Tsubakikan

The baths were very well maintained. From the schedule, it looked like they were cleaned twice daily. I skipped the sauna but enjoyed both the indoor and outdoor baths. Staff were extremely accommodating despite the language barrier, perhaps so much that I felt bad for the extra effort. We had a guest who didn’t eat seafood, and they insisted on making him a custom meal even after we said we’d eat out instead. The room was nice and the AC worked great. It’s somewhat out of the way, with infrequent trains, and the town was very quiet when we visited in the off season. The local shrine seemed nearly abandoned. If you want to do things besides use the baths, you’ll need to take the train to a nearby town. I’d still recommend staying here for a night or two.

It was lovely to have the option of a private bath, which needs to be booked in advance and is available for one hour. It’s a cozy spot for a peaceful soak if you’d rather avoid the public bath for personal reasons, and the thermal water was very good. This wonderful ryokan is in a quiet area about 20 minutes from Aomori. The staff were so kind, and the welcome tea and sweets were mesmerizing. Breakfast was delicious, and a kind woman sometimes helped me when I wasn’t sure how to eat a dish. Special thanks to the friendly cleaning staff too, they do a fantastic job. Thank you for such a lovely stay!

This traditional inn has futons on tatami mats, and the big bathing area has both indoor and outdoor baths that are very relaxing. The staff are friendly and do their best to accommodate your needs. If you don’t speak Japanese, they have basic translation tools on site to help. I’d highly recommend staying here.

We stayed at two ryokan in this area and both of us loved this one. Tsubakikan may not have an ocean view from its onsen, and it isn’t the most modern-looking ryokan, but it offers a lot. The water is plentiful, not as strong or acidic as at some places, and our skin felt noticeably softer after bathing, especially my face. The place was very clean in every little detail. There’s an indoor bath, an outdoor bath, and a sauna. Since there isn’t much to eat nearby, we reserved dinner. It was better than we expected, cheap and good. After breakfast, they also offered us a very nice cup of coffee and apple juice for free. The ryokan gave us a ride to the nearby station, too. Everything felt perfect, and the thoughtful owner and staff were the best part. No wonder this family-run hotel has been doing well for 400 years. Their hospitality really does run in the family. A famous artist used to stay here often, though I’m not very artistic, so I won’t embarrass myself by saying more. The emperor of Japan from the Meiji generation stayed here about 100 years before my visit while visiting the Tokoku area.