OnsenBase › Nagatoro/Yorii, Saitama

Kamenoi Hotel Nagatoro Yorii

Why it’s on OnsenBase

The only property that tops BOTH of our rankings: it has 40 m²-class Japanese-Western family rooms from ¥11,100 and rooms with a private open-air bath of genuine onsen, all in one hillside hotel above the Nagatoro valley. The spring is alkaline at pH 9.6 — the “beauty bath” type that leaves skin silky — and the big baths look straight at the Chichibu mountains. If we had to show a friend one hotel that explains what this site is about, it’s this one.

What to expect

Kamenoi is a nationwide onsen-hotel chain (the former Kanpo no Yado government inns, professionally relaunched), so operations are solid: proper front desk, dinner buffets themed on the Chichibu festival, and clockwork housekeeping. Nagatoro itself is Saitama’s best-kept secret — wooden-boat rides down the river rapids, the Hodosan shrine and ropeway, and riverside cafes, all 90 minutes from Ikebukuro.

Notes for international travelers

• The station is next door (Hagure, 217 m) but trains are rural-frequency — check times, or taxi from Yorii station.
• Two ways to enjoy it: budget = big shared baths (tattoo policy: ask ahead); private = book the open-air-bath room type.
• Day-trip friendly: you can pair it with the Nagatoro boat descent and the SL steam train that runs on the Chichibu line in season.
• Meals: dinner buffet ends early by Western standards; book the meal plan when you reserve, not on arrival.