Ryokan Aoba

Aoba is a quiet, quaint little hot spring hotel in Iizaka, Fukushima city, with fewer than ten rooms. It’s peaceful, and the meals are brought to your room, so you can eat in private. There are lots of dishes at both breakfast and dinner, and you’ll probably be full. The hotel has one outdoor bath and two indoor ones. Guests don’t pay extra to have a bath to themselves: if it’s free, just lock the door from inside. It’s about a ten-minute walk from the nearest station. I really love this place.

All the baths are private, which made them comfortable to use, and there’s a beautiful outdoor bath where complimentary sake is served. The rooms were comfortable too. There’s no front desk, so everything, including payment, is handled in your room. Dinner and breakfast both arrived there as well, made up of many small dishes. The food was delicious and balanced, with lots of vegetables picked by the staff from the inn’s garden. Dinner also included Yamagata beef. The inn takes infection control seriously: the walls are made of material that repels bacteria and viruses, and air purifiers are placed throughout. The staff were very kind. I came for the meals and left impressed by every part of the stay. I’d definitely return.

I booked in January and visited in March, reserving the special room in the annex. The room had its own hot spring and open-air bath, which was wonderful. Being able to bathe whenever I wanted gave me real peace of mind. I went three times: after check-in, before dinner, and again afterward. I’ve stayed at more than 100 inns and hotels in Japan, and this was one of the most satisfying. The food was delicious, and you could feel the proprietress and senior proprietress’s care in the dishes. The staff were easy to talk to and approachable, so I felt comfortable from beginning to end. My wife loves traveling as much as I do and was very happy too. We’ll visit again.

I booked after seeing the long row of small dishes on the dinner menu on social media. I stayed in a room in Hagi. It was snowing when I got off at Iikura Onsen Station, and I enjoyed walking around Kawagoe and looking at its old Edo-style buildings. There were several hot springs and foot baths, so it seemed like a nice area to explore. There’s no lobby or reception desk at the inn; the waitresses explained everything. It has three baths: an open-air one surrounded by a grand pine tree, where sake is complimentary, and two rock baths. Both rock baths ran quite hot, so I added water myself. Since it’s cold outside, I wouldn’t want to stand around naked, so I’d check the temperature first. The dinner menu had a lot of variety. I expected mostly mountain vegetables, but there was quite a bit of meat and fish too. Many dishes had a strong pickled flavor, which made me want some plain rice. Near the end, sea bream rice came with the hot pot. Several dishes used apples, as you’d expect in Tohoku. It was bitterly cold, but the room was warm with the air conditioner and heater. At the end of the meal they brought out a pot of barley tea, cold and so delicious that I gulped it down. There was plenty, so I poured some into a plastic bottle for the trip home. It still tasted great on the way, so maybe the barley tea itself is special, or perhaps it’s the water. The green tea was good too. There aren’t entertainment facilities nearby, but I enjoyed the simple pleasure of the building’s atmosphere, the food, and the hot springs. On the way back, they told me about the town, and I left feeling relaxed. I’d like to come back in spring or fall.