The Ryokan with no wifi, cell phone service nor electricity - first time in Aomori

If you have ever wanted to do digital detox in Japan, there is actually is a perfect place for it hidden away in the Aomori prefecture. Aomori prefecture is the northernmost prefecture of the main Japanese island. I have been planning to visit this prefecture for quite a while now, especially in summer as it is filled with wonderful nature making it the ideal place to escape the summer Tokyo heat. But I have never thought about visiting it in Winter. That is until I discovered a beautiful Ryokan with no wifi, cell phone service nor electric outlets in the room. On the other hand it offers four different hot springs. This heaven on earth is called Aoni Onsen - Lamp no Yado and I would like to take you along for this trip.

Getting There

If you are a foreigner visiting or living in Japan you are in luck, as you are able to purchase the JR East Pass which covers all JR trains including the shinkansen in the Tohoku region. For 30,000 JPY you are able to ride the trains for 5 days - Talk about really getting the bang for your buck.

(https://www.jreast.co.jp/multi/en/pass/eastpass_t.html)

Our journey begins at the Tokyo station, from where we will take the shinkansen to Aomori City. What I did not realize until standing on the platform was that there were no unreserved seats on this train.. and it was fully booked. Well, let’s hope that someone who reserved a seat will not show up or cancels their reservation last minute.

The stops on this route are Tokyo-Ueno-Omiya-Morioka-Aomori and the best plan in this situation is to stand in the little hallway next to the train door until Omiya and then look for empty seats, as it takes 1 hour 48 minutes until the train stops again in Morioka. And we were lucky - there were two seats waiting for me and my friend just after leaving the station and nobody claimed them even in Morioka. To what we imagined being a couple who had these seats booked but overslept - Thank you! :D

Arriving at Shin-Aomori Station we had about an hour until our next train. To make the best out of this one we gave ourselves one and only mission – get some Apple Pie. Aomori is famous for its delicious apples. Even though buying and eating just apples might’ve been a healthier option, a warm apple pie on a cold day seemed much more attractive. As there was no time to waste, we took a taxi from the station to a café in the city center that is well known for its apple pie – Akai Ringo. At 10:30 we were the first people here and ordered an apple pie each and two more cakes to share, along with warm cafe latte. The reputation of this place did not disappoint and the sweet apple pie was an amazing beginning to our Aomori journey.

We then walked through the town back to the station to make back just in time for the next train that took us to Hirosaki. As once again we only had about an hour until the next train, we did not get to see the beautiful Hiorsaki Castle but we discovered a small, very local café open nearby the station, The name “TOP” was fitting as it was our top option at that time, pun intended. We did not have enough time to get lunch, but the melon cream Soda was delicious!

And now we’re finally on our last train which took us to the Kuroishi station. We were quite hungry at this point, but as the café we were planning to visit was closed despite showing it is open on google maps, we opted for the local convenience store. One warm curry bread and nikuman (pork meat bun) later we were now happy and headed to the bus station. There were only a few people waiting for the bus - some locals and some obviously tourists, probably going to the same place as we were.

As we got off at the last stop - Itadome - there was a shuttle bus was already waiting for us. They confirmed our names and had us fill a short registration form as we sat down in the bus and we were on our way. As the bus was making its way up the mountain, there was more and more snow around us, making it look like a true winter paradise. During the Winter months, guests are not allowed to drive up to the ryokan in their own cars, as the road gets quite narrow due tot he snow and it could be quite dangerous should two cars meet on the road. After about a 20 minute ride we have arrived at our accommodation for the night - Aoni Onsen, Lamp no Yado!

No wifi, no cell phone service, no electric outlets.. but yes four onsens

We got off the bus and were guided through the sliding front doors and inside the genkan entrance area. Here we took off our shoes and slipped on the plastic slippers prepared for us. There was about 10 of us checking in at this time, people were mostly traveling in pairs or alone. We all stood around a kerosene heater in the reception lobby and the staff welcomed us and gave us the all the basic information we would need about the accommodation, dinner and breakfast times and the time the shuttle bus will be leaving the next morning.

After the welcome speech we were handed our room key and guided to our room, which was not in the main building. We walked down a long hallway lined by lanterns, passing by two of the four onsens we would be able to visit anytime during our stay. From the main building which we exited through the back door, we went outside, walked past a small shrine covered in snow, crossed over a bridge and arrived at a small wooden house - this is where we would find our room. There were four rooms in this building in total and it was quite cold when we first walked in. The heater in hallway did not seem to be helping too much. Finally, we arrived at our cozy Japanese-style room and sat down on cushions. The small tatami room had its own heater which after a while warmed the space up nicely. It was quite a journey to get here so we rested for a while, enjoying the view of the snow scenery outside the window, sipping on warm green tea and enjoying the silence.

Because the oil heaters release carbon monoxide we were warned to ventilate the room at all times possible, leaving the sliding door to the hallway a little bit. Well, if that is all it takes for us not to die, we were glad to do it. We could also ventilate by opening the window, but it would get quite cold quite fast and the condensation on the window could freeze quite quickly. I have read a few reviews that mentioned that the smell of the heaters made people feel unwell or dizzy, so this might be something to keep in mind in case you are sensitive to smells.

As for the sleeping arrangements, there are futon mattresses, covers, pillows and sheets waiting for you in the closet. You do have to lay out the futons on your own, but there is a manual on how to do it ready in the room.

After enjoying some time in the room, relaxing in the onsen and taking pictures of the wonderful snow-covered , it was time for dinner. The staff showed us to our assigned seats in a large dining room with tatami floors. We sat down on cushions at a small table, but there were also small chairs available for older guests who might have trouble sitting on the floor. The room was dimly lit by the

oil lamps, everyone was speaking quietly and the atmosphere was calm and cozy.

In the middle of the room was a huge pot of miso soup and two large pots of rice for everyone to share. Each guest also had a grilled fish waiting for them on a stick, warming up over red hot coals.

There was an option to order additional drinks, so of course we went for a delicious cold beer.. After a while what seemed to be the chef walked into the room and gave us the explanation of the food in the most amazing Aomori accent. I did not understand everything he was saying, but laughed when everyone else did and enjoyed it nonetheless. In traditional ryokan dinner style, there was a large number of various dishes - vegetables, pickles, beans, meat and fish in smaller bowls and one larger dish which we warmed up over candles on the table.

I hope it was not a a ghost

After dinner, we made our way back to the room. It was completely dark and even though we could not see the stars due to it being cloudy, the area was beautifully lit up while the snowfall made for an amazing winter show. Back in the room, with no wifi or cell phone signal, we chatted a little bit and just enjoyed the atmosphere.

That was when I decided that I would like to have a dip in the warm onsen one more time before going to sleep. There were four onsens in total – one in a separate building next to ours, an open air bath about 20-second walk from our room, and two baths with large windows overlooking the scenery in the main building. I made my way to the closest onsen house to our room and there was only one older lady there besides me and she got out shortly after I got in. After a few minutes passed with me relaxing alone in the hot water and thinking about whether or not it would be safe here for a solo female traveller, there was suddenly loud “BANG!!..TONK..TOnk..tonk…..tonk”. My heart almost flew out of my chest. As I looked around I noticed that it was one of the buckets that is used to wash off after getting out of the onsen that fell off its shelf on hit the stone floor and was now rolling away. I was pretty sure it was because the lady who got out right after I got in left it a bit on the edge, but I no longer felt relaxed and decided to get out. As I was getting dressed in the room just outside the onsen, I thought I heard a noise as if someone was getting in the water. Well, that’s enough adventuring for one day and I made my was back to the room.

I fell asleep quickly. Maybe because I was tired from the full day of travel, maybe because I did not scroll endlessly through instagram before sleeping as I usually would. I guess no blue light before going to bed does increase the quality of your sleep. There was something so comforting about being away from ..everything. No matter what is happening now, I cannot be reached. I will have to deal with it once I get back into civilization, but right now, there is nothing I can do. So there is no use about thinking about it or worrying. The silence allowed me to be alone with my thoughts and I fell into a deep dreamless sleep.

I woke up early the next morning, too early, perhaps, as it was still dark. I was eager to take more photos of the area.  As the sky started turning from black to dark blue, getting lighter every minute I walked outside. Finally taking out my camera and snapping some photos, I took this chance when no one was in the outside onsen yet to take a picture or it. Here I have to say a big thank you to my IPhone cover from the brand holdit (Not sponsored lol). I wanted to take a photo of me standing next to the onsen and placed my phone on one of the wooden beams along the entrance. Just as I reached my position, the phone fell down from about two meters height and hit the concrete floor below. I was sure it was all over but luckily – it survived! This trip is really putting pressure on my heart.

The breakfast was delicious, once again completed with various dishes including warm rice, two types of fish, lots of beans and veggies and warm tea. There was also soup-type dish which we warmed up above a candle and when it was boiling we cracked an egg into it. (There was a manual for how to do this correctly in the room as well, which we read before going to breakfast – we were prepared!)

It was now time to say goodbye to Aoni Onsen and head to our next destination - Akita. Overall impression? I would definitely love to visit again and would recommend this place to anyone who does not mind a bit of inconvenience and is looking to experience something a little bit different. Also great for digital detox.

By the way - I know about two more “Lamp no Yado” - Lamp Ryokan’s. One is Takamine Onsen in Nagano where I have been twice already and will write about soon. Another one is on Noto Peninsula, which was affected by the large earthquake on January 1st 2024. I do hope to visit here as well.

Well, that is all from me for now, I will be writing again soon.

Wishing everyone a great day :)

JR East Pass: https://www.jreast.co.jp/multi/en/pass/eastpass_t.html

Aoni Onsen Lamp no Yado: https://www.aoninet.com/sp/sp_en/sp_en.html