This was my first time staying in this sort of ryokan (the nice kind). Parts of it were a little worn down, but it was comfortable, clean, in a great location (you can bath while looking out at the river!), it had 3 different baths (all very similar, but fun to try the variations), and the staff was wonderful. No one spoke English very well, but they happily explained all of the food in Japanese with gestures (my group spoke a little Japanese, so we did have an advantage there, though I don't know that any of the staff realized we understood them). The baths are segregated by sex, but were rotated every day (i.e. the outdoor bath would be women one day and men the next). For those that don't speak Japanese, be aware that there is a button outside of the bath to make it hotter (like cycling through more hot water). Find it and press it. You'll be happier that way. The food menu changed every other day as well (so if you stay more than 2 days, it will repeat). One reason I chose this ryokan over others was the option to pick a beef menu. Be aware of two things: even if you pick the beef, you will be served a ton of seafood dishes, and also, they will only serve the beef for one dinner. I don't like seafood in general, but I tried everything with a spirit of adventure. Some of it I even ended up liking :) There is always a ton of food, to the point where my group theorized that you weren't actually supposed to eat everything. You should try though, it is a waste to toss out all that effort. The ryokan is about a 10 minute walk from the station and within walking distance of several tourist attractions. The castle is maybe a 20 minute walk.…
Everything was fine. Small but very friendly. Hot spring was also fabulous. Only thing I feel uncomfortable was they do not speak English. However, their kindness were enough to cover it. Thank you for all staffs.
Wonderful stay at Wataya. Staff members were nice, rooms were very large and spacious. Dinner was traditional Japanese multi-course and very filling. The baths were good, a little unfortunate that you need to pay for private use (our next ryokan had free bookings).
Calm and peaceful place. I stayed for 2 days with my wife and father. The facilities and small garden is a good and felt Japanese tradition. Baths are small, but my family felt good due to calm and quietness. We had breakfast and dinner for 2 days, and it tasted good especially to my father. In overall, I was satisfied with Ryokan facility, atmosphere, kind staffs and meals, but I have some difficulty in communication with staffs because of language problem. They were not good at English.
The setting is beautiful, but we didn't feel much genuine warmth in the place. Everything had a price tag--for example, they wanted to charge extra if we wanted to take a private bath (other ryokans just tell you that you can use the ofuro if it is not being used and you can just lock the door). The garden is nice and the building historical, but the management somewhat mercenary.
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