Taikanso Senami No yu

We stayed one night in late February as a group of four. The room was spacious, reasonably priced, and had a gorgeous sea view. Check-in went smoothly, though it helped that one person in our group spoke Japanese. The onsen felt luxurious, with lots of amenities, including a shampoo bar by the showers if you prefer not to use horse oil products. Outside, there's a foot onsen facing the sea. Driving yourself is easier, but the ryokan can arrange transport from the nearest train station if you let them know ahead of time. There aren't many restaurants nearby if you don't want to eat at the ryokan, so we drove to Murakami for dinner. Breakfast was delicious. It was a wonderful stay, and I hope to return.

The rooms and food were good, and the hotel itself was nice. Although there don't seem to be many foreign visitors at first glance, the front desk speaks English. The round hot spring baths on the balcony can fit two people, even though the description says they're for one.

Our room's private open-air bath was on a deck four stories up, with a great ocean view and a roll-up privacy screen. Sitting there in a hot, aromatic bath with the sea breeze was lovely. The resort is directly on the beach and has large onsen baths separated for men and women; you can also book a room with your own outdoor bath. Rooms come with Yakata robes for both men and women, which you wear around the resort and to the included breakfast and dinner.

The hotel is older, but clean. The large onsen has a spectacular view over the beach. The nearby beach, about 30 meters away, is clean and nice but rocky, so bring slippers. I strongly recommend the Japanese dinner served in your room. It was one of the best Japanese-style dinners I've had on my visits to Japan.