Onogawa Onsen Kajikaso

Kajikaso is a low-rise inn in Onogawa Onsen whose two principal pleasures are clearly defined: spring water and Yonezawa beef. Dinner is served in a private or screened dining room, where the local wagyu anchors a carefully arranged course alongside seasonal Yamagata ingredients.

The baths use free-flowing natural water and have been recognised as an Onsen Heritage site. Two large bathing areas, Seseragi and Asamidori, each combine indoor and open-air tubs and alternate between men and women. Private bathing and selected rooms with open-air baths give couples another way to experience the spring.

The inn suits travellers who want their meal and bath to carry equal weight. Rather than treating beef as an optional upgrade or the hot spring as background, Kajikaso makes both part of the structure of the evening, with privacy in the dining room and several ways to bathe.