Yumoto Sakakibarakan

The room was roomy, and the hotel itself is quite a large spa.

One of the best-quality hot springs around.

The best part is still the hot spring water. It has that silky feel, and my grandparents live in Mie, so my family has stayed at this ryokan many times over the years. But the experience has gone downhill. The food was bland and just average. The sashimi was tough and hard to chew, and the rooms felt old, with a cramped toilet area and poor ventilation. Bathing here has become stressful for me. On several visits, staff have corrected me while I was in the bath. This time, I was there with my 2-year-old daughter when someone who seemed to be staff came over as if they were another guest and told me to tie up her hair. I understand the rule about tying up long hair, and I follow it for myself now. I only learned about it in recent years while staying at this same ryokan, though. I grew up abroad and had visited many onsen since childhood without anyone explaining it. I’d seen small children with their hair down here before and assumed toddlers might be an exception. My daughter had also bathed that way at other onsen without any problem. Being told off while naked and mid-bath felt embarrassing and intrusive. No hair tie was offered, and it’s very hard to wrap a toddler’s head with a face towel. Other hotels at least have hair ties in the changing area, but there weren’t any here. It felt like staff were watching closely while pretending to be fellow bathers, ready to point out any rule you missed. That doesn’t feel like good hospitality. I left feeling unhappy instead of relaxed. It’s hard to enjoy a hot spring when you’re worried about being approached and scolded. The water itself is lovely, but the tense atmosphere ruins the experience. I can’t recommend this place, and I won’t be coming back.

I come here 3-4 times a year because the hot spring water is so good, and the rooms are clean even if they look a bit old. Still, there are several things that keep bothering me. The worst part is how crowded the baths get. After the 3 PM check-in, day visitors make it hard to enjoy a soak, and the showers are often full, so you have to wait. I wish they wouldn’t take day visitors between 2 PM and 4 PM. The early morning bath is another big part of staying overnight, but day visitors arrive early then too, which makes that difficult as well. The changing room smells musty, and the foot mats are pretty stinky. Maybe that’s hard to avoid in an old building, but they should be replaced more often. The staff seem used to the smell. There’s also a sewage odor from the large bath’s drain. I’d like them to clean it more frequently. The glass hallway along the river to the large bath is uncomfortable in both seasons. It’s hot and humid in summer, so you start sweating soon after bathing, and cold in winter. The yukata is thin enough that you need a jacket. The air conditioning doesn’t seem well controlled. Breakfast is small, with little variety and not many sides to eat with rice, so it isn’t much fun. That makes me more likely to stay without meals.