Yuyado Iwafuji

We went during Golden Week, and the inn was clean. The massage chair in the living room, welcome coffee, and delicious ice cream in the room were all nice touches. After dinner, they offer a ride to the Yubatake from 9:00 to 9:30 PM. We loved dinner. We’ve never had a better meal at a ryokan, or at least it may be the best one we’ve had. The lean tuna with wasabi and salt and the freshly fried wild vegetable tempura were especially good. We also enjoyed hearing the owner explain the dishes and chatting with the other guests. I’d recommend the experience for couples, though it may not suit people who like to eat at their own pace or larger groups. Thank you for looking after us.

[For Pregnant Women and Those Who Want to Enjoy a Meal] This was the first trip where I’ve felt this sad. I was pregnant when I booked and wrote in the comments that I couldn’t eat raw foods such as sashimi, along with the type of hot pot I wanted. I repeated this when they asked about allergies at check-in around 3:30 PM. They said they’d switch the celebratory drink to juice, which reassured me. Then dinner began around 6 PM, and raw salmon arrived as an appetizer. The elderly chef served it to us himself. He clearly took pride in his ingredients and cooking, but when I said I couldn’t eat salmon because I was pregnant, he replied, “You can eat it even when you're pregnant, pregnant women used to eat sushi all the time, if you're worried about it, don't eat it.” That was exactly how he put it. I’d paid a lot and had told them in advance because I wanted to enjoy the meal, so his response was deeply disappointing. He then asked other guests things like, “You ate sushi when you were pregnant, didn't you?” and “Being pregnant isn't a disease.” By then I desperately wanted to stop eating and go back to our room. The chef told my husband, “Husband, it's inconvenient when you suddenly show up and then tell us you're pregnant.” Those were his exact words. I said I had informed them when booking and at check-in, and he suddenly walked away, apparently to check something. I had also put my hot pot request in the same booking comments, and that had been communicated correctly, so I believe this was the inn’s mistake. When he returned, they brought something that seemed like a last-minute substitute, perhaps duck, instead of sashimi. I couldn’t stop crying after that, and the rest of the meal was painful. The inn never apologized. Later they said pregnant women stay there and that they have a plan for pregnant guests, but I couldn’t find any such plan when I booked or when I wrote this review. It’s frustrating to think that even carefully prepared food can be ruined by the attitude of the person serving it. They also said the bath was open 24 hours, but in the morning it was so cold it felt like a cold bath, and I couldn’t get in. I’ll never go back. It was still a valuable lesson in how much poor customer service can hurt, and it made me appreciate my husband’s kindness. I’m grateful to everyone who treated me well.

We booked this as a small birthday luxury for my wife. I gave it five stars so the review would be seen higher up, but honestly it would probably be a one or two. I keep wondering what hospitality is supposed to mean. When we arrived, nobody smiled or greeted us. They showed us to the room, gave a quick explanation, and told us not to be late because everyone eats dinner together. At dinner, it was only my wife and me, sitting at the counter right in front of the chef. His explanations went on and on, and I found them tiring. I understand serving each dish separately, but having to listen to an explanation and instructions for how to eat every single one was too much. On a trip, I want to eat at my own pace and in my own way. After dinner, I found a “menu” from the previous night’s guests in the pocket of my tea leaf woven bag. Do they not wash or dry clean these between guests? I can’t believe they’d give someone something another guest had used. Back in the room, I was told to drink from the tap if the bottled water ran out. I was surprised they seemed to expect guests to drink tap water. There was also the corkage fee. I’d brought the shochu I usually drink for dinner and agreed when the landlady said there would be an extra charge. The owner explained that it would be twice what I’d paid for it. I bought it by weight from Kame for 1,700 yen per 1 sho, but I wasn’t bringing a whole sho on the trip, so I transferred some into a 500ml plastic bottle. My calculation was 1800mL ÷ 500mL = 3.6, ¥1,700 ÷ 3.6 = ¥472, then ¥472 x 2 = ¥944, rounded to the nearest yen. Instead, they charged ¥1,700 plus tax, or ¥1,870. I was shocked to be charged ¥926 more than I expected and wondered if the owner could do the math. I brought my favorite shochu, so I’d have accepted ¥1,870 for that size if they’d said so upfront. But they said twice the purchase price, and I hadn’t brought a full 1 sho, so the amount didn’t make sense. When we paid and were leaving, I expected some hospitality, even just a farewell, especially since we were the only group staying there. The reviews I’d seen were generally positive, so I’m sharing this in the hope that people considering the hotel can get a clearer picture and have a good trip.

I spent one night here for a two-day reset, and the open-air bath attached to my room made it feel really luxurious. The building is old, though the inside was beautiful. It’s about a 10-minute drive from the Yubatake. The food was the best part, delicious, but the servings are so big that some women might find it too much. Next time I’ll arrive hungry 😊