Hitoyoshi Onsen Ichifuji Ryokan

The hot spring itself was the best part for me. The water was good and just the right temperature, and the cypress frame around the indoor bath smelled lovely. I was satisfied with that, but I'm not sure I'd stay here again. I hope they improve the food and service, because a lot of the things that went wrong seem easy to fix. I had emailed two questions in advance and got no reply. They didn't bring them up at check-in either, so I asked during the explanation. We also booked dinner for 7 PM, but at the explanation they only offered 6 or 6:30. I'd told my husband I might be hungry, and he said, "Okay, let's make it 7 PM." We have the latest Voxy, but searching the phone number in its navigation took us somewhere completely different. We had to paste the address into Google and navigate from there. There was no meet-and-greet, and the parking lot was gravel, so using a carry-on was a mistake. It needs to be small and light enough to carry. They carried ours to the room, but it had no handles and had to be pushed and rolled. When they showed us the room, they realized they'd forgotten the key and went to get it. There weren't any hangers with clips, so I had trouble hanging my pants and skirt for the next day. After my bath, there was no foot mat, so I put down a face towel. I called to ask, and they asked if we had two blue mats. They said they did, but had left them behind. Later I heard a small window open and they brought the mats. Then the phone rang; they told me the mats had arrived, which felt like an unnecessary interruption while we were trying to relax. Dinner came in two shifts. I travel 15 or 16 times a year and was surprised by all these new experiences. Everything was delicious except for the tuna sashimi, the fillet, and the miso balls at breakfast. The fillet was cooked Chinese-style, oily, and too strongly flavored for me. My husband runs a restaurant specializing in beef, and he wondered whether it was fillet.

I stayed in summer, and the spacious Japanese-Western-style room with its open-air stone bath felt luxurious. The inn was full of hospitality, and the food was delicious. The sweetfish dishes especially stuck with me, and I'd love to eat them again. I'd like to come back.

The free-flowing indoor and outdoor baths in the room were amazing. We had a pleasant stay, with polite service throughout. More than anything, the landlady's thoughtful, courteous service really touched me.

I really like the entrance miniature garden, the garden design, and, of course, the hot springs. The proprietress has put together a wonderful wine list, and I appreciate how the menu takes dietary restrictions into account. Smoking is allowed in the guest room gardens, so if you want to avoid it, choosing a room at the end of the row may reduce the risk. At night, some equipment makes a low-frequency noise that ordinary earplugs won't block. You'll need powerful earplugs or headphones.