Okukinosaki Seaside Hotel

The sea view and beach are wonderful, and I’d recommend booking a room facing the water for the sunrises. This charming retro ryokan sits right on the Sea of Japan, far off the beaten path, so it suits a slow, relaxing break in the countryside. Takeno is sleepy and has little in the way of entertainment or food, but the hotel has karaoke, an onsen, a piano and vintage Nintendo 64 games in the lobby, ice cream vending machines, a restaurant, and a souvenir shop selling locally sourced goods. Not all staff speak English. If your Japanese is limited like mine, it’s worth having Google Translate handy.

The hotel needs a serious refresh. There was a musty smell in the small room I had, the toilet stank, and the linens and towels also smelled musty. It must have been grand once, but it isn’t well maintained now. The larger rooms might be great, though I can only speak to the small one.

A straightforward, simple hotel right by the ocean, with a lovely setting and a good breakfast. The rooms are old and the building is showing its age, but the surroundings make up for what the hotel itself is missing.

We had kaiseki dinner in the hotel function room. The staff were very friendly, and the food was delicious. It’s a cozy hotel with Japanese-style rooms and a beautiful sea view. The onsen is small, but comfortable, and has an outdoor bath.