Kogane Sansou

They have a waterfall massage!

We stayed in two rooms in the main building with my wife, my mother-in-law, and our son’s family. There were several things that made the stay difficult. The dining area was a long walk away, with stone sidewalks and lots of steps, which is hard for elderly people with walking problems. In the morning, none of the various drop-in baths were available, only the rock bath from ②, which had no charm at all. In the guest-only bath, hot water was difficult to get from the shower despite a sign, and an older review had mentioned the same issue. In our room, the toilet door didn’t slide open smoothly and there was no shoehorn. I also found a black hair about 20 cm long on the sheets. Dinner was prepared for the children, ages 7 and 4, but at breakfast they got the same food as the adults except for the sprinkles. We didn’t hear about the dinner all-you-can-drink option until checkout. When we arrived, the only information we were given was about the welcome drink service. The hotel is run by a stonemasonry company.

The clean, calming feel of the building and the staff’s attentive hospitality made a strong impression on me. I’d never stayed at Kogane Sanso before, and the visit turned out even better than I expected. The spacious open-air bath had a breathtaking view, and I could really unwind in the seasonal breeze.

The garden was beautiful and clearly well maintained. I even took the overturned dustpan as a sign that cleaning happens regularly. The landlady replied to my comments, and I’m grateful for her sincere response. Still, the price and service didn’t match at all. Nearly 30,000 yen per person for a night is just too much for what we got. The room wasn’t clean, the facilities felt old, and the hairdryer was the cheapest heat-only kind, not a Nanoe model. Apart from a toothbrush, the room amenities were tabi-style socks, which I don’t understand, and the shampoo and other bathroom products were brands I didn’t know. The shower at the hot spring never got properly hot, even after waiting a long time. It wasn’t cold, just lukewarm and not usable for a shower. There was a sign saying it takes a few minutes for hot water to come through, but what counts as a few minutes? I took that to mean they weren’t planning to fix it. All the unoccupied rooms in the main building were unlocked, with their sliding doors open. We were the only guests in that building that day. Maybe I shouldn’t have checked whether the other rooms were unlocked, but shouldn’t every door have been locked? It felt like nobody on staff was really in charge, and everyone was just going through the motions. A ryokan charges a high price for its service, so if the service is lacking, the price should come down. For comparison, a supermarket or convenience store can just offer a place to buy things cheaply and quickly, with very little service. At dinner I ordered a non-alcoholic drink I have often, “Non-Alcoholic Mood.” Thankfully it came in a glass, not the can. It cost 600 yen, and they hadn’t even mixed it with juice or syrup. That was disappointing. One other odd thing was an item in the room that looked like it had once been an unscented air freshener. It didn’t seem likely they would replace it, so they should take it down. The beads were incredibly small, and looked like they’d been sitting there a long time, maybe years. I’d never seen beads that small. It was an educational experience to see what happens to bouncy beads when they’re left out.