While planning our New Years Road Trip, we were looking for a place to stay along the Shimane coastline. The Go to Travel Campaign was still going strong, so we wanted to take advantage of that. We found and decided to go with Yunotsu Onsen. It was a small quaint onsen village located along the coast. Since it was pretty small, there were only a few accommodations that were available. We decided to stay with Travel Inn Kiunso in Oda which was actually a collection of accommodations. They had their main ryokan complex as well as a couple of private houses down the street. Combined with the Go to Travel Campaign, the rates for the private houses were quite cheap.

When we arrived we parked in front of the main building and got checked in. We learned that the main ryokan building had a small café that was open from 7:00 – 22:00. They also had these super cute animal statues outside that represented the 12 animals of the zodiac.

During check-in we received our travel coupons, got information about the facilities, reserved our seats for the Kagura performance, and were given a bag with yukata and towels. We learned that the private houses had a self check in policy. We got back in the car and turned around. The road was pretty narrow, but we were able to turn in at an empty lot. The parking lot was located along the main road and we parked in their designated numbered parking spots.

Travel Inn Kiunso Room Review

It was a short one minute walk to the house. The house was split into three separate units that shared a common wall. We stayed in the Ebisu unit. The entrance area was a concrete floor. We took off our shoes and opened a shoji (traditional Japanese sliding door) which led to the six tatami sized living room.

Connected to the living room was a combined dining and kitchen room. The appliances and fixtures were modern and looked like they had hardly been used. Amenities included, an electric stove, toaster, rice cooker, hot water heater, microwave, refrigerator, mini split heater/air conditioner, and toiletries. On the other side of the dining/kitchen area, there was a shower stall, separate toilet room, and a sink. It’s difficult to explain, but we really liked the feel of the wooden floors on our feet. It had a grainy, yet sooth texture that felt nice.

There was an upstairs, but we were asked to not go up there. Since we were only two people, we only had access to the first floor. If our group had been bigger, we would have been given access to the second floor.

It was clear to us that the Ebisu unit was a refurbished old house. We appreciated how during the renovation process, a number of the original features had been retained. The original wooden beams were still visible and added a lot of character to the unit. We finished getting settled in, and got ready to go to the special Kagura performance at the shine down the street.

Travel Inn Kiunso Onsen Reviews

After watching the Kagura performance, we headed back towards the ryokan’s main building. Even though we were staying in one of the private houses, we could still use the bath facilities at the ryokan. The public baths were gender separate and located on the second floor. They were a bit small, but were comfortable and refreshing after a long cold day of travelling.

Just outside the bathes there were two fliers that caught our eye. Apparently, the people of Shimane Prefecture had been selected in 2018 for having the best skin in all of Japan. We’re sure the ryokan and prefecture as a whole were eager to tie the quality of their onsens as a contributing factor to their 1st place ranking. Looking back, we do recall seeing a number of advertisements mentioning the beauty and health benefits of using Shimane’s many onsens.

After our relaxing bath we headed back to the private house and set out two sets of futons. We did some light packing before calling it a night. It was pretty cold outside, so we closed all of the shoji (traditional Japanese sliding door) and set the heater to automatic. We slept comfortably through the night and woke up refreshed and ready for another great day of travelling.

Note: Food options outside of the ryokans was limited to non existent. In addition, the closest convenience store was a 15 minute drive away. We had planned for this and had already eaten a large dinner at Roadside Station Kirara Taki.

Final Thoughts

We enjoyed our stay at the Ebisu unit of Travel Inn Kiunso in Oda. The private house had a nice balance of modern amenities while still retaining a large portion of its traditional charm. Despite being so rural and isolated, the town could be accessed from Yunotsu Station on the Sanin Main Line and from Yunotsu IC off of National Route 9.

While Yunotsu Onsen may never become super popular with foreign tourists, it definitely has a place within the boutique onsen village segment. With two retro public onsen, a captivating dragon dance, and rural but accessible location, Yunotsu Onsen was perfect for anyone looking for a unique/off the beaten path type of onsen village experience.

In the future we would like to come back to this area and further explore the Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine and the surrounding area.

More to Come…

Here is the link to their website.