Deep Kyoto

good places - good people

  • About Deep Kyoto
  • About Michael Lambe
    • ARTICLES BY MICHAEL LAMBE
    • ARTICLES FOR INSIDE KYOTO
  • Books
  • Deep Kyoto Hotels
  • Flea Market
    • Bag Stall
    • Furoshiki Stall
    • Kimono Stall
    • Nintendo Playing Cards
    • Pottery Fair
  • 日本語

Ogoto Onsen

December 28, 2009 By

I wanted to do something special for Christmas Eve and my friend Andrew suggested getting an onsen hotel room in Ogoto. Once infamous as the soapland capital of Kansai, Ogoto has been working hard over the years to create an alternative image as a family spa resort. You can get reasonably priced rooms there, with gorgeous views over Lake Biwa. And as it is only a twenty minute train ride from Kyoto, Andrew said, I’d be able to use the money saved on travel expenses to splash out on a really nice room. So off I went to JTB and booked the best/most expensive hotel I could find; the Kyo-Oumi.  Our room was on the tenth floor!IMG_2511
All of the hotels I looked at had rooms with their own private rotenburo style outdoor baths attached. However the Kyo-Oumi had the distinct advantage of being right on the water’s edge which means you get views like this at night:

IMG_2470

And views like this in the morning:

IMG_2507

This was the balcony rotenburo:

IMG_2505

And this was dinner  – part one:

IMG_2488

And part two – loads more food:

IMG_2500

Shiga is of course famous for it’s beef.

IMG_2487

Cooked in it’s own juices.

IMG_2497

I’m not big on slaughtered cow though, and settled for kue nabe (a kind of fish hot pot).

IMG_2486

Our rooms were immense, the food was great and plentiful and the rotenburo was cosy. However, the hotel’s karaoke box at 5,000 yen an hour was a total rip-off. You can though, if you are in a group of four or more, get a room with karaoke attached. Our rooms cost 25,000 per person (dinner and breakfast included), but other hotels in Ogoto (further removed from the Lake) are cheaper and of course prices vary according to the season. Anyway, it was a fun thing to do just the one time, but I might go further afield next year…

Filed Under: Days Out of Town, Public Baths Tagged With: onsen

Search hotels and more...

Destination

Check-in date

Mon 16 Jun 2025

Check-out date

Tue 17 Jun 2025
Booking.com

Kyoto: A Literary Guide #AD

Deep Kyoto’s Best…

BARS
CAFES
DINING
EVENTS
HOTELS

Japan Station

Japan Transportation Guide
Japan Transportation Guide
Kyoto Transportation Guide
Kyoto Transportation Guide
Osaka Transportation Guide
Osaka Transportation Guide