Ikonaso

There are only 13 rooms, so it was easy to take things slowly and relax. We booked on a weekday afternoon. The big public bath, the free private bath, and the bath in our room all used hot spring water, and it had a lovely silky feel. Dinner was Japanese kaiseki, tasty and just the right amount. The staff were pleasant, and the price was reasonable. I’d recommend it.

For the price, the hot spring options are great: natural spring water in the room bath, two free private baths, and a public bath, though it isn’t very big. The food is nicely presented and carefully made, and the head chef is very skilled. It tastes good and there’s plenty of it, although I do wonder whether the sashimi matches the price. The private bath has been renovated and is comfortable; updating the toilets too would help. There’s a DVD player in the room but no DVDs. Since the rooms have Wi-Fi, it would be nice to be able to watch YouTube or similar. The lobby TV seems unnecessary to me, as no one watches it when I’m there, though staff sometimes do. And do they need to keep so many manga books? Most guests seem to be seniors. For all the value, I don’t want to dwell on the negatives. It’s a good inn for relaxing and enjoying a hot spring stay.

All the staff were friendly and smiling, and the changing room at the public bath was very clean after its renovation. The bath itself is small, with room for only about 4-5 people. Our room was clean too, though only partly renovated, and the new air conditioner above the bed made quite a bit of noise at night. It’s an old-fashioned place where you take off your shoes at the entrance and switch to slippers. The building is old and has low door frames. Our guest room had two semi-double beds, a Japanese-style room, a sauna, a cypress indoor bath, and an open-air bath with free-flowing spring water. Filling the bath took around 40 minutes, then the 60-degree water needed another 20 minutes before it was ready to use. Dinner was served in the room on tatami, without chairs, which could be hard for people with mobility issues. The meal was pretty ordinary, and without the seafood deluxe course it might have felt underwhelming. Breakfast in the dining area was satisfying.

The private bath was free, the amenities were good, and the food was delicious. It’s a gentle hot spring at Izunagaoka Onsen, and even Ikokakuso’s indoor bath uses spring water. The view from our room wasn’t great, though, since the window looked out onto a private house.