Ryokan Sakurayu

I came for a holiday and had breakfast at the hotel. Everything else was great, though I wish someone had explained the hot bath a little better: you need to add some water yourself to get the temperature right. The hotel was clean, lovely, and comfortable, and breakfast tasted great. The maids were welcoming too. Most of all, the hot spring water lived up to its reputation and left my skin feeling smooth and wonderful. I’d definitely come back if I get the chance.

The hot springs really eased my travel fatigue and warmed me from the inside. I could feel their effect. The inn has a charming Showa-era feel, and the oddly carved pillars in the lobby are a wonderful feature I’ve never seen before. I also loved the wooden chandelier. It was all kept clean and inviting. The food was surprisingly delicious, no offense intended, and the waitress was incredibly friendly and charming. Her warmth reminded me of the kindness of Yamagata residents, and she comforted me as a solo traveler. This is a place to experience the Showa era. Highly recommended!

I stayed one night with breakfast on a Wednesday. From the shoes in the entrance locker, it looked like there were only two guests, me included. The inn seems to be run by an elderly man and a young couple. My six-tatami room had a toilet and sink but no bath, which was fine since there was a hot spring. The spring water smelled sulfurous and came straight from the source, but it was incredibly hot. There’s a tap at the far end of the tub. Turning it on full and stirring the water while getting in made the temperature manageable. The place retains the feel of its distant past, for better or worse. I was concerned by how few guests there were.

2024.07.08 My silver wedding anniversary is just a week away, a major occasion for the year, maybe my whole life, and I’m grateful to my family for letting me keep up my solo travel hobby. For my sixth solo trip, I took a very slow July journey around Michinoku and went to see my beloved neighbor, Yamagata. Higashine was about an hour away by car, even though it’s in another prefecture, since it borders Sendai. The rainy, cloudy skies against the better weather made for a season of lovely hydrangeas. I enjoyed looking at hydrangeas, hollyhocks, and early sunflowers along the quiet roads and by the houses I passed. My stay was at Sakuranbo Higashine Onsen "Sakurayu." I’d stayed nearby before. The hot spring town sits in a residential area, so it doesn’t quite have the charm I’m looking for when I travel to get close to nature. Business travelers also seem to make up a fair share of the demand. I often look for places on Jalan, and I’d noticed the good reviews even when there weren’t many. Now that the review count has grown, the inn has a 4.7 rating, which is unusual for a hotel. It reminds me of a baseball “hidden leading hitter” who suddenly qualifies after getting enough at-bats. If you use low review counts to guide your choice, have a look at Rakuten Travel too. Its ratings are almost one point different from Jalan’s. I got there about half an hour before my scheduled time and was welcomed at the compact lobby and front desk. The entrance was beautifully arranged. Best of all, the receptionist who greeted me was beautiful, and her eyes narrowed when she smiled. Not every front desk worker can do that. I work at the front desk of a hot spring inn myself and make these inn visits on my days off to learn from others, so I found that worth learning from. The building isn’t new, but the key areas are clean, so it doesn’t feel rustic. From the room’s veranda, I could enjoy the cherry blossoms painted on the roof and the rain of the rainy season beating against it. Noise from people passing in the corridor could be heard inside, but there were few other guests that day, so it didn’t bother me much. How much the noise matters seems to depend on the circumstances. I’d been looking forward to the indoor baths, one each for men and women. The water is a sodium chloride bicarbonate hot spring, one of only a handful in Miyagi. Its faint sulfur smell was soothing, and I liked the distinctive amber color. But it was hot. Many people would struggle to stay in without adding water. People poured water over themselves thoroughly, bathed halfway, and only then eased into a full bath. After doing that, you start to get used to this kind of bathing. Dinner was one reason for the good reviews, and I was satisfied with both the quality and amount. The beef teppanyaki let me enjoy the natural sweetness of the ingredients, vegetables included. The bonito sashimi color concerned me a little, and I might have passed it over if I’d been shopping for it myself, but overall there was nothing especially flawless about the meal. I’d chosen a plan without breakfast, so I planned to enjoy a morning bath and one last soak before checking out.