Awazuonsen Houshi Ryokan

This was my first stay, and as soon as I pulled up at the entrance, staff came right out to help. They assisted with unloading my luggage and guided me to the parking spot, which gave a lively impression. Once inside, three staff members—handling check-in at the front desk, serving matcha and Japanese sweets, and carrying our luggage to the Room with explanations—were all from overseas. There were a few moments when communication was a bit difficult, but seeing how hard they were working so far from home made me want to support them. The large public bath was spacious and also had an open-air bath; with a 47°C source temperature, it truly felt like an Onsen. In the center of the property there was a large, well-maintained garden and pond, and you could walk all the way around via the corridors. Our Room was “Yoro-no-Ma” in the Autumn Wing and was very spacious at 95 m². I chose this Room because I liked the photo of its private open-air bath, but when I actually used it, it was only about 50 cm deep. When soaking up to my shoulders, my head hit the edge of the tub, so I couldn’t relax comfortably. I don’t understand why it is so shallow. The Room is Japanese-Western style; however, it had a low table with floor cushions in traditional style. I would have preferred a table with chairs (I’m older and my legs start to hurt). There is only one TV, and it can’t be seen from the bed area, which was disappointing. Both dinner and breakfast were served in spacious private rooms on the third floor and were very comfortable. Dinner was excellent in both quality and quantity. The Hakusan soba had rich dashi flavor and was delicious, and there was plenty of tasty wagyu shabu-shabu as well. We were also served crab and whole grilled nodoguro (blackthroat seaperch), so we became full—I left some rice untouched—and I couldn’t even try the final matcha pudding dessert. Breakfast also offered many items including two kinds of dried fish dishes (himono), which was great too. After checkout, the proprietress took a commemorative photo for us and explained about the towering Komon Cedar tree in front of the entrance; this reminded me again that this is a Ryokan with history. With this Onsen experience and these meals at this price point, I feel it offers excellent value for money. If given another opportunity, I would like to stay again."""

The accommodation we stayed in was built during the Meiji era, offering a sublime space where we could fully enjoy its ambiance and the garden, which truly felt like a cultural heritage site. We look forward to visiting again to experience the seasonal changes.