Beyond the rising steam of Kurokawa, a haven of tranquility awaits.
Set on a hillside just beyond the center of Kurokawa Onsen, Kono-Yu is an intimate ryokan with only ten private guest rooms. Each room features its own open-air bath, supplied with 100% free-flowing natural hot spring water. After enjoying the lively atmosphere of the hot spring town, retreat to the peace and privacy of Kono-Yu—where you can slow down, unwind, and simply enjoy the quiet.
Private by design
Ten Private Retreats
All ten guest rooms are individually situated, offering couples and families a quiet stay with a greater sense of privacy.
A private onsen in every room
Your own open-air bath
Every guest room features a private open-air bath supplied with 100% free-flowing natural hot spring water.
Local Kumamoto cuisine
Seasonal kaiseki dining
Carefully selected regional ingredients served for dinner and breakfast.
Basic Information
In / Out
15:00／10:00
Style of accommodation
Japanese room
Toilets
Western style & Toilet with shower
Meals available
Evening meal & breakfast
Number of rooms
10 rooms
Capacity
45 people
Smoking/Non-smoking
Smoking
English speaking ability
No
Annual Average Temperature
12.9 °C
Warm Welcome in Traditional Japanese Style
Japanese leather-soled sandals
Please take off your shoes within the hotel area. When moving between facilities in the hotel, please use slippers. When going out to the garden or the carpark in the hotel, please use “Setta”(Japanese leather-soled sandals).
Yukata
You will find a yukata in the guest room. Yukata is a kimono-style sleepwear. You can also wear this to the public bath or to the public eating area.
Tatami room
A tatami is a mat used to cover the floor in a Japanese room. It’s made of bundled straw and covered with tightly woven rushes called igusa. Japanese sit down and lie directly on the tatami taking off their shoes here.
Futon
At night, you sleep in futon on the tatami floor except certain guest rooms. The staff will spread out the futon on the tatami floor while you’re having dinner at the restaurant.
Kotatsu
【Winter Only】Kotatsu is a traditional heating appliances of Japan. This is a low table with a heat source. Put the lower body under the blankets during use. It's so comfortable that you don't want to leave once you have entered.
Japanese tea and snacks to go with tea
We'll serve you with Japanese green tea as a welcome drink upon your arrival. Please also enjoy delicious Japanese confectionery together.
Toilet with shower
The Japanese have been using toilets with shower for over 30 years. These toilets allow you to wash yourself with water of a comfortable temperature, and to dry yourself with breezy air. These toilets are also equipped with heated seats and bidet.
Automatic vending machine
A machine that gives out drinks you desired when coins or notes are inserted.
ROOMS
Our ten guest rooms are arranged in two styles: five are private, stand-alone accommodations, while the other five are set within a terraced building that follows the natural slope of the hillside. Each room has been thoughtfully designed to provide the highest possible level of privacy. Every guest room also features its own private open-air bath, supplied with 100% free-flowing natural hot spring water.
ROOM TYPE - 01
One story Type
ROOM
ONSEN
The rooms of the one-story type includes open-air bath and shower room. Scenery seen from open-air bath is better because the bath is located on a hill. This room is a typical Japanese-style room in a serene surroundings.
Accommodation arrangement
10J + Hiroen (Veranda) + Open Air Bath + Shower room + Shower toilet
Capacity
2-5 people
ROOM TYPE - 02
Maisonette type
Two-Story Room in a Terraced Building
ROOM
ONSEN
Private Detached Two-Story Room
ROOM
ONSEN
The first floor is a wooden floor. There is an open-air bath with nice views, indoor bath, wash basin, and a toilet. The second floor is a Japanese-style room. Futon is prepared here. On a clear day you can see the outer rim of Aso.
Accommodation arrangement
10J + Hiroen (Veranda) + Living room + Open Air Bath + Indoor bath + Shower room + Shower toilet
Capacity
2-4 people
ROOM TYPE - 03
Private Detached Suite
ROOM
ONSEN
A private, stand-alone suite featuring a spacious Japanese-Western room and a semi-open-air bath supplied with free-flowing natural hot spring water. Surrounded by tranquility, it offers an intimate setting for anniversaries and other special stays with someone dear to you.
Accommodation arrangement
10J + Hiroen (Veranda) + Living room + Open Air Bath + Indoor bath + Shower room + Shower toilet
Capacity
2-5 people
ONSEN
HOT SPRING
Kono-Yu’s public open-air bathing area features a standing bath known as the deepest in Japan, reaching a maximum depth of 162 cm. All of our baths are supplied by Kono-Yu’s own natural hot spring source, which rises from within the ryokan grounds. The mineral-rich water is also believed to have skin-beautifying properties. Immerse yourself in 100% fresh, free-flowing natural hot spring water.
Private In-Room Onsen
Overnight Guests Only
Every guest room features its own private open-air bath, supplied with 100% free-flowing natural hot spring water. No advance booking is required, and the bath is exclusively yours to enjoy at any time throughout your stay. There is no need to visit a shared public bath or be mindful of other guests—simply relax and soak whenever you wish, for as long as you like.
Private Open-Air Bath“Ten-no-Yu”
Overnight Guests Only
You can consider the private open-air bath if you are reluctant to enter the public bath.
You can enjoy the landscape and feel the wind while taking a bath.
The private open-air bath needs to be reserved per 50 minutes.
Bathing Hours
3:00 PM–10:00 PM / 7:00 AM–9:00 AMAdvance reservations are required for each 50-minute session.
Public Open-Air Bath“Morinoyu”
Open to Overnight & Day Guests
Our open-air baths are separated by gender. In keeping with Japanese onsen etiquette, guests bathe without clothing.
Please wash and rinse thoroughly before entering the bath. Do not place towels in the bathwater, and dry yourself before returning to the changing area.
The men’s open-air bath features Japan’s deepest standing bath, reaching a maximum depth of 162 cm. Immerse yourself fully in the hot spring while enjoying panoramic views of the majestic Aso landscape.
Men’s Bath
Women’s Bath
Footbath
Open to Overnight & Day Guests
Footbath is located near the entrance. It is available to everyone but not just staying guests.
It is convenient to wait for day trip bathing.
MEALS
As a general rule, dinner and breakfast are included. We’ll serve a meal at the restaurant. It’s a Japanese course menu with cuisine made by carefully selected local ingredients.
Dinner
Fresh Japanese cuisine
Our kaiseki cuisine celebrates the finest seasonal ingredients from the local area, carefully prepared to preserve their natural flavors. Each dish reflects the beauty of the season while offering a taste unique to this region. Let the bounty of the season enrich your evening with us.
Breakfast
Breakfast will be in Japanese Zen.
Begin your day with a gently flavored Japanese breakfast, thoughtfully prepared with locally sourced ingredients. Each dish is carefully crafted to bring out the natural flavors of its ingredients. Enjoy a wholesome and comforting start to your morning.
Drinks
Sake
Sake is a Japanese rice wine. It has been enjoyed in Japan for a long time. You can drink it hot or cold. Its alcohol content is about 15%.
Shochu
Shochu is a Japanese vodka made from rice, barley, or sweet potato. Sake is fermented, but shochu is distilled. Shochu has an alcohol content of about 25 to 45%. You can drink barley and sweet potato shochu made from hot spring water at our hotel. It is normally mixed with hot or cold water.
-noasobi--roku-
Restaurant
-noasobi-
-roku-
We offer two distinctive dining spaces, each with its own inviting atmosphere. Surrounded by the warmth of natural wood, savor our seasonal kaiseki cuisine at a relaxed pace. Enjoy a comfortable dining experience that complements your journey and personal preferences.
YOUR STAY
Kono-Yu Property Map
Whether you prefer to unwind in the soothing waters of the ryokan or stroll through the charming streets of Kurokawa Onsen, every journey can be enjoyed in your own way. From footbaths and local souvenir shops to onsen-hopping with a Nyuto Tegata pass, make Kono-Yu your base and discover Kurokawa at your own pace.
Shopping at the Front Desk
Souvenir Shop
At the souvenir shop beside the front desk on the first floor of the main building, you’ll find Kono-Yu original items along with local sweets and gifts from the area.
Onsen ticket (Nyuto Tegata)
The Nyuto Tegata pass allows you to visit the open-air baths of three participating ryokan within six months of purchase. Various events and campaigns are also held, offering prizes such as certificates, original Kurokawa Onsen merchandise, and accommodation vouchers.
Price: ¥1,300
Nearby Attractions
Kurokawa Onsen
Approximately 3–5 Minutes by Car
The charming streets of Kurokawa Onsen are lined with traditional wooden ryokan and local shops. As you listen to the gentle sound of the river, enjoy onsen-hopping, shopping, and sampling local treats along the way.
Kurokawa Onsen General Information Center “Kazenoya”
Approximately 3 Minutes by Car
Located in the heart of Kurokawa Onsen, Kazenoya is the area’s main visitor information center. It offers a spacious parking area and public restrooms, as well as complimentary Kurokawa Onsen maps and brochures for local ryokan.
Jizo-do stands at the corner at the foot of Igo-zaka, in the center of Kurokawa Onsen. Many visitors hang their used wooden Nyuto Tegata passes here as offerings, much like traditional ema prayer plaques.
Jizo-yu, one of Kurokawa Onsen’s original hot spring baths, is located across the road from Jizo-do. It is a traditional communal bathhouse used by local residents.
Located on the Hiranodai Plateau, a short distance from Kurokawa Onsen, this scenic viewpoint offers sweeping views from the Kuju Mountains to Mount Aso. It has also been officially recognized as one of Japan’s “Lovers’ Sanctuaries.”
Located along Igo-zaka, this charming shop offers a distinctive selection of colorful towels, hand towels, traditional tenugui cloths, handmade soaps, and other locally inspired goods.
As you walk down Igo-zaka toward Jizo-yu, the gentle aroma of freshly baked sweets begins to fill the air. This small bakery is an inviting place that is hard to pass by without stopping.
If traveling by car, please follow one of the main routes below: ・ National Route 212, between Hita and Aso ・ National Route 57, between Kumamoto and Aso ・ Yamanami Highway, between Yufuin and Aso When using National Routes 57 or 212, head toward Minamioguni or Oguni. When using the Yamanami Highway, head toward Senomoto before continuing to Kurokawa Onsen.
Traveling by public transportation may require one or more transfers. Please check the latest timetables and connection details for each transport service before beginning your journey.
From Kumamoto Station or Kumamoto Airport
Kumamoto Station
Approx. 1 hour
2
JR Hohi Main Line (approx. 40 min.)
Kumamoto AirportHigo-Ozu Station
1
Direct from Kumamoto Station
Kyushu Odan Bus (approx. 3 hours)
Ryokan Kono-Yu
3
Yamabiko Express Bus (approx. 53 min.)
Aso Station
4
Local BusSanko Bus Tsuetate Line(approx. 53 min.)
Minamioguni Town Hall Bus Stop
Approx. 10 minutes by car
*1
For detailed information, including timetables and fares, please use the relevant links below.
*1 Please take a taxi or arrange a shuttle with your ryokan. Contact the ryokan in advance to confirm shuttle availability.
From the Fukuoka or Kitakyushu Area
Kokura Station
1
JR Tokaido-Sanyo Shinkansen (approx. 15 min.)
Hakata Station
2
Direct from Hakata Station
Highway Bus (approx. 2 hours 45 min.)
Ryokan Kono-Yu
3
JR Kyushu Shinkansen (approx. 40 min.)
Kumamoto Station*1
For detailed information, including timetables and fares, please use the relevant links below.
*1 For directions from Kumamoto Station, please refer to “From Kumamoto Station.”
From the Oita Area
Oita Airport
1
Airliner Airport Bus (approx. 65 min.)
Oita Station
3
JR Nippo Main Line (approx. 13 min.)
Beppu Station
4
Kamenoi Bus (approx. 68 min.)
Yufuin Station
5
Kyushu Odan Bus (approx. 1 hour 37 min.)
Ryokan Kono-Yu
2
Kyushu Express Bus (approx. 2 hours 10 min.)
For detailed information, including timetables and fares, please use the relevant links below.
Azasugita 1786-1, Akababa, Minamioguni-machi, Aso-gun, Kumamoto 869-2401, Japan