Kurama Onsen

I came here 12 years ago and had great memories of the place. It's as good as I remember it. Soak into the outdoor onsen and gaze at the forest swaying in front of you, then head to the sauna, the ice cold bath, and some more indoor onsen action before heading to the bar for a well deserved Yamazaki whisky-plum drink 🥃 and 20 minutes on the massage chairs. You'll exit relaxed and walk back to the little Kurama train station with a smile 😊

I’m not well versed in high end hotels but as a foreigner I was super satisfied with this. You do have to pay extra for all your meals, though. The bath house was super cozy too. It takes a while to get up here but it was worth the stay! Not a whole bunch of stuff to do up here though, but there is a cool shrine or two nearby.

Amazing experience. Just a short train trip up the mountain from Kyoto city. A shuttle bus picks you up and drops you back, 5min drive there and it’s free. It’s snowed while I was in the outdoor onsen. Amazing!

Exactly the experience I was hoping for. Outdoor bath was brilliant. Tattoos were no issue. At ¥2000 yen (20% discount for following their insta) it's more than other onsen but so worth it. Indoor bath was also worth it, hotter and with jets, a sauna, window view of the forest, and cold pool. There's also a lounge upstairs where I stretched. The train was easy and there's a hiking trail nearby between the last 2 stops