[Stay Review] Oedo Onsen Monogatari Hotel New Shiobara: Hot Springs, Dinner & Breakfast Buffet

This time I stayed at Oedo Onsen Monogatari Hotel New Shiobara in Nasushiobara, Tochigi, and I’d like to share how it went.

Oedo Onsen Monogatari Hotel New Shiobara sits along the Hoki River, in a perfect spot with a view of the Shichigen Falls.

“Anyone curious about what Oedo Onsen Monogatari Hotel New Shiobara is really like”
“Anyone thinking of staying around Nasushiobara but not sure where to book”

This article is written for exactly those readers, so please read to the end!

Check Read our articles on other Oedo Onsen group hotels

Who Oedo Onsen Monogatari Hotel New Shiobara Is Best For

Nasushiobara, where Oedo Onsen Monogatari Hotel New Shiobara is located, is a hot spring area with a 1,200-year history, and with its abundant spring water and beautiful scenery it has long soothed many visitors.

Of the 10 types of hot spring water found in Japan, Nasushiobara Onsen has 6 of them: chloride springs, bicarbonate springs, sulfate springs, sulfur springs, acidic springs, and simple springs.

Around Nasushiobara Onsen there are roughly 40 hot spring inns and other places to stay.

With so many options, it’s hard to know where to book, isn’t it?

I chose this hotel for the Nasushiobara hot springs, and after actually staying, here is who I think Hotel New Shiobara suits best.

Let’s go through them one by one.

① You want to fully enjoy Nasushiobara’s hot springs

Oedo Onsen Monogatari Hotel New Shiobara has a hot spring called “Yusenkyo” with multiple tubs to enjoy.

You can savor the scent of wood along with the hot spring water, and the riverside open-air bath uses free-flowing source water, so even serious hot spring fans will be satisfied. There’s also a sauna and a cold plunge.

② You want to stay at a reasonably priced hotel

Oedo Onsen Monogatari Hotel New Shiobara is part of the Oedo Onsen group and is well known for great value for money.

Stay as a large group and you can get a plan with two buffet meals (the dinner is all-you-can-eat crab) and hot springs for as little as about 10,000 yen.

③ You’re looking for a hotel you can reach by train, without a car

If you have a car you can stay anywhere, but some people may only be able to get around by train.

Oedo Onsen Monogatari Hotel New Shiobara is a 40-minute free shuttle bus ride from JR Nasushiobara Station. You can get there by train alone at a relatively low transport cost.

Access to Oedo Onsen Monogatari Hotel New Shiobara

Oedo Onsen Monogatari Hotel New Shiobara is a hot spring hotel in Nasushiobara, Tochigi, located in the heart of the Shiobara Onsen area, which has a 1,200-year history.

The hotel has three buildings: the West Building, Yusenkyo, and the B&H Building, and each one offers a hot spring with a different feel.

By car, it’s about 15 km (roughly 25 minutes) via National Route 400 from Nishi-Nasuno-Shiobara IC on the Tohoku Expressway.

By train, it’s about 60 minutes by local bus from JR Nasushiobara Station.

Hotel name	Oedo Onsen Monogatari Hotel New Shiobara
Address	329-2921 705 Shiobara, Nasushiobara, Tochigi
Phone	0570-02-1126
Check-in	15:00 (last check-in: 18:00)
Check-out	10:00
Number of rooms	271 rooms
Access	Get off at JR Nasushiobara Station; free shuttle bus available Pickup 13:50, drop-off 10:30 (reservation required by phone)
Shuttle	Yes
Parking	250 spaces, free (available from 1 pm on the day of stay)
Wi-Fi	Available only around the 2nd-floor lobby
Smoking	Designated areas only (West Building floors 1, 2, 5, 6, 7, and 8, and Yusenkyo 4th floor only)
Vending machines	Yes
Coin laundry	None
Credit cards	VISA、JCB、American Express、Diner’s Club、Master Card
Luggage storage	Available both before check-in and after check-out
Other	Large public bath, sauna, karaoke room, table tennis, shop, massage service, meeting rooms

*Prices show the lowest weekday rate for 2 guests with dinner and breakfast, before any coupons or discounts. Please check the linked page for the latest information.

Overview of Oedo Onsen Monogatari Hotel New Shiobara

Now let me introduce the details of Oedo Onsen Monogatari Hotel New Shiobara, where I stayed this time.

I drove and parked in the hotel’s private parking lot.

I arrived around the 3 pm check-in time, but probably because it was crowded, I was directed to Parking Lot 6 and took the shuttle bus that circulates from the lot to the hotel.

It’s a shame it’s a bit far, but it can’t be helped at a hotel this big.

Check-in

Inside the entrance was a wide, calm lobby in beige tones.

Toward the back of the lobby, I spotted a sign for Junretsu, a Japanese four-man male vocal group.

There’s an L-shaped front desk on the right of the main entrance, so I checked in right away!

Because it’s a large hotel, there’s a line during check-in hours.

Oedo Onsen Monogatari Hotel New Shiobara is made up of three buildings: the B&H Building (Beauty & Healthy), the West Building, and Yusenkyo, and it’s a little complicated and takes a while to get your bearings.

The front desk is on the 2nd floor of the West Building, floors 3 to 9 are guest rooms, the 1st floor has the dinner and breakfast buffet venue, and the large public bath “Iwaburo” is in the first basement level.

In the B&H Building, floors 3 to 7 are guest rooms, and the 1st and 2nd floors have baths and private baths.

In Yusenkyo, floors 2 to 6 are guest rooms, and the large public bath is in the first basement level.

You get a tour of the hotel at check-in, and this map really shows how complicated the layout is.

The Yusenkyo hot spring is open until 11 pm and has a wide variety of tubs and a sauna, so we were advised to bathe there first.

The key is a cylinder key on a plate with the hotel name and room number written in large letters.

In front of the front desk there’s a yukata corner and an amenity corner.

There are toothbrush sets and yukata for kids too, which is a big help for families. You can swap your yukata freely♪

The amenity corner with toothbrushes and the like is next to the front desk.

Guest Room

Since I stayed in the West Building, I walked down the passage next to the front desk toward the shop and took elevator No. 13.

The hotel has many elevators, so they’re numbered.

The 7th-floor guest room corridor is spacious, though it feels a little dated in places.

I stayed in a Japanese-style / Japanese-Western room (smoking) B.

As soon as you enter you see a wall, but if you walk down the passage on the left you reach the Japanese-Western room.

In front is an 8-tatami room, and at the back are two single beds, a low table, and a two-seater chair.

A futon for one guest is already laid out in the tatami area.

Two zabuton cushions are placed at the tatami table, and there’s a slightly small TV straight ahead.

The TV sits on a household TV stand, which doesn’t really match the atmosphere of the tatami room.

It’s a shame you can’t see the TV from the beds.

An air purifier sits in the corner of the tatami room and is already running.

Two single beds are squeezed in by the window with barely any space to spare.

There’s a nightstand in the center, but no outlets, just a light switch and an alarm clock.

The outlets are on the wall of the tatami area, so a longer charging cable would be handy.

The area with the two-seater chair is spacious, so you can stay comfortable.

And there’s even a water server!!

There are no bottles of mineral water, but you can effectively drink as much water and hot water as you like.

Under the water server is a one-door fridge. A 2-liter plastic bottle won’t fit, so keep that in mind when you go shopping.

Bathroom, Toilet & Washbasin

In the Japanese-style / Japanese-Western room (smoking) B at Oedo Onsen Monogatari Hotel New Shiobara, the bath, toilet, and washbasin are all separate.

The washbasin is old-fashioned in design, but the plumbing area is clean.

There’s POLA Shower Break Plus foam soap, which you can use to wash your face too.

The tub is a tiled, Showa-era-style one where you can’t stretch your legs out, and it’s quite small.

You’ll be soaking in the hot springs anyway, so there’s no need to use it!

The toilet has a bidet seat and is clean, but it’s the old-fashioned type where you pull a rod-shaped lever down to flush.

Hot Springs at Oedo Onsen Monogatari Hotel New Shiobara

The hot springs draw on two source springs and many kinds of baths, so you can enjoy bath-hopping within the hotel.

First, I headed to the Yusenkyo hot spring that the staff recommended!

Yusenkyo

When I went down to the first basement level of the West Building (main building), I saw the sign right away.

Yusenkyo is across the river from the West Building (main building) and the New Building (B&H Building), so you have to travel a bit to get there.

You get an explorer’s feeling that only a large hotel can give, but some people may find all the walking tiring.

From the Rainbow Bridge (connecting passage) over the Hoki River, you can see the waterfall on the opposite bank through the window.

Crossing the connecting passage brings you to the 4th floor of Yusenkyo, and you take the elevator down to the first basement level.

Finally I reached the entrance of Yusenkyo. It took about 5 minutes from the West Building.

I left my footwear on the shoe shelf in the center, and off to the hot springs I went.

The men’s large public bath at Yusenkyo has Senkyo no Yu, Takimi no Yu (waterfall-view bath), Kiriishi no Yu, a standing bath, a semi-open-air bath, a cold plunge, and a sauna.

It’s open and airy, and you can even see the Hoki River waterfall, so it’s very atmospheric. It would be a waste to stay less than about an hour.

The standing bath and semi-open-air bath use free-flowing water set at a lukewarm temperature to produce a hormesis effect, while the indoor Senkyo no Yu and Kiriishi no Yu are recirculated baths at around 42°C.

The men’s sauna is a dry sauna at nearly 100°C with no TV, so you can steam properly.

Even with lots of guests, the sauna was somehow empty, so it may be a hidden gem for sauna fans.

The cold plunge is right outside on the right: a rock cold-water bath that fits up to 3 people. It’s cold and feels great.

The women’s sauna is a low-temperature one at about 60°C. There’s no cold plunge; you pour water over yourself from a jar to cool down.

West Building Large Public Bath

The West Building large public bath is on the first basement level of the West Building.

Yusenkyo closes at 11 pm but the West Building bath is open until midnight, so I recommend bath-hopping there after Yusenkyo.

Its feature is a large semicircular rock bath, recommended for anyone who wants to relax in a spacious tub.

B&H Building Private Bath

From 2 pm to midnight it operates as a private bath, and from 6 to 9 am it’s a large public bath open to everyone.

It’s smaller than Yusenkyo and the West Building bath, so I recommend it only if you want to book it for a family or group.

Dinner at Oedo Onsen Monogatari Hotel New Shiobara

Dinner at Oedo Onsen Monogatari Hotel New Shiobara is a buffet, held at the restaurant on the 1st floor of the West Building.

At check-in you receive a timed dinner ticket (one per group), so be sure to bring it with you.

Hand it to the staff and you’ll be shown to a table in order from the front.

The dinner time is written as “about 90 minutes,” but time isn’t strictly managed, and nobody hurried us out even after 90 minutes had passed.

The venue is quite large, but there are lots of guests too, so it’s lively and noisy like a food court.

If you want a quiet, relaxed, adult-feeling meal, it probably won’t suit you.

The salads come in great variety: shredded cabbage with purple cabbage, wakame, beans, daikon sprouts, corn, potatoes, and more.

The sashimi comes pre-portioned on small plates, a three-item assortment of tuna, sea bream, and sweet shrimp.

As you’d expect from such a hugely popular item, it vanishes in no time!

The highlight is all-you-can-eat snow crab!

Some crabs have thin legs, but if it’s all-you-can-eat, who cares!

Everyone goes quiet as they dig into the bounty of the sea♪

There’s also nigiri sushi that kids and adults both love, with shrimp, salmon, egg, bonito, and squid lined up, and it’s very popular too.

Staff circulate constantly, so it’s restocked as soon as it runs out.

Fried foods such as fried shrimp are plentiful too.

Kurobuta (black pork) gyoza made at the live kitchen! They’re fried crispy, and the savory aroma whets the appetite.

Fried shrimp and chicken tempura are hugely popular with the kids too!!

Desserts come in great variety, from Japanese-style sweets to seasonal fruit.

In winter, all-you-can-eat Tochiotome strawberries are served!

Breakfast at Oedo Onsen Monogatari Hotel New Shiobara

Breakfast at Oedo Onsen Monogatari Hotel New Shiobara is a buffet just like dinner, held in the same 1st-floor restaurant of the West Building.

For better or worse, the salad lineup is the same as at dinner, so you can load up on vegetables in the morning too.

Speaking of breakfast at the Oedo Onsen group, it’s the famous nokke-don (build-your-own topping rice bowl).

By picking toppings such as sliced raw tuna and shredded squid, you can make three types of bowls: a seafood bowl, a sticky-and-slimy bowl, and a bibimbap bowl.

Meatballs might be a bit heavy first thing in the morning. But they’re well seasoned and look delicious.

There are plenty of sausages too, a breakfast staple!

Even at breakfast there are seasonal fruits, kinako rice cakes, and cakes, so it’s a full spread!

I’d eaten too much at the dinner buffet, so this is my “light?” breakfast plate.

If you don’t know about the nokke-don, you’ll just heap plain white rice to go with the side dishes, so be sure to check it out.

Final Thoughts on Staying at Oedo Onsen Monogatari Hotel New Shiobara

This time I stayed at Oedo Onsen Monogatari Hotel New Shiobara because I wanted to soak in the Nasushiobara hot springs, which have a history of 1,200 years.

The hotel shows its age in places, and the guest rooms in the West Building (main building) where I stayed are older than those in Yusenkyo, but that makes it cheaper, you can enjoy two big hot springs, and crab and sashimi are all-you-can-eat, so staying for around 10,000 yen a night is great value.

The hotel is made up of three buildings, and wherever you stay you’ll have to walk a bit to reach the restaurant and hot springs, but personally I like that explorer’s feeling, which is part of the fun of a hot spring hotel.

It’s close to attractions and shopping such as Nasu Highland Park, Nasu Safari Park, and Nasu Premium Outlets, and in winter to Hunter Mountain Shiobara too, so it’s a hot spring hotel that’s popular all year round. Do stay here at least once!

Alright, let’s go! Trip & Happiness♪

Check Read our articles on other Oedo Onsen group hotels