Iwatani Onsen Hotel Kirakuya

I stayed here with a friend a few days ago, and the customer service was simply amazing in the worst way. The constant condescending attitude made it feel like they were saying, "We're only letting you stay." As someone who works in the service industry, I found it a very useful negative example. Having guests clear away dishes, wipe the table, and even lay out the futon seemed like a lesson for travelers looking for an unusual experience about living decently and the unfairness of society. The room was run-down and scratched all over, and amenities and yukata cost extra. The food was much better than at the shopping mall food court, and the view was very nice, but it wasn't worth the high price for one night. I'll never come back.

The crab portions were certainly impressive, but at nearly 40,000 yen per person, the stay was disappointing in so many ways that I definitely won't return. On arrival, the parking lot hadn't been cleared, so I had to follow wheel tracks in and shovel snow myself before parking. Maybe they were saving costs, but the automatic entrance door was off and the lobby was pitch black. I waited in the unheated lobby until check-in, and the room was cold when I was shown in. The room had been cleaned immaculately, but once the heating came on, a urine smell started wafting around, likely from a previous guest's dog having an accident. The bath towels smelled too. I couldn't use the large public bath for reasons outside my control, so I planned to use the guest-room bath, but wasn't sure the tub had been washed and stuck to the shower. The meal was advertised as a full course, but was hot pot, teppanyaki, sashimi with crab, sweet shrimp, tuna, and mamehachi?, crab shell chawanmushi, and zosui rice porridge. There was no time-consuming tempura or other dishes. One staff member was serving five or six groups, so I waited a long time for the teppanyaki, crab shell, and zosui. When I called out, they answered in a sullen mood. On the way out, nobody said goodbye or anything. I shoveled the snow myself again and got out of the parking lot.

I went on a crab trip here. The atmosphere was peaceful, and the bath was just the right temperature to relax in.

I was shocked into silence by the phone call just now. They spoke to me informally, and when I asked whether one person could use the service, they replied, "No, no, it's too much trouble." It makes me sad to think this place doesn't value each customer.