Aji No Yado Kikuta

The first trip was ruined, and I won't stay here again. The building's exterior looks its age, but the service was the bigger problem. An elderly woman took our luggage without asking, and when we said no, she insisted it was her job and forcibly took it. It wasn't even our luggage, and service doesn't make that okay. The room tap water was pure saltwater, and we were told the water would be shut off if we used too much, so we tried to conserve it despite it being salty. That's unbelievable for a ryokan. All the drinks in the fridge were expired. When we raised it, they insisted they weren't, and only agreed after we showed them the drinks. It seemed nobody checked the fridge. We refused room service for laying out the futon, but they came in and did it anyway. We also declined an explanation of the room, but they barged in regardless. The simmered sea bream looked nothing like the picture and was so small it took two bites to finish. There was a hair in the food. When I pointed it out, they just picked it out and threw it away without apologizing. The front desk, room service, and food were all terrible.

Breakfast was the bright spot: I only ordered that meal, but the portions were generous and everything was delicious. Check-in, though, took a long time because nobody was at the front desk. The room lock looked like something from a Showa-era storeroom, and seemed like it might open if you slipped paper into the gap. There was no safe for valuables, which left me worried about security.

The food is delicious, as you'd expect from the birthplace of simmered golden-eyed snapper, and the baths and Japanese-style rooms are great too. With children, I think a futon at a ryokan is best, though many places these days have renovated to put in beds. Here, Nakai-san will show you to your room in the way of a good old ryokan. It's a little way from the sea, but there's a convenience store nearby, and MaxValu has good sashimi if you're not having dinner. The place isn't very crowded, so small imperfections can stand out, but they're nothing to worry over. If you want every comfort, another luxury ryokan will cost twice as much.

The facilities are old, but clean, and Nakai-san looked after us well. I thought it was a good stay overall. A few things could be better: there were no slippers or safe, and all the towels and toothbrushes were the same color, so it could be hard to tell whose was whose. There was just one room key, too, which makes it hard for men and women to meet up when the baths are on separate floors. The golden eye shabu-shabu and simmered fish are served for three people.