Urayu Ryokan Urashima

The room was very dusty, and waking up in it felt unpleasant. The ryokan onsen, though, was great and easily the highlight of my stay.

I really enjoyed having the private osen to myself.

We came with my 80-year-old parents, and the stairs and shared toilets were difficult for them. There’s no elevator, and the rooms have only water, with a dispenser in the hallway. The rooms are spacious and charming, but there’s no toilet, shower, or bathroom in them, so all facilities are shared. If mobility or convenience is a concern, be careful. The large public bath was packed with locals. On the first night of a three-day weekend there were no lockers, and the tubs were so crowded that people were touching, lol. Everyone had to stand around waiting for a shower, and the morning bath we’d looked forward to was crowded too. A long soak was hard to enjoy. The inn has a retro Showa-era feel and has been around a long time. It’s about a 10-15-minute taxi ride from Onomichi Station. There aren’t any stores nearby or vending machines on site, so get groceries near the station first. Dinner is at the restaurant attached to the bathhouse. We went to get chicken nanban and caught sight of a staff member pouring "kukure curry" in the kitchen, which made my family crack up. It felt more like visiting a relative’s home than staying at a luxury inn. Breakfast on the second floor of the main building was the opposite: a carefully prepared Japanese meal in a calm, dignified space. The contrast was incredible. There are some survival-mode aspects to staying here, but if you want travel memories that’ll make you laugh, it has that blissfully inconvenient feel.

We stayed here as a family and really enjoyed it. The annex room was clean, quiet, and relaxing, and the private bath was great for unwinding with the kids. The food was tasty, portions were generous, and the price was reasonable. We were satisfied and would like to come back. I did notice several strands of hair in both the room and bathroom, so I wondered if the cleaning could have been better. Still, the stay was very good overall.