Izumiya Ryokan

The room was clean, and there was plenty of food and choice on the menu. I was very satisfied with those parts of the stay. What spoiled the night was finding a small cockroach in the room. I killed it, then saw another in the bathroom when I went to take out the trash. It was really upsetting, and I was scared to go to sleep. I mentioned it the next morning to the person serving breakfast, but they didn't seem particularly concerned, and nobody brought it up when I checked out. I thought it would be helpful to have insect repellent in the room, so I'm leaving this review. Since then, I've bought a portable cockroach spray for myself.

Rooms here aren't cramped, and it's an easy place to unwind. Tawarayama Onsen has the feel of an old Showa-era town, and the inn fits right in. The area grew up as a hot spring resort, so the inns aren't extravagant; people go to the public baths to enjoy the water. Machi no Yu is close by, so that arrangement isn't inconvenient. The food is simple rather than fancy, but good enough.

This isn't a touristy place, and it suited me well as somewhere to slow down. I came alone on a rainy Saturday and stayed one night in a six-tatami Japanese-style room, with two meals of changing daily kaiseki served in the room. The total was ¥12,430 including tax. The meals were warm and delicious, and I could put the tray in the hallway when I was done, so I ate at my own pace. There's no toilet or bath in the room. The toilet is shared, and the town's hot spring is about a minute away on foot. I was a little unsure about sharing a toilet at first, but the place was so clean that it didn't bother me. There's no private parking, though the town lot is a one or two-minute walk away. Maybe because there weren't many guests, they put me apart from the families so I could relax. The rain suited this quiet, nostalgic town. At first the staff seemed a little unfriendly, but they showed quiet consideration. The careful cleaning and fresh flowers in my six-tatami room made the inn feel thoughtful without being flashy. It's an older place and may not suit people with very particular expectations, but I recommend it if that isn't you.

We came by car as a family of three in mid-August, during peak summer and Obon, and chose the exquisite tiger pufferfish course. Izumiya Ryokan is said to be Tawarayama Onsen's oldest inn, with a history going back to the Edo period. Renovations and additions have kept its original look. A little after 3 PM, an old wind chime at the entrance greeted us with a lovely sound. The inn's website says there are 20 free parking spaces, which seems to mean the nearby town-run second lot. It's on Google Maps too. The main road is so narrow that cars can't pass each other, and it's one-way from 7 AM to 9 PM, so parking there and carrying your luggage seems wise. At the entrance, the doorbell is a worn cowbell with a cute little ring. Our room was Ataka, a Japanese-style room of two adjoining spaces totaling 12 tatami mats. The futons were already laid out, and my husband enjoyed a nap. There was a fridge, air purifier, TV, and air conditioning, but no safe. The room had no toilet, though there was a clean washroom and a bidet toilet just outside in the hall. We weren't inconvenienced. There's no indoor bath at the inn. Tawarayama Onsen has limited spring water and a public-bath culture, so most nearby inns don't have one. Two public baths are just a few meters away: Machinoyu has free-flowing spring water, while Shiraen no Yu has an open-air bath. You can buy a lodging pass at the inn for ¥1500, with unlimited visits to both from noon on arrival day until noon the next day. It pays for itself after three visits. We had fugu sashimi, grilled and fried fugu, then fugu in soup, hot pot, and rice porridge. My daughter loved the fried fugu and said, "It's so yummy!" She picked every last bit off the bones. We woke just after 5 AM to cicadas, with the town quiet and full of nature, almost like a secluded paradise. The public bath opened at 6 AM, and our morning soak was wonderful. The inn has old-world charm, from the caramel-colored pillars and ceilings to the sense of history. It feels familiar and comforting to us Japanese, even apart from its popularity with foreign tourists. And the room key surprised me: I'd never seen a screw-type one at an inn. It's just like the key Satsuki twists to lock the house in "My Neighbor Totoro." Izumiya Ryokan really is full of the charm of old Japan.