Aoni Onsen
A few years ago I came upon a photo on Instagram showcasing the most picturesque snowy onsen and fell in love with it. For a girl who hates the winter cold, onsens are the only way I survive. At the time all I could discover was that it was known locally as the “lamp onsen”(you’ll also discover there are a few onsens called this scattered around Japan, one by the ocean too! its on the list) as it is lit by old fashion oil lamps and there is no electricity on most of the property and it’s somewhere up north.
Every now and again I tried to find the place but would get distracted, and it was only when we were up in Aomori for the summer, flipping through a local brochure that I saw it being featured and realised this was the place I’d seen all those years ago (they have no social media presence bar a simple website). When we realised we would be in Japan over the winter break and it was most likely going to be heavy snowfall - I decided that we would venture up to Aomori Prefecture again and stay at this little gem of a onsen ryokan, to truly experience this beautiful onsen in all its winter glory and enjoy soaking away to appreciate the yukimi-buro (snow viewing onsen bath) as snow fell around us.
Aoni Onsen is located deep in the mountains of the Kuroishi area of Aomori Prefecture. To get to Aoni Onsen in winter, it is totally accessible but you do need to plan ahead in regards to train times, bus times syncing up with shuttle pick up times etc especially if there is heavy snow and delays. There will be times where you’re just waiting around for your next connection.
Going straight from Tokyo to Aoni Onsen in the same day will be quite a mammoth of a journey and would require you to probably catch the first morning shinkansen to Aomori (honestly I don’t even know if it’s possible, writing it just sounds stressful alone!) which is why we had a couple nights stopover in Hirosaki, then caught a local train to Kuroishi Station the next day and switched to the local bus to reach the Nijinoko Rest Stop for shuttle service (the onsen will give you all the details and the most up to date bus times-it’s on their website too). Day trips from Aomori & Iwate areas are possible however. They have separate plans for that on their website.
The main building of Aoni Onsen is beautifully rustic in the traditional styles of sukiya Ryokans, with a little shop to the side to buy omiyage (Japanese local souvenirs). We stayed in the main building (photo of our room above centre) in a simple tatami room, perfect size for 2 people with a view of the river (I asked for a river view room when booking). We were on the ground floor, and there are 2 more floors above with rooms. All toilets are shared public toilets, to shower and bathe use the onsens. There are other separate “villas” available for staying, however they are normally used by large groups.
The photo below, is the view from our room, every morning we woke up to even more heavy snowfall, it was amazing!
TIP: They only provide basic body soap and shampoo, so bring your own mini bathroom amenities like scrub, conditioner etc. There are no hairdryers as the electricity current isn’t strong enough, so you will be vigorously towel drying especially if your hair is as long as mine.
THE OIL LAMPS
Hubby turning down the oil lamp in our room ready for sleeping time. Remember there is no electricity on the premises (bar the kitchen & office) or phone reception, so be prepared to switch off for your stay and simply just enjoy.
A COMMUNAL DINING AREA
All guests eat in the main dining hall, where you will find your meal set aside with a small wooden plaque bearing your name (so you know it’s your meal).
Rice, miso soup, cold water and hot tea are self serve which is great because you can top it up whenever you want.
Starting time for dinner is anytime between 6-8pm
As the sun sets, the oil lamps are lit and it truly is lovely. It is a throwback to an era long gone, and a nostalgic romanticism. Having your meals in the dining room is a lovely experience as you listen to the chatter of others around you, eating good, hearty food cooked over a hearth and appreciating the golden glow of the lamps.
NOTE: I would wear your yukata and the jacket to meals instead of your own clothes (the walk to the dining room in the corridors is chilly in winter) as your clothes and hair will smell of food. They change the yukata the next day (if you’re staying more than one night) and it gives you the perfect reason to enjoy an evening soak in their onsen.
Meals at Aoni Onsen are simple, tasty, unpretentious local fare, reminiscent of kyo-ryori (ie. home cooking). Below are the photos of one of our dinners and one of our breakfasts, simply because the lighting was bad with lamps to take photos/videos at dinner time (and using the flash is rude). Breakfast, because I started eating breakfast so quickly the 2nd morning I was nearly finished before I remembered to take a photo!
THE ONSENS AT AONI ONSEN
I loved these onsens so much, I felt like they deserved their own mini heading! All baths at Aoni are public, and one of them is mixed so you must be comfortable with being nude in front of strangers. There are no private onsens available, though by pure luck of when we stayed there, I was always the only person in the female baths, so I pretty much had a private onsen experience. When we sat down to dine, we did notice the majority of guests were men, generally elderly. This onsen is still off the general tourist radar, more locals or foreigners who live in Japan at most.
There are four baths available to experience, of which I enjoyed all.
Takimi no Yu | Open-Air Mixed Bath | Kenroku no Yu | Main Building Bath
TAKIMI NO YU
The female and male baths of the Takimi no Yu are pretty much mirror images of each other (judging from my husband’s description of his side), with an inside hot onsen and a beautiful outdoor stone rotemburo. At first the inside bath seems ridiculously hot, but as you acclimatise its perfect and a much needed warmth if you spend time in the outdoor rotemburo. Due to the heavy snowfall, the outside onsen, seemed almost luke warm! Still divine, but I like hot baths
ABOVE: The main entrance to Takimi no Yu with its gender colored flags and the deliciously hot inside onsen. I believe that the second floor is one of the ‘villa’ accommodation options if you’re staying with a large group? The footpath from Takimi no Yu also leads down to the Open-Air Mixed Bath.
BELOW: The open-air mixed bath is soooo picturesque, we were extremely lucky that on the days we were there, the ryokan wasn’t so busy and really there’s enough baths that you will probably manage to get a bath to yourself for a weee bit. Only once after we had been in there for nearly an hour, did another gentleman arrive, so we decided to leave and give him the chance to appreciate the beauty of the place by himself.
TIP: If you stay 2 nights, you have more opportunity to experience the baths by yourself as you can bathe in that downtime between guests leaving and new guests arriving!.
NOTE: there is no ‘pre-shower” area to wash for the open-air mixed bath, so I suggest doing that in the main building or in Takimi no Yu bath. The changing area is also small, pretty much a changing cubicle for each sex.
EXTRA TIP: The bath is also FEMALE ONLY between 11-12pm & 5-6pm.
THE OPEN AIR MIXED (KONYOKU) ONSEN
We enjoyed this onsen on both days of our stay and had it entirely to ourselves. Though I did completely accidentally flash one of the male staff coming to light the lamps in the afternoon, as I was stepping out of the rotemburo to the round barrel! hahah oh well thats the risk (you can probably tell, women don’t go there unless its the female only time). He was a bit shocked, bowed, apologised and turned around and left.
The stone rotemburo is probably their largest bath on the premises, and the round barrel bath is always fun.
The main building bath is essentially a smaller version of the inside bath of the Kenroku no Yu below. I generally used that bath after dinner to relax, wash the smell of food off me (and not run the risk of being klutzy outside in snow and dark). As all the baths are lit by lamps, it is extremely dark with the low light and the steam of the onsen. Even using the main bath, when I slid open the door, I was just greeted with mist, had to squint towards the light and almost feel my way towards the washing area and the bath itself. Take it slow!
KENROKU NO YU
The smell of Hiba wood is so invigorating in this bath house, and with it’s tall glass window doors, it’s just so pretty.
The female section also has a small semi open-air area, whilst the male section does not (probably because males tend to use the Open-Air Mixed one the most)
MY PERSONAL THOUGHTS
FOOD
Delicious, hearty local fare of the Tsugaru cuisine. It is simple but so tasty, and what we loved is there’s loads of vegetables because they also do a Kaiyaki Miso which is chock full of local roots and veggies. Rice, miso, water and hot tea is self serve as is choosing your smoked grilled Ayu riverfish from the hearth. In that sense, if you want to be able to have first pick of the fish, go at 6 instead of 7.30 like we did. As we stayed 2 nights, our meals did change, and the next night we had Ayu steamed. Breakfast is also similar with your main meal laid out on the table, and rice, miso, hot tea, water self serve.
Lunch in ryokans is not included, but Aoni provide a range of lunch options which honestly looked really good! However we had brought a whole lot of fruit with us to eat for our lunch as fruit is always lacking in Japanese meals, so we just had that . Bring snacks if you’re a snacker like me!
ONSEN
Honestly probably one of the most wonderful, scenic onsen experiences I’ve had, especially being off the grid. Granted, going in winter with heavy snowfall made it so perfect for a white Christmas. I would like to see it in Spring or Autumn too. However if you’re not yet comfortable with public onsen, you may have to hold off. A lot of the famous onsens up northern Japan are all public and even more mixed.
ROOM AMBIANCE
Simple traditional Japanese rooms, the room we had was enough space for 2 people. Booking a river view as lovely, so I would make sure you get that. You set up the futons yourself and they’ve provided a cute little illustration instruction in your welcome folder, and there’s plenty of thick winter blankets to snuggle under (though very pink and floral). The only thing I would note is that if you’re a light sleeper like my husband… don’t do the ground floor (1st floor) like we did - ask if you can go to the upper floors. The building is traditional and old, made of wood, so you do hear everyone upstairs, talking or walking through the corridor.
VENUE AMBIANCE
If you’re a fan of modern ryokans, and modern architecture, Aoni may not be for you. However if you love a rustic, truly local experience with a few quirks then Aoni is delightful. The buildings and interiors lit up by old fashioned oil lamps is truly lovely, with its golden glows casting shadows and just easing your body into a relaxed state, because besides onsen and eating there’s not much to do (in the winter). Enjoy life at a slow pace, read a book, sleep, do some coloring, watch the views outside your window… just appreciate
SURROUNDING AREA
The valley you’re in is so utterly breathtaking especially when covered in snow (refer to photo below). I can only imagine its beauty in the other seasons when I believe you can do nature walks, hiking etc. However for someone who wanted a winter wonderland onsen ryokan experience, it’s pretty hard to top this. I believe, if staying more than one night, individuals do use the shuttle bus & local bus system to explore Kuroishi itself, as when I was purchasing our tickets at Kuroishi bus station, the lady did ask if I wanted a multiple trip ticket. Obviously I said no as I just wanted to enjoy the total experience at Aoni.
AONI ONSEN FACTS (at time of stay)
COST: approx ~13,000JPY per person per night
MEALS INCLUDED: Breakfast & Dinner
CHECK IN/CHECK OUT TIME: 1500 / 1000
PAYMENT: CASH ONLY
ROOMS: 32 (all Japanese style rooms of various sizes - some villas available - good for groups - maximum number of guests 100)
ENGLISH SPEAKING STAFF: not really
IG: n/a
