Hotel Urashima – The Ultimate Onsen Experience in Wakayama
If there is an onsen (温泉)/hot spring experience not to be missed in Japan, Hotel Urashima (浦島ホテル) would be one such candidate. This resort is located at the sleepy town of Nachi-Katsuura (那智勝浦) in Wakayama Prefecture (和歌山県) which is known for its oranges and the scenic Nachi Taisha (那智大社). Wanna know more about this unique onsen experience? Stick around then as I will cover our stay at Hotel Urashima.
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Table of Contents
Background
A Little Info About Nachi-Katsuura
Nachi-Katsuura (那智勝浦) is a small coastal town located at the south-eastern side of the Kii Peninsula (紀伊半島) in Wakayama Prefecture (和歌山県). It is about 3-4 hours by car or train from Osaka (大阪). This quaint town is mainly known for three things:
- Nachi Taisha (那智大社) & Nachi Falls (那智の瀧) – one of the most scenic shrines in Japan
- Tuna (maguro/鮪) fishing and meals
- And my personal favourite – onsen (温泉)/hot springs
In fact, there are quite a number of hotels and resorts around the town itself. One of the largest and main resorts of the town is none other than Hotel Urashima (ホテル浦島), the star of today’s article.
Hotel Urashima
One of the most prominent hotels in town is none other than Hotel Urashima and the resort is located on a small rugged peninsula next to the town itself. The resort itself had a long history as it was established in 1967 and used to have a cable car. Over the years, it has expanded into several buildings and became the major resort it is today.
The MAIN reason for the resort’s popularity among locals is its stunningly charming and scenic cave onsens. And even if you are done exploring the onsens, the resort also features other attractions to look out for including arcades, a stunning mountaintop view of Nachi-Katsuura town and the second longest indoor escalator in Japan!
Staying at Hotel Urashima
Hotel Urashima has 4 main buildings in total which are Honkan (本館), Nisshokan (日昇館), Nagisakan (なぎさ館), and Sanjokan (山上館). These buildings are connected via a network tunnels, elevators and escalators. Given its long history, some parts of the resort are quite dated and they do add a unique retro charm to it.
Checking In Hotel Urashima
Upon arriving the hotel, we first had to check in via the reception at the Honkan or the main building. As this hotel is pretty popular especially among locals and Mainland Chinese tourists, the queue at the reception was quite long. Fortunately when it was our turn, the staff handled our check in smoothly. They even have both English & Chinese-speaking staffs at the reception.
If your room is at another building other than the Honkan just like us, you will need to head to the reception in the other building to collect the keys from there. Also, be sure to get use to walking in between buildings as you will need to do so if you want to see every attraction the resort has to offer.
Our Room Experience & Which Building to Stay At
During our time, we stayed at the Japanese-styled room at the Nisshokan Building that faces the Pacific Ocean. So our review here will be mainly based on our stay in that room. The room itself is not only spacious but also features a large tatami (畳) mat living room in the middle. It certainly did felt like we were staying in an actual Japanese home.
One benefit of staying at the Nisshokan Building is that each room features the view of the Pacific Ocean; which is great as my wife is an ocean lover. While the windows are a little cloudy due to the age of the hotel and also the rainy weather that time, that didn’t stop us from enjoying the breathtaking ocean view and listening to the roaring waves.
Yukatas are also provided for the guests to wear; which we will definitely need it to explore the resort itself.
Did I forget to mention that they even have a room service team to setup your futons (布団) during dinner time? The service crew will actually setup the complete set of futon; including the mattress, the pillow and the duvet.
Which Building to Stay At
Now you may ask; which one should I choose for my stay? Here are some pointers for each building to help you to decide:
- Features more economical room options for guests; great for those who are on budget
- Nearest to the check-in reception and you do not need walk a lot to other buildings to collect the room key
- Close walking distance to the iconic Genbudo cave onsen
- Rooms in this building however are slightly less impressive compared to the ones in the other buildings
- Features more spacious rooms including both Japanese & Western-style rooms
- Great option to choose for the ocean lovers as this building has rooms that offer stunning ocean views
- Near to the arcade and also the Bokido cave onsen
- Requires a little bit more walking to get to the other attractions around the resort
- Contains the resort’s most luxurious rooms including those with your own personal onsen; great option for those willing to splurge
- Right next to the sunrise viewing spot at the top of the hill
- The Space Walker and the Yoho-no-Yu public bath is located here
- Room prices here are on the higher end and are a little far away from the cave onsens
In our case, we chose the Japanese-style room in the Nisshokan Building; simply because my wife adores the ocean. And we had more than enough space for ourselves during our two-nights stay while enjoying our ocean view. Click here to check out more pics of the rooms and book your stay NOW!
The Onsens
And just like my wife and I, the hot springs here are most likely THE reason why you are staying at Hotel Urashima. While the resort has several indoor onsens (温泉), the main ones to look out for are the two large cave onsens. As photos are not allowed in onsen however, I will share the Instagram posts from the hotel’s official account instead.
The larger of the two is Bokido (忘帰洞) is located at the Honkan main building and features an impressive view facing the Pacific Ocean.
The other cave onsen is Genbudo (玄武洞) is at the Nisshokan Building and while it is smaller than Bokido, the view is equally impressive. These caves also have small springs next to the ocean, where one can dip in the relaxing springs while listening to the sound of the roaring Pacific Ocean waves (which is my personal favourite experience here).
If your room is at the Sanjokan Building, you can also check out the Yoho-no-yu (遙峰の湯) public bath for its impressive scenery of the coastal Nachi-Katsuura town together with the presence of the majestic mountains in the background. The Sanjokan building also has luxurious suite rooms with private onsens as well for those who are willing to splurge.
Hotel Urashima - Other Attractions
Apart from the onsens, the resort is also renowned for other attractions. The most famous one being the Space Walker (スペースウォーカー) which is the second longest escalator in Japan. The escalator connects the Honkan main building to the Sanjokan building and its interior is filled with golden panels and mirrors. Certainly does make you feel like you are exploring a space station!
The escalator also takes us to the top of the hill of the peninsula where we can catch a breathtaking scenery of the coast and the Nachi-Katsuura town. This also happens to be the spot to view the sunrise for the early birds.
The resort also has a mini game center; featuring arcade game machines and also Gashapon (ガシャポン) toy-vending machines at the Nisshokan Building. And there is even a small karaoke (カラオケ) room nearby! There are also plenty of shops along the way selling souvenirs and plushies; with one selling Bonsai (盆栽) trees.
Eating & Souvenir Shopping at Hotel Urashima
Each building at Hotel Urashima has its own restaurant in which the receptionist will inform you accordingly during the check-in. Buffet meals are served during breakfast and dinner and they offer a wide range of meals to choose from; such as grilled beef, sashimi (刺身), seafood, ramen, salad, Japanese pickle and many more. There are a couple of restaurants at the Honkan main building as well that serve set meals and ramens.
However, do note the hotel receives a huge number of visitors and these restaurants limit number of customers they serve everyday. And as such, most of the guests will opt for the buffet meals; leading to the buffet venue being crowded.
This is also one of the few hotels in Japan that has a Lawson convenient store in it; which was undeniably our lifesaver as we managed to purchase our bento meals from here during our first night! Alternatively, consider having a meal at the town of Nachi-Katsuura first before heading back to the resort as the town features some of the best tuna restaurants in Japan.
For those seeking to grab some souvenirs for your loved ones, be sure to pay a visit at the souvenir shops in the Honkan main building. These shops sell a variety of local specialties including Wakayama Mikan (orange) related sweets, tuna sembei (煎餅)/crackers and the famous Kuro-ame (黒あめ) or black sugar sweets that is promoted extensively at every street in Nachi-Katsuura.
Getting Here
By Train to Nachi-Katsuura
Nachi-Katsuura can be accessed by train from Osaka (大阪); where you will need to catch the limited express train Kuroshio (くろしお) from Shin-Osaka station (新大阪駅). This limited express train serves to transport passengers across the cities in Wakayama Prefecture up until the town of Shingu (新宮).
To get to Nachi-Katsuura, simply disembark at Kii-Katsuura Station (紀伊勝浦駅). The entire journey from Shin-Osaka takes about 4 hours. Do note that NOT ALL Kuroshio trains commute all the way until Shingu; hence it is advisable to check the schedule via Jorudan first prior to boarding the train.
If you have either the Japan Rail Pass or the Kansai Wide Area Pass, then the Kuroshio ride will be covered by those passes.
By Car to Nachi-Katsuura
Another option for those who prefer to drive and enjoy the scenery along the way is renting a car. This is the method my wife and I used to explore the coastal area of Wakayama prefecture as well as towns and cities such as Wakayama (和歌山), Shirahama (白浜) and also Nachi-Katsuura (那智勝浦).
RENTING a car allows us to to enjoy the mesmerising ocean view of the coastal road; an experience certainly not to be missed especially if you are driving around Wakayama Prefecture. Keen in renting a car for your next Japan road trip? Check out Tocoo for more info here.
Getting to Hotel Urashima From Nachi-Katsuura
If you have arrived by train, walk for another 7 minutes to the Hotel Urashima Information Center (ホテル浦島案内所) located next to the pier. From there, take the hotel shuttle bus to get to the resort entrance.
For those who are driving, simply head to the Hotel Urashima parking lot to park your car. From there, board the shuttle bus to get to the resort entrance.
The bus will start its journey from the parking lot, and then stopping by the information center before heading to the resort. It is IMPORTANT to note that the last bus that leaves for the resort departs at 7.30pm from the parking lot, especially if you are planning to have a meal at Nachi-Katsuura before returning to the resort.
Also, due to the number of guests staying at the resort, it may take a while to queue and board the shuttle bus back to the town. The drive between the resort to the town itself will also take an additional 5 minutes. This is definitely a point worth in consideration especially for those who are catching a train back to Osaka.
Stay Connected with Portable Wifi
While there are several spots in Japan that do offer Wifi, it can be difficult to access the internet in many areas; especially in a town like Nachi-Katsuura that is located in the countryside. For our road trip in Japan, my wife and I used Ninja Wifi and we had an easy time travelling to even the smallest towns and secluded mountains while staying connected with our families.
Ninja Wifi offers eSIM and portable Wifi services that provided us with a stable internet connection during our road trip in Japan. In particular, the portable Wifi allows several devices to connect simultaneously and all we need to do was to scan the QR code and we easily got connected in just a minute. Book your Wifi services here with 10% discount for your next Japan trip!
Summary
Do I recommend staying at Hotel Urashima? Absolutely! Especially if you are into onsens and ocean views and also staying in a spacious room. In fact, I would definitely recommend staying AT LEAST 2 nights to fully experience the resort’s facilities and its beauty.
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