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Hace Guesthouse — Rooms & Dorms in Iwaki Yumoto Onsen

A small, old-school guesthouse in a hot spring town, two hours from Tokyo. Affordable dorm beds, a public onsen 30 seconds away, and a bar downstairs where locals drink.

Check availability on our official site

Hace is a former taxi company building, more than 70 years old, that our owner renovated by hand after backpacking through 50+ countries and staying in 200+ guesthouses. We rent out rooms one by one: shared dorms, private rooms with a queen bed, and one Japanese-style tatami room.

It is a guesthouse, not a hotel. Please read “Who it is not for” below before you book.

Who Hace is for

Solo travelers and couples who like meeting people. The staff and the regulars downstairs will talk to you if you sit at the bar counter. You never have to talk if you don’t want to.
Travelers who want a quiet onsen town instead of a big city, but still want to be in Tokyo in about two hours.
People who like staying in places with character: a self-renovated, 70-year-old building, not a standard hotel room.
People curious about local life in Japan. Our owner is happy to talk about long-term travel, DIY renovation, starting a business, or moving to a hot spring town, if you are interested.

Who it is not for

Light sleepers. The walls are thin. Even in a private room you may hear a neighbor talking, and the bar downstairs can be audible until close to midnight on some nights. Earplugs are sold at the front desk (JPY 100), and are free on noisy event nights.
People who want hotel privacy and comfort. Dorms are shared rooms, and showers and toilets are shared. A few proper hotels are available in Yumoto Onsen if that suits you better.
People who want to be left completely alone. Our host tends to say hello to guests. You don’t have to chat back.
Anyone who expects a bathtub in the building. There is none. See “Bath” below.

Getting here

From Tokyo: about 2 hours 15 minutes by the Hitachi limited express to JR Yumoto Station, with no transfer.
From Yumoto Station: a 9-minute walk. We do not offer a pick-up service.
By car: about 10 minutes from the Iwaki-Yumoto Interchange. We have a parking lot across the street, next to Freeknot (see “Parking”).
Look for the sign “Fujiwara Taxi”. The building used to be a taxi company, and the sign is still up. Many guests walk past at first.
Spa Resort Hawaiians is about 10 minutes by car. A free shuttle bus runs from Yumoto Station to Hawaiians (check the official timetable).
A convenience store (Lawson) is a one-minute walk away.

The rooms

All rooms are on the upper floor (one flight of stairs up). Five rooms, sleeping up to 15 guests in total.

Room and dorm bookings are not available during New Year, the summer holidays (mainly mid-July to August 31), Golden Week and Silver Week, when the house is rented whole; dates vary each year.

Room	Type	Sleeps	Bedding
Kasa (Parasol)	Mixed dorm	4	Two bunk beds, each bed with a curtain for privacy. Men and women.
Hasu (Water Lily)	Female-only dorm	4	Two bunk beds, each bed with a curtain for privacy. Women only.
Sasa (Bamboo)	Private room	2	One queen bed. The bed is set high, so please watch your step.
Kurage (Jellyfish)	Private room	2	One queen bed.
Uzu (Whirlpool)	Japanese-style private room	3	Three futons on a 4-tatami-mat room. You lay out the futons yourself. It can feel tight with three adult men.

Dorm beds can be booked one bed at a time, so solo travelers are welcome. Food and drinks are not allowed in the bedrooms. Please use the shared lounge and kitchen.

We cannot add extra futons or beds to a room.

Shared facilities (upper floor)

A lounge for guests to chat, and a large dining kitchen with cooking tools, seasonings, a refrigerator and a microwave. A rice cooker (5-cup) is free to use. Please clean up after you use the kitchen.
One shower, shared by all guests. Shampoo, conditioner and body wash are provided.
Two toilets on the upper floor, and one more on the ground floor.
Washing machine and dryer are free, and detergent is provided. There is no fabric softener, so bring your own if you need it.
Fast Wi-Fi, a hair dryer, heating and air conditioning.
Alcohol and food from outside are welcome in the shared lounge.

Amenities are paid, as in most guesthouses: toothbrush JPY 100, earplugs JPY 100, face towel JPY 300, bath towel rental JPY 500.

Bath: the public hot spring, 30 seconds away

There is no bathtub in the guesthouse. The hot spring is a short walk away.

Sahakonoyu, a public bathhouse with natural, free-flowing hot spring water, is 30 seconds on foot from our door.
Open 10:00–22:00, last entry one hour before closing. It has regular holidays and sometimes closes without notice, so please check the latest information before you go.
Admission JPY 300 for adults, JPY 150 for elementary school students, free for children under 6 (as of September 1, 2026).
There is no shampoo at the bathhouse. We lend you shampoo for free. Towels are not free (face towel JPY 300, bath towel rental JPY 500).
Tattoos: for the rules at Sahakonoyu and the other bathhouses in town, please see our Iwaki Yumoto guide. We don’t want to guess on their behalf.
Other onsen inns in the neighborhood also open their baths to day visitors. We tell you which ones are open when you check in.

Food and drink

Breakfast: most plans include breakfast. Room-only plans are available only for bookings made within 3 days of check-in (one night only). Breakfast is a Japanese set breakfast, served 8:00–9:30. If you leave very early, we can hand you rice balls (onigiri) the night before. Please tell us before check-in day. Same-day bookings are room-only.
Kitchen Hace, downstairs: our bar and restaurant, where you can drink next to local people. See the Kitchen Hace page. Opening days change from week to week and some days it is closed, so please check the calendar at hace.jp/kitchen before you plan your evening. It is cashless, and non-smoking.
Cook your own: the shared kitchen on the upper floor is open to all guests. You can also bring in food and drinks. No open flames outdoors (no BBQ).

Check-in and check-out

Check-in: Monday to Saturday 16:00–22:00. Sunday 16:00–19:00 (until 22:00 if Monday is a public holiday).
Check-out: 10:00.
If you will arrive after 22:00, or before 16:00, please message us beforehand. The front desk may not be staffed before 16:00.
We do not take phone inquiries. Please send us a message or email at guesthouse@hace.jp. After you book, please tell us your arrival time through the booking site’s message function or by email.
Arrival details are emailed to you the day before your stay.
If you do not contact us and arrive after check-in hours, we may not be able to accommodate you, and the room fee will not be refunded.

Parking

Across the road from the guesthouse, next to Freeknot. 7 spaces, accessible 24 hours, JPY 300 per car per night, first come first served. Please tell us after you book, and we will save you a space. Pay on the spot at check-in. Motorbikes are welcome.

Payment and cancellation

Cashless only. Credit cards, IC cards such as Suica, and QR code payments such as PayPay. We do not take cash. This also applies to the bar downstairs.
Booking on our official site needs a credit card to hold the reservation. You are not charged when you book. Room fees are charged to that card on the day of check-in.
Receipts and proof-of-stay documents can be issued.
Cancellation, official-site bookings: free up to 4 days before check-in, 50% of the room fee from 3 days before, and 100% for same-day cancellation or no-show. Bookings made through other booking sites follow the rules of that site.
Please check the exact conditions on the booking page when you book.

What kinds of guests stay here

People who want to meet locals. Sit at the counter downstairs and the staff or local customers will start a conversation.
Travelers curious about long trips or starting a business. Our owner traveled for almost two years, and started a business at 40.
People thinking of a life in a hot spring town. The owner also moved to Iwaki from elsewhere. Please ask us about long stays.

The honest list

The walls are thin, and the bar downstairs can be heard until late on some nights.
There is no bathtub. Showers are shared (one shower for all guests), and so are the toilets (two upstairs, one downstairs).
Dorm rooms are shared with strangers. Please do not bring your own futon into a dorm.
The Uzu tatami room is small for three adults.
The bed in Sasa is set high.
There are stairs. The bedrooms are on the upper floor.
Toothbrushes, towels and earplugs cost extra.
Check-in on Sundays ends at 19:00.

House rules

Smoking is not allowed inside. Pets are not allowed.
No food or drinks in the bedrooms. Use the lounge and kitchen.
Please clean up the kitchen after you use it.
Women only in Hasu.
Please be considerate of other guests, as the walls are thin.
Please tell us in advance if you arrive late.

FAQ

How far is it from Tokyo?

About 2 hours 15 minutes by direct Hitachi limited express to Yumoto Station, then a 9-minute walk.

Is there a bath in the guesthouse?

No bathtub. There is one shower. A natural hot spring public bath (Sahakonoyu, JPY 300) is a 30-second walk away.

Can I pay in cash?

No. We accept cards, IC cards and QR payments only.

Do you allow children?

Yes. Children in elementary school and older count as adults. Younger children don’t count as a guest if they need neither breakfast nor a bed. We can’t add futons, and sharing the same bed carries no extra charge (not possible in the dorms). Please ask us if unsure.

Is breakfast included?

Only on breakfast plans. It is a Japanese set breakfast, 8:00–9:30, JPY 1,200 if added.

Is there a car park?

Yes, JPY 300 per night, 7 spaces, first come first served. Tell us when you book.

Can my group book the whole building?

Yes, for up to 15 people. See our whole-house page. During New Year, summer holidays, Golden Week and Silver Week we may only accept whole-house bookings.

Nearby and related pages

Iwaki Yumoto guide
Rent the whole building — for groups
Kitchen Hace — our bar downstairs
Private Sauna Sahako-mae — a private Finnish sauna, 30 seconds from the guesthouse