Kanponoyado Toyama

We had a very spacious Japanese-style room for four, and the staff were kind, courteous, and helpful. The inn was set on a hill among tall trees, so the view wasn't much, though I spotted a path to the east. Maybe there are autumn leaves to see in fall, but that's just a guess. Free Wi-Fi was only available in the first-floor lobby. The baths and facilities were extensive. On the 1st floor there was an open-air bath with a view of the sky, three washing areas, a sauna, cold bath, and lockers. The open-air bath was listed as open 5 or 6 AM to 10 AM, then 11:30 AM to midnight, with the sauna around 10 to 11 AM. There was also a family bath by reservation for ¥1,080 per 50 minutes, open 5 or 6 AM to 8 AM and 11 AM to midnight. The shop was open 7:30 AM to 8 PM, and the restaurant served buffet meals 5:45 PM to 9 PM and 7:15 AM to 9 AM. There were karaoke and game areas, plus a smoking room open 7 AM to 11 PM. The 4th-floor large bath had views, multiple washing areas, a sauna, and lockers with locks, but no outdoor bath. Its hours were listed as 5 or 6 AM to 8:30 AM and 10 AM to midnight. Vending machines were there, too. On the 2nd floor were a conference room, a mahjong entertainment room, vending machines, and a smoking room open 7 AM to 11 PM. The showroom was closed outside those hours, but was available. The 5th-floor observation deck had free binoculars, though you couldn't go outside. The dinner buffet was Japanese, with seafood including grilled sweetfish and sashimi, and desserts like shiratama, melon, and chocolate cake. Breakfast was satisfying too, though a few more hot dishes would have made it better. The Etchu Furusato Onsen was a sodium chloride bicarbonate spring. The hotel was due to close after checkout on December 20, 2019, so anyone interested had to hurry.

The bath was a nice part of my stay, with big bright windows and a view of the mountains while I soaked. The building is a little old, but the staff were polite and friendly, and I was comfortable there. I took off a star because the futon had no mattress and I could hear people talking in nearby rooms and in the hallway.

I had a pleasant stay, starting with the cheerful, very polite woman at reception. The corridors and rooms had been renovated, and the hotel was very clean with no particular problems. I only ate breakfast, in the bright first-floor restaurant overlooking a green garden. The buffet wasn't huge, but the food was delicious, and the staff there were as kind as the front desk team. The large public bath on the 4th floor had a sauna and a great view over Toyama toward the Tateyama mountain range, thanks to the inn's hillside location. The windows were badly fogged, though, which was disappointing. The water was light brown and too hot for me to stay in long. There was also an open-air bath on the 1st floor, but a surrounding wall meant you could only see the sky. This was my first stay at a Kanpo no Yado (Kanpo Inn). The inn was scheduled to close in December 2019 as part of a review of Kanpo no Yado's operations. Since the room and restaurant renovations seemed fairly recent, I wonder if the closure decision came suddenly. It's a shame it's closing.

The fish tasted great, and the rice was from this year's harvest. Our room was clean and had a lovely view. The hot spring felt smooth and made us sweat after a while, so don't stay in too long. The sauna fit about four people. You couldn't see the surrounding scenery from the open-air bath. I gave it three stars because there was a lot of dust in the bathroom and changing room. Without that, I think I'd have rated it higher.