Kirinzan Onsen Ryokan Fukusen

The staff were so kind and helpful, and there was plenty of food. We had a beautiful room looking out over the lake. It was a wonderful stay, and we're already looking forward to returning.

We travel around the Japanese countryside to take stock photos of outdoor locations for our business, so getting to try different ryokan is one of the best parts. Furusawaya, especially the Seseragi room, felt almost magical. It's in a quiet village area of Niigata, with a flawless room, a spectacular view, and a wonderful private onsen bath right in the room. The place lets you feel its 80-plus years of history while staying in a perfectly modern Japanese room. It suited us as a couple looking for peace and a break from everything. There's lovely countryside to walk through, plus a riverside trail that goes up to the next town. We usually pick somewhere new for each trip, but this is one of the rare places we'd seriously consider visiting again.

Getting to Tsugawa is a bit difficult, but Furusawaya makes the trip worthwhile if you want to see rural Japan. The staff were incredibly friendly and flexible with our plans. One even spotted us shopping in town and offered to carry our bags back to the ryokan. We had a beautiful, well-kept room, and the private onsen with the river view was amazing. The food was out of this world. The dinners were the best I had during my two weeks around Japan, all so fresh and unusual. The whole stay was incredible, with a level of service I'd never experienced before.

The food was tasty without being too heavy or strongly flavored, and I was glad to try Aizu horse sashimi with garlic miso. The futon mattress, though, was so thin that I felt like I was lying on the floor, and it was hard to sleep. I chose a second-floor room for its view. Its slim window frame left the scenery open, like a sumi-e painting, and the tea incense burner had a soothing scent. The building has a lovely old-fashioned feel, with plenty to look at, including a corridor with tree stumps arranged like stepping stones and a beautiful tiled sink. Some parts were damaged, but the place was clean and well maintained. The open-air bath at the large communal bath was wonderful. A sign in the changing room explained that water flows in from below so you can hear the river. The bath itself was quiet, and the Agano River's sound came through beautifully. Soaking there made me feel as though I was merging with the river. On the way back, we stopped at the remains of Tsugawa's river port. Its old prosperity is gone, and snow had almost buried what little remains, but it moved me to imagine Isabella Bird standing there and looking out over the majestic Agano River.