Ginzan Onsen Ryokan Experience – Kozankaku

Ginzan Onsen is a charming village tucked away in the Japanese alps. While day trips to the once-mining village are common, you get the entire place to yourself when you stay overnight. Once the day trippers leave, you get to explore the ancient wooden houses bathed in the warm glow of the street lamps. Similarly, on a winter morning, you get to experience the fresh blanket of snow before anyone else.

During our Ginzan Onsen trip, we booked a room at Kozankaku, a Ryokan located in the middle of the village. All its rooms were facing the creek, so you could lounge in your room while immersing in the serendipity of the quaint town. Kozankaku was made up of 2 wings. Our room was in the newly renovated part of the hotel, which guaranteed occupants modern room amenities. There were old Ryokan style rooms in the main wing (which was more expensive), but it also housed the dining rooms and onsens.

---

Room Number: 207 Almo (New wing)
Booking Type: Twin Bed Standard

---

Modern Ryokan Room

Despite being located in an old town, the hotel room was spacious by Japanese standards. The super single beds were on a platform. With the entire flooring made of lacquered wood, the room evoked a clean and sleek zen ambience. Unfortunately, that didn’t last long. The floor was soon cluttered with our winter clothing. It wasn’t that there was insufficient wardrobe space. In fact, it was bigger than standard Japanese hotels. Just that there was so much floor space that it really became more convenient to leave the clothes (and onsen stuff) on the floor beside my bed!

The blankets were extra fluffy. However, that was unnecessary as the central heating was too strong. In fact, we had to open the windows to let some of the cool winter air (and the hustle and bustle of the town, since our room overlooked the main street) in.

While our room was at the 2nd floor, it was still visible from the street. To maintain privacy, the curtains were drawn for most part of our stay, which was a waste of the beautiful view our room offered! That being said, in the early morning, the streets were empty. I purposely woke up early to open up the curtains. As it had started snowing in the middle of the night, the window now became a live painting of ancient wooden Japanese houses shrouded in falling snow.

For a good part of that morning, we sat by the window to enjoy the unexpectedly mesmerising view. It was one of the best examples where an unassuming feature of a hotel room became one of the best ways to enjoy a vacation!

Bathroom (Of Sorts)

Technically, there was none, because – onsen. That being said, there was still an ensuite toilet and area for washing up. The usual Asian hospitality like dental kits and hair dryer was also provided.

Additionally, amenities for going to the onsen were provided. There was a cute basket for one to bring the dental kits, towels and what nots. Not to mention, the onsen attire – yukata!

Lots of Onsen in Kozankaku

Yes, and the hotel had to ensure that there were enough onsens to serve all guests. For a small ryokan like Kozankaku, it had an obscene number of onsen – 3 shared baths! There was the public bath at the basement (entrance from level 1), which were also split by genders. And then there was a private bath also at level 1 and an open air private bath at level 3. All of them could be found at the ryokan’s main wing.

Use of any of the private baths are on first-come-first-serve basis. You just flip the sign at the entrance to indicate someone is using it. Since there was no booking system, and we were there during the winter peak season, we had to do some planning to use the onsen, especially the private baths.

The open air private bath was challenging during winter, as the air was too cold. This made the private onsen at level 1 super popular as it was an indoor bath. On the flip side, though, the outdoor bath was almost always available due to the frigid weather. I took the opportunity to use the outdoor bath. As long as you jumped into the onsen quickly enough, the open air bath was a great option.

On the other hand, the public bath was run down. Most parts of the wall was mouldy and the shower lacked pressure. Being below street level, it really gave the feeling of going back to the older days. Despite its rundown aesthetics, the water temperature was the best among the 3 baths in Kozankaku. Since most guests preferred private baths over this public one, I also got to enjoy the entire place to myself, despite using it during the pre dinner peak.

The private bath on level 1 was clean despite being in use most of the time. As mentioned, it was always occupied since no one wanted to use the outdoor bath during winter. We only managed to use the indoor private bath by waking up super early the next morning to beat the crowd. Somehow, the water here was the coldest (still hot, but coldest among the 3 baths).

Kaiseki Ryori – Meals with a Japanese Touch

As with all Ryokan, each night of our stay came with dinner and breakfast provided. One can expect their meals served in exquisitely designed traditional wares, with side dishes filling up the entire table. The dishes were a mix of traditional and modern food, which was actually more palatable for younger and foreign tourists (like me) who couldn’t appreciate authentic traditional Japanese food.

The highlight of dinner was their local Obanazawa beef, cooked on the spot to our liking. There was also sashimi to go, along with side dishes like tofu, meatballs and grilled salmon. Additionally, there was nabe (Japanese hotpot), which I used to boil my sashimi. Erm… yes, because I just didn’t feel like eating raw food halfway through my holiday.

Breakfast was nowhere less lavish. There was protein from onsen eggs, yogurt and tofu, with carbs and vegetables to go.

Although it was a Ryokan, the meals were served in contemporary settings, so one didn’t need to sit on the floor to have their meals. The staff also confirmed our meal timings at check in, so that the dishes would be prepared when we arrived.

Hospitality of Kozankaku

The hospitality didn’t just end there. There was a personalized orientation briefing of the Ryokan after check-in. As we stayed in the new wing, the staff carried our shoes from the check-in counter at the old wing to the reception at the new wing. At other times, they were friendly and always ready to help. 

The downside was that they didn’t speak English and weren’t prompt in email replies (which would also be in Japanese). Luckily for us, the hotel staff at our previous hotel in Daiwa Roynet Hotel Aomori helped us call Kozankaku to confirm and arrange for our hotel pick up.

Pros and cons of Staying at Kozankaku

Plus

• With 3 types of baths within its premises, this Ryokan style hotel offers an enjoyable experience on top of the sightseeing at Ginzan Onsen.
• The original building houses traditional style Ryokan, while the new wing sports the Scandinavian rooms, which would be more suited for those who prefer to retain modern comforts while travelling.
• The Ryokan provides free shuttle service to and from Oishida train station. However, the shuttle is timed to the Yamagata Shinkansen, so those who arrive / leave on other lines may have to spend about 1 hour at the station.
• Upon check-in, a staff would personally introduce the various hotel amenities, albeit in Japanese.
• With dinner and breakfast included and served in traditional Japanese style, the exorbitant room rates are definitely worth it.

Minus

• As all rooms are without shower facilities, every was vying to use the 3 baths in the premises. With the public bath being slightly run down and without privacy, and the open air bath too cold for comfort during winter, all 12 rooms’ guests were basically queueing up to use 1 bath at level 1.
• The room could also do with coat hooks, hand towels and an adjustable in-room air conditioning. Especially for the last item, the central heater made the room too warm and the only way to control the room’s temperature was to open the window (and be subjected to the noise from the street below.
• The staff only communicated in Japanese. However, according to online reviews of the other ryokans in Ginzan Onsen, Kozankaku’s staff was not alone. So this only brought some inconvenience during communication, but the stay was nowhere worse off than staying in the other ryokans.
• Lastly, the hotel only accepts payment in cash. Be very prepared.

Parting Words

Most people visit Ginzan Onsen via a day trip. This meant that you had to wake up early (if you’re coming all the way from Tokyo) and rush to catch the last bus back. For those who made the effort, yes, you would enjoy Ginzan Onsen in its day and night glory.

For those of us who chose to stay behind, we got to enjoy the town without the day trippers. In case you’re still unaware, the day trippers literally filled up the streets and made it difficult to enjoy the place or take a proper photo. Once they’re gone, you get to capture the beauty of the town. And luckily for us, it snowed during the night, so we got to capture the untouched snowscape of Ginzan Onsen before the day trippers ruined it.

However, accommodation at Ginzan Onsen is really expensive. All of them are ryokans, which provide spacious retro style Japanese rooms. The stay would also come with dinner and breakfast included. They would also provide free shuttle service to and from Oishida Station. All in, the price seemed more reasonable, but definitely still not for the budget traveller. After all, there are other intangible benefits for staying overnight at Ginzan Onsen that I had mentioned. I would say I got my money’s worth!

Despite being all ryokans, they still had their slight differentiation. The most famous Ryokan Nagasawa Heihachi was also the most expensive. Kozankaku was unique as it had a new wing that offered modern rooms. Coupled with its variety of inhouse onsen, I found Kozankaku to be an ideal choice for anyone.

If you liked this post, do check out my review on  ANA Holiday Inn Sapporo Susukino. With its clean rooms and convenient location, I thought it was great accommodation for exploring Sapporo, Hokkaido.

For those of you staying for a longer time at Hokkaido, follow my adventure to the northernmost point of Japan – Cape Soya. The day trip up north will be worthwhile!

Lastly, check out my travelogues to Hakodate, Aomori and Hirosaki, which was part of the winter trip to northeast Japan.

Till then, stay wanderlust!

All photos and videos were taken using Google Pixel 4a, and edited with Google Photos.

How to Get to Kozankaku

Kozankaku
古山閣
423 Ginzanshinhata, Obanazawa, Yamagata 999-4333, Japan
http://www.kozankaku.com/
+81237282039

The nearest train station to Ginzan Onsen is Oishida, which is served by JR trains running from Tokyo and Sapporo. From there, Kozankaku provides free shuttle service. Just inform the staff in advance. If need be, ask the staff in your current hotel to call Kozankaku to make the arrangements, if you’re not confident of speaking to the staff in Japanese.

From Tokyo

Tokyo Station > Oishida: Tsubasa Shinjo (Yamagata Shinkansen); 13,170 Yen

From Sapporo

The train ride from Sapporo involves several changes, as the rail network isn’t as developed as central Japan. The entire trip cost 25,240 Yen, but since the entire trip included JR Shinkansen, one can also buy the JR Pass, which could also be used for trips before and after Ginzan Onsen. For example, we used the pass to go from Sapporo to Hakodate, then to Aomori, where we also used it for day trips to Hirosaki and Asamushi. It also took us from Ginzan Onsen to Tokyo, where we continued using it for another day within Tokyo before it expired.

Sapporo > Hakodate: Limited Express Hakodate (Hokuto Line)
Shin Hakodate > Sendai: Hayabusa Tokyo (Hokkaido Shinkansen)
Sendai > Yamagata: Local Yamagata (Senzan Line)
Yamagata > Oishida: Local Shinjo (Yamagata Line)

From Oishida, there are shuttle buses that plies the station and Ginzan Onsen for those who are making day trips to the mountain village.