Hotel Gyokusen

The tattoo policy at the onsen was the worst part for us. There were huge signs, even diagrams marking tiny star tattoos as unwelcome. It felt outdated and obnoxious. We’ll gladly spend our money at Kinosaki or somewhere else with better everything. The service was also below par. There was no help carrying luggage, and for a 35-person banquet kaiseki, Gyokusen had just one server looking after our group. She was stretched so thin that we had to help ourselves with nearly everything. The food was average at best: the miso soup was cold, and the pork in the yakiniku was cut so thick it stayed raw before the burner fuel ran out. This is a large hotel with an onsen and tatami rooms, not a ryokan. The tatami rooms are small, somewhat run down, and short on standard Japanese hotel amenities. What few little amenities they provide are garbage. I don’t recommend it. The only good reviews seem to be from years ago or from foreigners who may not have stayed at a good ryokan.

The public onsen doesn’t allow tattoos, though tattoos are okay in private onsens, which cost ¥3,000 per hour. Posters repeating the ban sit in the changing area beside pictures of happy families. It feels very behind the times. My tattooed partner couldn’t use the onsen, but was still charged the ¥150 onsen tax at checkout. Otherwise, it’s a good onsen hotel, with excellent facilities, attentive staff, and an especially impressive breakfast buffet.

The hot spring area is spacious and comfortable, and after a soak you can watch a traditional performance at 21:00. There’s also a shuttle bus from the train station, which is really convenient. The counter staff were lovely and gave us lots of tourist information.

The Japanese garden is lovely, and the rooms are large. The onsen itself was very nice, and it was clean and well run. Breakfast had lots of tasty options. They didn’t serve dinner, but the nearby sushi restaurant was excellent.