Yamaguchiya Ryokan

The food was tasty and there was plenty of it. The place was clean and comfortable, with a pleasant garden spa onsen. The staff were wonderful, especially at the front desk, where they were very helpful with local information. Great value for the money.

We had a lovely time here. The Japanese-style rooms were amazing, and we were pleasantly surprised by the private onsen. Thanks to the friendly staff for making things easy despite the language barrier.

The big public bath isn’t very large, but its water temperature, and the open-air bath’s too, suited me well. I could soak for ages. If you like really hot water, though, it might feel too mild. The private open-air bath was a lovely extra. You can reserve it at check-in if there’s availability, and use it for free for 30 minutes. There’s no shower or washing space there, just a tub, and half an hour was plenty. It was bitterly cold outside, which made the natural hot spring feel even better. My room was much nicer than I expected. It was an exceptionally clean, roomy 10-tatami Japanese-style room, with what seemed like an extra window-side area, plus a spacious bathroom and toilet and room for big luggage. The decor has a Showa-era hotel feel, though some parts may have been renovated. It was more than enough space for a solo stay, and I was excited even on my own, lol. The futon was already laid out. The hotel and room felt cold, but the air conditioning was on and there was also a kerosene fan heater and a Sharp air purifier. The meal was pretty average, lol, and the portions were just right for me, even though there was a little less variety than at a decent inn. The rice-course options were soba or ochazuke, and you could get refills of either, so I could have both. Getting there by Shinkansen and bus takes about two hours. The bus runs from its starting point to the stop before the end and takes nearly an hour, but there are stops at sightseeing spots along the way, so getting off en route could be worthwhile. I’d stumbled into an unexpected two-day weekend and found this place the day before with a last-minute discount. I wanted nearby hot springs and some sightseeing, and found a natural hot spring ryokan on Rakuten Travel where I could use a coupon. It was a fairly cheap 10,600 yen including tax for one night with two meals. I picked it because the meals weren’t a buffet. The building looks old from the outside, and the front desk has a business-hotel feel. My main frustration was the lack of usable outlets. The provided appliances took up room, and there was an electric kettle for tea with nowhere to plug it in, lol. There was just one two-prong outlet in the bathroom and hardly any usable sockets in the room. That was inconvenient, but otherwise I was very satisfied. There aren’t entertainment facilities, so I’d recommend it to people who mainly want to enjoy the hot springs and relax.

I booked online after seeing the reviews. The exterior looks very Showa-era, while the rooms and bath changing areas have been renovated and are clean and comfortable. The bath itself still has that old-time atmosphere. Since I was born in the Showa era, it felt nostalgic, and I could soak in peace. The rooms, hallways, changing rooms, open-air baths and bathrooms are all kept up well. The Wi-Fi was fast. At this price, I’d definitely stay again.