Homestay Visit

[steven]

I've been to a few Ryokans myself. I have yet to have a bad experience. I've been to one in Kyoto, Gero Onsen, a couple in Kanazawa, and various places in Toyama.

I've never heard of Gokiburi in one of those... I think your friend really had a bad experience if he or she saw them. I'd be quite upset about that myself as I'm actually quite... scared of them.

They don't all have onsen attached... but most of the ones I've been to do. The one I went to in Kyoto had like a personal Onsen-- which would be like a wooden bathtub. I can't imagine fitting two people in one of those.

However, if you are willing to dish out the dough, you can get a room with a personal Rotenburo-- which is like an outdoor bath. I have no idea how much that would cost, but I could imagine it would be a fortune. I've been in one of those rooms before and been in the onsen that it had and it was quite amazing (could probably fit about 8 people in it comfortably). If you're concerned about not being able to enjoy it because you can't take a bath with your loved one, you might look into something like that (but like I said it will come at a cost).

Most places have separate baths for men and women, like other posters have said. You'll still get that "Japanese" experience if you decide not to take a bath because of that, but there's something so refreshing about a really nice washitsu after going in an onsen!

Another option you have is to try to find a restaurant that has an onsen in it. These are actually quite common. You can get a meal for $50-100 at a place like that. Most of the time, actually, those places will be like hotels/ryokans too. There is a particular one in my town (in the mountains) that you can eat at for about $60 a person. They have an outdoor onsen/baththing overlooking a giant dam in the river nearby and some rooms to relax in before/after taking a bath. There's no time limit or anything, you just kinda drive to the bath and hang out as long as you desire. I can imagine that type of place is extremely uncommon though. I think to find places like that you'd have to be in the countrside.

There are a lot of nice places in the Hokuriku region (I'm pretty biased cause thats where I live), but Gifu prefecture is pretty famous for their onsens. Unfortunately those places are off the beaten path as far as tourists are concerned. Gero city in Gifu is pretty famous in Japan, though, so you might be able to find some reasonable transportation there (you can take a train but I believe it's slow... but I imagine it'd be very scenic).

Like everyone else said, a Ryokan would be a way better idea than a homestay if you're concerned about privacy and travelling and things like that. I personally think the best time to go to a Ryokan would be in the fall or winter. That's when the food will be the best and when the onsen will feel the best. It's been a hot summer, but I'm already looking forward to going to a hot rotenburo (onsen w/ a moon roof/outdoor onsen) while it's pouring snow outside.