satoya ryokan

I was feeling pretty low lately and wanted somewhere to reset. The cat information was what got me interested, and staying here left me feeling much better. The room and hotel had the feel of the bathing area at a hot spring inn. There were shared microwaves and refrigerators in the hall, plus a coin laundry since it's a business hotel. Ramen places, McDonald's, and yakiniku restaurants were all walkable, but I can eat that kind of food anytime, so I chose dinner at the hotel. It wasn't fancy, but the menu and seasoning felt comforting, and I was very satisfied. The rice was especially good. Some baths and toilets are unisex, but there are also women-only bathing, toilet, and shower facilities, which made me feel safer.

Our children were given rice, furikake, and yogurt with jam, along with children's dishes, and at checkout they got balloon animals from the owner. The owner said not many children stay here, but this felt kinder and more child-friendly than some pricier places that charge extra for kids. My husband and I came with our almost-one-year-old and our two-and-a-half-year-old, and we were surprised to pay only the rate for two adults. The resident cat was gentle and delighted our older child. Since many guests at this business hotel are men, we could use the women's bath privately. It felt like a big bathroom at home, had a water heater for a hot bath anytime, and offered three kinds of shampoo and conditioner. They also had toys for children. All the rooms are Japanese-style, which we appreciated. Smoking is limited to designated areas, so the non-smoking rooms and toilets didn't smell of cigarettes, though there was a faint smell from smoking rooms in the hallway. Breakfast was a Japanese set meal with a good range: rice, miso soup, two sausages, kelp rolls, seasoned seaweed, burdock mayonnaise salad, omelet, natto, seaweed and dried sardine furikake, and yogurt with jam. Once we reached the dining room, the owner grilled sausages for us, so the food was warm and freshly made. Coffee and tea were self-service.

Both dinner and breakfast were delicious home-style meals. I hadn't stayed somewhere with tatami and futons in a long time, so that was a treat. The shared bath is big enough for around three people. 😃😋😉

This place is a bit of a trek from the station, but it cost me just 5000 yen over the three-day weekend when other places were putting their rates up. The man at reception was very kind. Next time I'd like to come by car.