or similar. If this is difficult, please use the family bath (Sanso-no-Yu) or a paid private bath.
- Official Website
- View official site
Access
By car
- Kan-Etsu Expressway Shibukawa-Ikaho IC → Route 353, about 50 minutes
- Kan-Etsu Expressway Tsukiyono IC → Routes 145 and 353, about 1 hour 10 minutes
- Parking for Kashotei and Sanso is separate from the main building’s parking
By train and bus
- Ueno Station → Limited Express Kusatsu/Shima, about 2 hours → Nakanojo Station → Kan-Etsu Kotsu bus, about 40 minutes, get off at Shima Onsen (about 20 minutes by taxi)
- Tokyo Station → Joetsu Shinkansen, about 50 minutes → Takasaki Station → JR Joetsu Line, about 25 minutes → Shibukawa Station → JR Agatsuma Line, about 30 minutes → Nakanojo Station → bus, about 40 minutes
- Tokyo Station Yaesu-dori → Shima Onsen-go direct bus, about 3 hours 30 minutes
- Busta Shinjuku → Joshu Yumeguri-go bus, about 1 hour 45 minutes → Nakanojo Station → Kan-Etsu Kotsu bus, about 40 minutes
No shuttle service from the station
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