Ryokan Kintow

The Meiji emperor stayed here.

I was here for two nights on a business trip, and the newly renovated room was very clean. I had both dinner and breakfast. The dishes were prepared ahead, and all the side dishes tasted good. There were lots of things that went well with rice, so I ended up getting seconds. The public bath is small, but there weren’t many people, so it was fine. Maybe I went at the wrong time, but the water was too hot for me to stay in long. There was a tap, though, so I could adjust the temperature with cold water. Between the ryokan-style hospitality and the good value, I’d definitely stay again.

I’d seen this place on YouTube and wanted to try it, so I came alone, hoping to work, relax, enjoy a good meal, and take a bath. The whole hotel was clean and comfortable, and I liked the room. The tatami mats on the bed were especially useful for making space, since I tend to leave my luggage spread around. As other people have said, the food was delicious. The women’s bath was incredibly small, though, about the size of a ryokan family bath, with only two washing spots. I had to crouch into a gap of about 40 centimeters to wash. It was okay at first when I was alone, but then a stranger came in and sprayed shower water onto my back. It felt gross, and I couldn’t relax, so I got out quickly. Bathing is an important time for women. Unless they limit how long each group can use the bath or let me lock it, I don’t think I’ll return.

I found this 200-year-old inn while attending a training session for the Kiso Yoshinaka Historical Society. It seems proud of its cuisine, and it sits in a post town on the Nakasendo road. The road is apparently being widened now. Asphalted areas seem to be treated as roads, which leads to illegal parking. The inn’s lot is on the west side and has space for a lot of cars. We were a group of 11, including two women. A couple shared a 6-tatami Japanese-style room, three men had an 8-tatami room, five men shared a 12-tatami room, and one woman had a single room. The inn has just been renovated and is meticulously clean in every corner. We had a small dinner gathering in the first-floor dining room, but I’d forgotten my smartphone and couldn’t take pictures. The food was excellent, especially the salted squid. Maybe because it was sun-dried, the squid and its guts had a concentrated texture and flavor, and it was incredibly tasty. The sashimi pieces were small, but the ingredients were carefully chosen and delicious. The tempura was crisp and not greasy, perhaps fried in rice oil. The lightly seasoned miso soup had a strong dashi flavor and was delicious. I also couldn’t share a photo of dinner. I did get a picture of breakfast, though. The main was fresh mackerel fillets without a fishy smell, and the miso soup was a light pork miso soup. I was honestly surprised that booking one night with two meals on the website cost only a little over 9,000 yen, given how good the food was. Rice and miso soup refills are free, too. I’ve found a new favorite place to stay. The bath is heated and available 24 hours a day. One downside is that the walls between rooms aren’t great. Maybe we were talking too loudly, because someone gently told us, “You were out late.” The men’s bath has four shower spots, but water sprays in from the next one. The women’s bath is even tighter, with only two. A bath is a good way to unwind on a trip, and there needs to be enough open space to relax. I can’t help thinking they should have made a larger bathroom in the new wing during the renovation. I also think they should have provided two single rooms.