At least a 10 minute walk from Gamagori Station (JR or Meitetsu) gets you to Hotel Takeshima, the closest hot spring ryokan to the station. Day use is ¥1300 but if you get the coupon from the tourist information office in the station it is 30% off (¥910). Even with the discount I felt it was a bit overpriced for this aging ryokan but you do get a free soft drink included. I did not realize until writing this review that there are two springs in use. Two springs that they gave two different names to for the men’s and women’s baths. Same water, different names. OK, whatever. Basically the indoor spring is a normal temperature alkaline spring and the rotenburo has a warm radon spring. I kind of noticed a difference in temperature and feel but neither of the springs stood out as outstanding, just good. Things like the off-putting service by the front desk gave me a bad experience at the start but the sweet grandmothers working the baths made up for it. It is definitely a mixed review. There were many things in and around the baths that were just not up to the standard of a ryokan like that: for example the cover for the outdoor bath were left out haphazardly in plain view and big chips missing in some of the fountains. I can definitely say that you should get that coupon. Paying full price is a big steep for this even if you include the soft drink.

I also had a crazy experience here. In the water at one end of the large indoor bath there was a old guy being helped by, I assume, his son. The old guy couldn’t move on his own but I also did not see a wheelchair anywhere. When I was about to get out I noticed that the son was gone and one of the bath staff, who must have been in her 70s, was trying to lift the old guy out of the bath. Seeing that no one was going to help her—there were a few other able-bodied Japanese guys there—I walked over and offered to pick him up. She apologetically said she needed some help and warned that he was pretty heavy. I looked at the old guy and tried to ask his permission to touch him. All I got was a blank stare. Anyhow picking up a wet slippery old guy was a new experience for me and I got him to a sitting position at the edge of the bath with his feet in the tub.

I returned to warm up again on the other side.

After a minute or two the son returned. He and the bath staff then began trying to lift him onto one of the washing chairs and completely out of the water. Again I offered to help and hoping not to bend this guy in any way that would hurt him—I had no clue what his medical situation was—I picked him up and got him into the chair. Again soft, wet old guy is hard to pick up. The son and bath staff thanked me and I went about drying off and heading to the changing room.

As I was getting dressed all the male staff from the front desk started heading back and forth from the bath I guess somehow trying to get this guy out of there. I never asked what happened but I can guess that this guy is always like that or he had a heat stroke from the water. Either way it was a new experience for me.