Shin-matsuba Ryokan

You can hear the river and enjoy the views from the inn, which I liked. I tried their well-known round dumplings for dinner along with yakitori I bought nearby. This was my first visit, staying one night without meals. There are five hot springs, each with its own water, though the facilities are very old. If you’re sensitive about hot springs, I’d look elsewhere. I’d still stay here again.

The bath itself was nice, which makes this all the more disappointing. While I was staying at Cherry Blossom Viewing Hotel, a small animal, probably a rat, ate the bento boxes and chocolates I’d left on the table overnight for breakfast. In the photo, you can see it chewed through the plastic containers. The door had been closed, so it seems the animal was already moving around inside the building. When I said I’d return some of the money, the owner offered me 500 yen. I don’t think they meant harm, but I felt the offer showed real disrespect toward people.

I stayed here for my university graduation trip in March 2008. Even then, I remember thinking it was an old ryokan. I was told that the only guests were me and a company trip group, so in other words, there didn’t seem to be anyone except first-time visitors. Reading the comments here makes me wonder whether anything has changed since then. As things stand, I don’t feel like staying again.

I was so uneasy about having to leave in the middle of the night after a one-day stay without meals. The place didn’t seem to have been cleaned at all. The carpet was scorched and still dirty, the futon was yellowed and I didn’t want to sleep on it, and the bathroom and mattress were filthy. On a windy day, the curtains shook and the pressure made the door rattle so badly I couldn’t sleep. There was almost no security, which made it difficult for women to enter. It was unbelievable.