Horieya Ryokan

Iizaka is a lovely place, and the ryokans are all around here. It’s easy to reach by public transport. The baths are hot!

It’s right in the middle of town, so you can walk to several places. The food came as a lovely presentation of assorted dishes, and the owner was friendly. He even gave us a private shamisen performance and let us touch the precious instrument. The onsen is in the bathroom and you can use it alone, which is nice if you don’t like bathing naked with other people. It has a warm, homestay kind of feeling, so I’d choose this over a hotel.

The inn is about 140 years old, so the building itself is old, but the food and the hot spring water are really good. There aren’t shower facilities. Still, that wasn’t too inconvenient because spring water flows from the source around the clock, and you can use it to wash your body and hair. If the young master isn’t too busy at dinner, he plays the shamisen right in front of you. One night with two meals costs 8,150 yen per person from spring through fall, and 8,650 yen in winter.

A nice, warm place to stay, with a friendly host who can teach you to play the shamisen, a Japanese three-string instrument. You can sing and dance with them too. Dinner and breakfast were healthy and delicious, with generous portions.