I had booked a 2nights stay at this hotel based on the reviews, however, it was a shockingly bad experience. My wife is japanese, and i have stayed at many hotels, ryokans in japan. This rates as one of the worst. This hotel had rave reviews, and a seemingly long history, but that is where it ends.
1) Check-in took a long time as there were many tour groups checking in. Apparently it is a popular hotel for tour groups. Hence, if you are looking for a quiet relaxing stay at a hotel. This is not it !
2) After i went to the room, the usual japanese hospitality of serving you tea whilst explaining the amenities of the hotel was carried out. The chair i sat on "zaisu" broke when i leaned back on it. What was going on ? Everything in the room was old and dated, and hinted of an old smell.
3) The bath in the room was another horror story. I was told that it would take some time for the hot water to come because the hotel was old....but after 2hrs of leaving the tap running...nothing came out but cold water.
4) Dinner - The food was cold and nothing fanciful. The worst thing is that they served you dinner in this big assembly hall. Makes you feel like you are eating in a school canteen. Me and my wife just left halfway through the meal.
5) Onzen - From the photos, i was expecting a nice onsen bath. But, like a i mentioned before...this hotel catered for tour groups...and the bath was packed...and dirty. My wife complained that there were those muscle sticky patches littered in the bath. How bad can it get ?
So, all in all, it was a terrible experience. We complained to the manager and managed to cancel the next night at the hotel and got a partial refund.
I would not recommend this hotel to anyone. There are many other better choices around.
I hope this helps!