Yanagiso

The two older people running the place were very sweet, so I feel bad saying this, but the shower had lots of large dead bugs in it. There was scum in the bathtub too, which left me wondering when it had last been cleaned. I had hot water for my shower on the first night, but only cold water the next.

The food and service were good, but the room had some hygiene issues. The tatami was stained, presumably from previous guests eating in the room, and the in-room restroom smelled bad enough that we hadn't expected it. We ended up using the common area's public restroom, though those were often occupied by other guests around busy times after dinner or breakfast. I wondered if their toilets smelled bad too. Our room was marked for six people and was spacious, but looked out only onto a backyard. Wifi was fast in the annex common area, where there were vending machines, Japanese newspapers, and a free massage chair. It didn't reach our room, so we had to sit there to get online. We visited in summer, outside crab season, but crab was served anyway. The portion was quite small. The meal was excellent, as you'd expect at a ryokan charging this much.

Considering the very high price we paid, I expected more. The ryokan was old and run-down, and the customer service was poor by Japanese standards. They declined our request to arrange breakfast and dinner and limited hot drinking water to one thermal flask per day. The place had strict operating hours, including a siesta time, but didn't seem to follow its own schedule. We were told they'd come change the sheets at 9am, then waited until 10:30am before anyone arrived.

The food was the best part, and they even bring dinner to your room. They give you tickets for free entry to eight different onsens, or hot springs, which I recommend using. There’s also free manga at the hotel. It’s a classic ryokan with awesome service. The view isn't exactly the best, though.