poi T.
I’ve stayed in many ryokans, and this was easily the worst. Service, hygiene, and staff training all fell short of what I expect from a traditional inn. I won’t return. At the entrance, we took off our shoes and immediately faced a step and stairs. We had several heavy bags and small children with us, but no one offered help. Apart from a basic greeting, there was very little consideration for guests. The guest rooms looked decent, perhaps because they’d been renovated, but they were cramped. The toilet felt especially claustrophobic, with a wall right in front of the seat. It was smaller than the one in my rented apartment. The women’s public bath was oddly placed beside the entrance and was tiny. Three people nearly filled it, and there were only two washing stations. It felt like an afterthought, not a proper ryokan bath. The food and how it was served were the biggest issues. The glasses had obvious water marks, which made me question the hygiene. Worse, two of the three servers picked up the soup bowls from above with their bare hands. I’m no expert in manners, but that seemed completely inappropriate for Japanese food and unacceptable on both hygiene and etiquette grounds. Dinner was meant to start for everyone at 6:00 PM, but service slowed halfway through, and the rice didn’t arrive until about 7:45 PM. We were told to ring a bell when we finished, which we did around 7:55 PM. Then dessert arrived with the instruction, “We close at 8:00 PM, so please eat quickly.” They rushed us instead of letting us eat at our own pace. There was no sense of hospitality. For the price, the experience wasn’t worth it and didn’t meet even the basic standards I’d expect of a ryokan. If you expect good service, don’t stay here.
