Hotel - Tatsumikan (辰巳館)

After touring the glass factory, we checked into our hotel, Tatsumikan (辰巳館). Although their website is only in Japanese, there are some good pictures of the onsen (hot springs) that are available in the hotel. As with most onsen ryokan (traditional Japanese inns with hot springs) the "mens" and "womens" hotsprings are swapped in the evening, meaning that guests can enjoy both during their stay. I went to the onsen a total of 3 times during our one night stay--once when we first arrived at the hotel, once after dinner and once in the early morning before breakfast.

 View from our hotel room

 Traditional kaiseki dinner photos

Breakfast photos

Since you must remove your clothes in order to use the hot spring, I wasn't able to take any photos. For those who are curious, the following is the proper way to use a Japanese hotspring:

1. Enter the hotspring corresponding to your sex (男 = men, 女 = women)
2. Remove your clothes and put in a bin in the dressing room. Take only a wash cloth with you
3. Enter the main hot spring room where there are showers. Wash yourself VERY thoroughly (you should spend a solid 5-10 minutes washing yourself). Also make sure to shampoo your hair, etc. Note, there are little benches to sit on and you take this shower sitting down. You can also use the washcloth you brought with you.
4. After rinsing yourself thoroughly, enter the hot spring. If you are lucky, there will also be an outdoor hot spring (this hotel had one and it was lovely).
5. While in the hot spring, make sure not to let you wash cloth in the water. Most people seem to keep it on their head (myself included)