Kosekiya Bekkan

We had an exceptional time at this ryokan, it was perfect for a one day get away. The dinner and breakfast were very, very good, the onsen was super relaxing, and the room was very specious and filled with amenities. All set in a picturesque little town. We’ll be ack!

First of all, please not that this place (Ginzan Onsen, not this hotel) is VERY popular in Japan (as well as other countries, especially China), so you must book very early (6-7 months in summer, 1 year minimum during winter). So, this being said: - if this is your first time in a ryokan, you will be amazed. Nevertheless, the interior was quite old and dusty. The state of the facilities are not that good, even if one can see they are well cleaned ... they are simply old and need urgent refurbishment, especially given the high prices charged - on the other hand, the magic of the place compensates this. But it would be so simple to modernize it, especially the entrance area (it looks like a storage area !, great contrast with the other ryokans in the area, it's a pitty). - the food was great, exactly what you would expect in this price range for a ryokan - the baths are OK, if you want something special use the ones (exterior) in the "sister" hotel, they are great. (-) the big negative point for me was some of the staff and the way they seem to treat non Japanese guests; from the guy at check-in that started shouting "no reservation, full" because he didn't understood we have already a reservation ... (he never apologized). and the check-out where they showed us where to leave the luggage before leaving and that was everything. No goodbye when we came back to take the luggage, no help to the shuttle, nothing. Also, I think It's the very first ryokan I've visited where the staff insists we should take the luggage to our room ... without offering to help us or anything. Extremely disappointing and I think the level is so low because they have too many clients, people will keep coming even with substandard quality. It may not be strange if you don't know how a ryokan works but it' not good.... PS1: get a room on the front side (river), the back side is pretty sad. PS2: try to get outside of the "main street" of the "village" and do a stroll in the mountains around the Onsen, it's a great experience. Also, the best visit we did was after 21h00, when most tourists are in their best... it was great !