Genryu no Yado Hozantei

We stayed two nights at the end of Nov 2025 in Yamafuji (Deluxe room). This was our best onsen ryokan experience so far, after visits to Hakone, Gero Onsen, Yufuin, Beppu, Takayama and Fuji Kawaguchiko. The town is tiny, but we enjoyed getting dessert and coffee. We didn’t try any other onsen because the ones at the ryokan were more than enough. We spent plenty of time enjoying the facilities. The onsen pools were nearly always empty when I went, which makes sense with only 10 rooms. There’s a cold pool beside the regular hot pool, and the scenery from both is beautiful. Maybe it was trying the cold pool, but I caught a cold two days later, so be warned. The pool on the left is usually for men in the afternoon and evening, and I preferred that one. They switch them in the morning. The pool on the right seems smaller. From the pools, it looks like you might be able to see the road down to the ryokan, which made me wonder if people driving by could see the pools. The room was a little dated but clean. It had a futon on tatami, and the pillows were somewhat hard, filled with some kind of grains. There were notices in the cupboard telling guests not to use the extra bedding and pillows. I wish we’d been able to use another blanket or two. It was quite cold that time of year, though the room had a natural gas floor heater, which was also quite cold during that time of year. The room had two private onsens. The indoor square bath has windows that open to the outside, and was usually hotter than the outdoor one. The outdoor bath was quite large, with a great view of streams and several small waterfalls. Its temperature changed through the day, but it never got so hot that we could stay comfortably for a very long time. There was one shower, in the attached indoor onsen. The outdoor bath was the best attached onsen we’ve had in about half a dozen ryokan stays. Looking out at the stream, forest, and waterfalls while listening to the water was wonderful. True to the ryokan’s name, the place is full of water features, ponds, a water wheel, waterfalls, and streams. It’s quite small, with no real lobby. We checked in in our room, filled out a guest form, and were asked to bring it to them during dinner. We met three Taiwanese staff members, Na-san、I-san and Zhang-san, so we could speak Mandarin with them. The other Japanese staff were also very nice and chatted with us in Japanese. The lady owner was friendly too, and would drop by during meals to say hello. I-san served us at both meals over our two days. She was funny and friendly, and told us a lot about the dishes and the surrounding area. We were told that since we stayed two nights in a row, the chef usually prepares special dishes on the first day according to his mood. The presentation, ingredients, food, and portions were out of this world. The second day we were served the same as everyone else, and the difference was clear. We didn’t spend much time in town, which meant more time in our room and enjoying the facilities.