[Onyado Nono Fukui] All 15 Properties Conquered! Dinosaur-Themed Cold Bath, the “Ascension Falls,” and the Best Soba of the Whole Journey
福井県-Fukui
Hi, it’s Greippi. The journey to conquer every property of Dormy Inn’s premium Japanese-style sub-brand “Onyado Nono” reaches its finale. The stage: the “Natural Hot Spring Echizen no Yu Onyado Nono Fukui,” in the dinosaur kingdom of Fukui. After Sakaiminato, Toyama, Namba, Nara, Asakusa (main branch), Kyoto Shichijo, Kanazawa, Osaka Yodoyabashi, Sendai, Matsue, Matsumoto, Beppu, Asakusa Bettei, and Kumamoto, this is property number 15 — the final one. I originally planned to take about a year to visit all of them, but somehow finished in half that time. Fitting for a grand finale, this brand-new property (open about 6 months) delivered right to the end: a dinosaur-themed cold bath, a debut aroma, and what may be the best local soba of the entire pilgrimage. I stayed there, so here’s the honest report.
Property: Natural Hot Spring Echizen no Yu Onyado Nono Fukui
Stay dates: September 9–10, 2026
Access: 5-minute walk from Fukui Station.
Rate: Approx. ¥12,100 (1 adult / 1 night)
Surroundings: Restaurants scattered around the area. A Lawson convenience store is a 1-minute walk away.
At ¥12,100, the rate is fairly standard for the series. It’s a bit of a walk from the station, but the location — near the entrance to Katamachi, the local entertainment district — isn’t bad at all. Being on a corner lot, the building itself is L-shaped, an unusual design. Having opened only about 6 months ago, everything here still feels brand new, right down to the loungewear, which lacks the usual well-worn softness. Guests I saw were almost entirely Japanese — the lowest inbound-tourist presence I’ve seen in the whole series. Maybe Fukui just isn’t on the international radar yet.
Room atmosphere:Vermilion accents give it a stylish look — noticeably more design-conscious than the early properties in the series.
As a newer property, the details and interior sensibility feel like they’ve kept evolving year over year. With its vermilion accents, this room ranked among the more polished in the series.
Bath & Sauna (Natural Hot Spring Echizen no Yu)
The Fukui bath area, Natural Hot Spring Echizen no Yu, sits on the top floor.
Bath name: Natural Hot Spring Echizen no Yu
Water: Clear and colorless. Decent view.
Sauna temp: 86°C (187°F). Auto-löyly with fan-assisted circulation, every 20 minutes.
Sauna size: 3 tiers, capacity ~20. Top tier has a narrower seat depth, though.
Aroma:Debut scent “Calm Green” (a mellow blend of rosemary, hiba cypress, spearmint, and tea tree).
Cold bath: 16°C (61°F). Fairly wide, with decent depth — about as large as the space allows.
Rest area: 3 indoor chairs / 3 outdoor chairs.
BGM: By Mr. Tokusashi. Kept at a modest volume.
Tattoo policy: Generally not allowed.
Stronger Than Kumamoto? A Refined Take on Auto-Löyly
The sauna occupies the top floor — 3 tiers, room for about 20. Like Kumamoto, it runs auto-löyly with fan circulation every 20 minutes, but this one felt noticeably more powerful than Kumamoto’s. It’s got me thinking again about operator Kyoritsu’s overall löyly strategy — the shift from self-service back to automatic. What’s become clear over the whole series is that each property’s auto-löyly has its own carefully tuned personality, which turned out to be one of the pilgrimage’s quieter joys. The aroma was my first encounter with “Calm Green” — rosemary, hiba cypress, spearmint, and tea tree, living up to its name with a mellow, calming scent. A fitting new discovery for the final chapter.
Dinosaur Motifs and the “Ascension Falls”
The cold bath is on the wider side, and dinosaur motifs are scattered throughout the bath area — a fitting touch for Fukui, Japan’s dinosaur capital. Temperature measured 16°C (61°F) on my own thermometer, with decent depth — about as large as the available space allows. And the standout feature this time: a separate waterfall shower called “Ascension Falls” (Shoten no Taki). Press the button and cold water pours onto your head for about 10 seconds. Given the dramatic name, I expected something more intense, but the water volume was fairly modest. Still, finding a playful feature like this right up to the very last property was a nice surprise.
An Outdoor Rest Area with Its Own Terrace
The outdoor rest area is quite good — enclosed, but with enough gaps to let the breeze through. And here’s a feature unique to this property: an outdoor terrace attached to the post-bath lounge. Eating an ice cream out on the balcony while the wind blows would be the perfect way to end a soak, depending on the season.
Free Services (Hospitality)
The customary Dormy Inn free-service report.
Post-bath ice cream (night): The usual selection.
Post-bath lactic acid drink (morning): Chlorella lactic acid drink (no Kumamon this time).
Yonaki soba (late-night noodles):Missed it — fell asleep.
A Second “Gomen-nasoba” Moment
I went back to my room to relax and ended up falling asleep, waking up at 11pm — too late for the free late-night soba. This marks my second missed yonaki soba, after Nara. I received my first-ever apology package (“gomen-nasoba,” a soba-themed pun on “I’m sorry”) from the front desk, but since I was already full, I took it home to enjoy later. (After eating it at home — yeah, the real yonaki soba is definitely better.)
The Legendary Breakfast Buffet
The breakfast lineup was a bit more modest overall, without an especially strong local flavor.
Local side dishes: Simmered pickled daikon, Eiheiji-style sesame tofu.
Dessert & more: Bite-sized chestnut-filled daifuku, etc.
Language support: English, Chinese, and Korean labeling.
The seafood bowl and tempura were, honestly, about average for the series. But the Echizen oroshi soba was outstanding. Matsumoto and Matsue both leaned into soba too, but this one was in a league of its own — genuinely one of my favorite local dishes of the entire pilgrimage. It ended up being the surprise star of the finale.
Onyado-in Stamp Collection
[Extra] Fukui Bar-Hopping Report
Three stops for the grand finale.
Kinki (錦輝): A spot featured by sake writer Kazuhiko Ota. Great local sake paired with excellent small plates. I had seared and pickled mackerel with ponzu, grilled skewered free-range chicken, and heshiko (salt-fermented fish) cream cheese, paired with Hakugakusen (hiyaoroshi), Nanatsuboshi, and Fukukoma sakes. Everything was excellent. Nearly every dish comes in a half-size option, which explained the many solo diners. Friendly staff, great atmosphere. Bill: ¥5,200. Cards accepted. 5-minute walk from the hotel. Highly recommended.
Yakitori no Meimon Akiyoshi Fukui Katamachi: Akiyoshi is now a nationwide chain, and this is apparently the original store — so of course I had to visit while in Fukui. Lively atmosphere, and I ordered a grab bag: free-range chicken, chicken skin, heart, negima, pork jowl, salted cabbage. Beer and highballs to drink. Nothing radically different from other branches, but the quality is consistently solid — still tasty. The energetic vibe was great, and I kind of loved the “Shacho!! (Boss!!)” shout-outs and the confused reactions from some customers. There was a wait, but turnover seemed fast — weekends might be rough. Bill: ¥4,367. Credit cards accepted.
Echizen Soba Mikichiya: Not a bar, but I walked past and suddenly craved soba. A humble, old-fashioned soba shop. I ordered Echizen oroshi soba (¥700) — slightly thin noodles with a smooth texture, and grated daikon with a moderate kick, well balanced. A perfect light, refreshing finish after drinking. Cards accepted. By the time I ate this, I already had a feeling I wouldn’t make it to yonaki soba…
Three solid stops, packed with local sake, yakitori, and soba — a fittingly Fukui way to close out the night.
Overall Review
The Onyado Nono pilgrimage has finally reached its 15th and final property. What I originally planned as a year-long project somehow wrapped up in half that time. Looking back, it’s remarkable how much personality each property packed into its cold bath temperature, sauna philosophy, aroma choice, and breakfast star. Fukui, still brand new after just 6 months, brought its own distinctive flourishes — dinosaur motifs, “Ascension Falls,” an outdoor terrace lounge — and closed things out with an unexpected star: Echizen oroshi soba.
[All 15 Properties Complete] The Full Onyado Nono Pilgrimage Summary
Order
Property
Sauna
Cold bath
Outdoor rest
Rate
1
Sakaiminato
94°C / 201°F
16°C / 61°F
Yes (3 chairs)
¥16,000*
2
Toyama
98°C / 208°F
14°C / 57°F
Semi-outdoor
¥14,000
3
Namba
94°C / 201°F
13°C / 55°F
None
¥22,500
4
Nara
91°C / 196°F
17°C / 63°F
Yes (3 chairs)
¥10,350
5
Asakusa (main)
98°C / 208°F
16°C / 61°F (jar-style)
Semi-outdoor
¥15,750
6
Kyoto Shichijo
100°C / 212°F (Herbal Clear debut)
19°C / 66°F
Rotenburo (indoor)
¥17,280
7
Kanazawa
95°C / 203°F · record-sized (20+)
16°C / 61°F (spacious)
True top-floor outdoor
¥11,700
8
Osaka Yodoyabashi
95°C / 203°F
14°C / 57°F (compact)
Semi-outdoor
¥13,850
9
Sendai
96°C / 205°F · smallest (6)
15°C / 59°F (single-person)
Yes (great sky view)
¥13,950
10
Matsue
92°C / 198°F · first self-löyly
15–16°C / 59–61°F (waterfall shower & rain)
Matsue Castle view
¥12,600
11
Matsumoto
92°C / 198°F · self-löyly · 14-wide
17°C / 63°F (deep)
Azumino mountains
¥13,950
12
Beppu
91°C / 196°F · L-shaped (20+)
Record depth (90cm)
Adirondack chairs + view + Beppu Tower
¥13,950*
13
Asakusa Bettei
91°C / 196°F · self-löyly
17°C / 63°F (slightly deep)
Semi-outdoor + totonoi-booster lever
¥19,030†
14
Kumamoto
85°C / 185°F · back to auto-löyly
15°C / 59°F (walk-through)
Semi-outdoor + totonoi-booster pillow
¥11,700
15
Fukui (this stay · finale)
86°C / 187°F · strong auto-löyly
16°C / 61°F (dinosaur motifs)
Outdoor terrace + Ascension Falls
¥12,100
*Sakaiminato and Beppu rates are for dinner-included plans. †Asakusa Bettei rate is after a ¥500-off coupon. These aren’t a pure apples-to-apples room-rate comparison — treat as reference only when weighing value. To sum up Onyado Nono Fukui in one line: a fittingly playful, dinosaur-kingdom send-off, capped by the best local soba of the whole series. The highlight was the 86°C (187°F) auto-löyly with fan circulation, which felt noticeably stronger than Kumamoto’s. Soaking in the debut “Calm Green” aroma made for a fitting new discovery to close out the series. The dinosaur-themed cold bath, “Ascension Falls” waterfall shower, and outdoor terrace lounge added plenty of playful detail. Breakfast was a bit more modest overall, but the Echizen oroshi soba ranked among my favorite local dishes of the entire pilgrimage — a clean, satisfying way to wrap things up. At ¥12,100, the rate sits in the standard range for the series, but given the brand-new interior (open just 6 months) and the location near Katamachi’s entertainment district, the value is quite good. The bar-hopping was just as strong to the end: local sake and small plates at Kinki, yakitori at the original Akiyoshi location, and closing soba at Mikichiya. And most importantly — this completes the full conquest of all 15 Onyado Nono properties nationwide. What began as a planned year-long journey wrapped up in half that time. Starting from Sakaiminato, this trip turned into a denser experience than I ever expected: regional specialties, distinct sauna philosophies at every stop, constantly evolving löyly and rest-space innovations, and even the occasional brush with real-world local news along the way. Thank you, sincerely, to everyone who followed along.
I highly recommend booking in advance. Check the latest prices and availability for Onyado Nono Fukui on Hotels.com below!
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