Unzen Iwaki Ryokan

The baths were lovely, both indoors and out, and the ryokan meals had lots of variety and tasted great. One dinner even included lobster. Our room was really large, and they supplied yukata. We arrived early, so staff stored our luggage and took it to the room once it was ready. The daytime staff who spoke English helped us get settled, and everyone working nights was kind too. Parking is in a public lot across the nearby street. A tip for one of the open air onsens: the cold water tap is tucked inside a pipe, away from the bamboo spout. We were fumbling tourists who hadn't stayed at a ryokan before, sorry for getting some things wrong. Thanks for such a nice stay!

The food was plentiful and tasty, and the staff were friendly. We liked that the indoor and open air onsens never seemed too crowded, with water at a comfortable temperature that wasn't too hot for a long soak. The rooms were fairly standard Japanese style. There are a couple of parking spaces by the ryokan, or overnight guests at Iwaki can park free in the lot farther down the street.

I used to think this was Unzen's nicest public bath for its setting, atmosphere, and facilities. Since the hotel renovation, the building looks ugly and ruins the view, and the public bath is off limits unless you stay overnight. I wonder what the Unzen Hotel lobby is thinking, catering to mass tourism while driving away locals like us who come for a day trip and a bath. Nobody will take a plane or bus to stay in a hotel that looks like this, and I reckon it'll go bankrupt within a few years. Maybe then they'll tear down this ugly monster and build a small boutique hotel that welcomes locals into its public baths too. Time will tell.

The hot springs were nice, and the rooms were clean, dated but comfortable, with an air purifier and a wide screen TV. Dinner was sumptuous, while the Japanese breakfast included in our room plan was simple. The staff could speak English, which helped. I'd stay here again.