Toyofuku

I chose their Ryokan for the experience, and it delivered what I was looking for. The place is simple, with a shared bathroom, which I expected. The service was kind and understanding. It can be a little hard to find if you can’t read Japanese, since there’s no English sign out front.

I found this affordable place near Shin-Kobe Station while looking for a stay that included two meals. My room had 5.5 tatami mats, and the bathroom and toilet were shared. They supplied towels, bath towels, a yukata, and toothbrushes. The men’s and women’s bathrooms are separate and fit about three people, which could be fun for families. Dinner was a mini-kaiseki. It felt a bit too mini and not quite enough, but I picked that plan myself, so I can’t complain. I’m not sure about parking.

On business trips, I like choosing somewhere that indulges my own taste. Our house is being rebuilt, and at my wife’s insistence we now have Western-style rooms, white walls, a sofa, and a bed, with no Japanese elements at all. We call it the “house with the hallway,” though we spend our time lounging on the floor, where tatami would suit us better. So I search Google Maps for inns with tatami, plaster walls, cushions, and futons. Toyofuku gave me the Japanese atmosphere I was after, and I thoroughly enjoyed my stay there. It’s definitely not new, and it may disappoint people who expect everything to be just right. If you want a new, clean, perfect place, I wouldn’t recommend it. But for reasonable prices, nostalgia, and a bit of tolerance, it’s a good inn. You can feel the fading Showa era there. I recommend it if you can take a positive view, though if you tend to see things negatively, maybe skip this review (lol).

I stopped by for a late lunch, not an overnight stay. The fried oyster set meal and oyster rice bowl were tasty too, but since it was a cold day, I had the warm oyster and pearl barley soba. So good. You can also use the place like an izakaya at night.