Itoen Hotel New Sakura

The onsen was spacious and clean, and I really enjoyed it. The hotel is also conveniently close to the station, so I’d consider coming back for the hot spring. We stayed three nights, though, and both breakfast and dinner were exactly the same every day, so the meals got repetitive. When we booked, we hadn’t realized we’d be in an older building and would have to walk outside to get to the main building for the onsen and restaurant. We also hadn’t expected the extra charge for staying in the main building.

The buffet dinner was okay, and the free sale and beer helped make it worthwhile. The onsen is big enough for this busy hotel, and has a cold pool and sauna. We stayed in a renovated Japanese-Western room, so it was still in good condition, but the mattress was too soft and bouncy. The aircon blower is over the tatami area, leaving the Western side with the bed quite stuffy. The aircon seemed underpowered for a room that size.

The area is quiet and peaceful, and the view and food were great. Service was good for the price, and the hot spring was nice, though a little too hot for me. The building looks old from the balcony, but the inside is in good condition. It’s about a 3 minute walk from the place where you can take a Kinugawa river boast cruise. I was lucky that the night I stayed there was a beautiful firework display visible from the hotel balcony.

The food is very Japanese, with dinner including sushi, tempura, tarako spaghetti, nishime, gyoza, lamen, udon, rice, sashimi and more. Beer, sake and Shochu were included too. Breakfast was also very Japanese, with rice, miso soup, vegetables, yogurt, canned fruit and other things, and not much Western food like bread. The room was spacious, clean, well preserved, had no smoking smell, and came with comfortable beds, toothpaste and toothbrushes, cookies, tea, air conditioning and a heater. There weren’t many power outlets. The staff were professional and kind when explaining things, and check-in took less than 10 minutes. The hotel offers WiFi for guests, though there isn’t much digital information and there are no English guides. The large, wood-filled lobby feels old, probably dating from the 90s. There was one onsen with an outdoor area, and it was clean and quite spacious. Shampoo, soap, blades, a hair comb and hair products were provided. The hotel also has arcades, a Snooker table, table tennis and karaoke rooms, along with some play areas and yukata, like an average big Ryokan-style hotel. I paid ¥16500, around € 100, per night in April 2024 for one bedroom, two adults, breakfast and dinner. That was a very good deal. Similar food would probably cost around ¥4000~¥5000 per person if bought separately, and I doubt you’d find a comparable deal in Europe, the US or even Tokyo. I found New Sakura on Google Maps and read the reviews. The Japanese reviewers and foreign reviewers clearly seemed to see the place differently. If you look further and get to jaran, you’ll see another view that I share. Many foreigners complain about this hotel. If you feel the same way as those reviewers, I suggest skipping New Sakura. It’s an old hotel made for Japanese people, not foreigners. But if you’re open to a Japanese experience, give it a try. I’m a foreigner, a Nikkei who understands just a little Japanese. Those reviewers also leave out what they paid. They may have searched for a cheap hotel and still complained despite getting a bargain.