Ryotei Kaichoro

Established in 2008, Kaichoro is an adults-only (minimum age is 18 to stay here) onsen ryokan located in Ikaho Onsen, Gunma, and is an annex of its sister inn, Fukuichi, which has been around for over 14 generations (at least 440 years.) The ambiance is completely different between the two. Fukuichi is a typical onsen ryokan with 83 rooms and much more family-oriented, whereas Kaichoro only has 8 rooms and offers hot springs baths in every room. Kaichoro guests can avail themselves to the facilities within Fukuichi but not the other way around. Fukuichi consists of two buildings, and the first two floors of the Manyo Building is where Kaichoro resides. The driveway and parking area are shared; however, Kaichoro has its own, separate entrance and lobby area as well as dedicated staff that tend to guests' needs. We stayed in one of the two "special" rooms - ours was the Japanese & Western-style Suite with Open-Air Bath, which offers 100m² of total space. There is also a Japanese Suite that is of the same size, but we try to avoid open-plan rooms (prefer segregated living room/bedroom), and judging by the photos it appeared to us that the Japanese Suite was more form over function. Your mileage and preferences may vary. The Suite was modern, sufficiently spacious and tastefully appointed, and had a bedroom, a Japanese tatami room, a Western-style living room and two toilets (a big bonus for us.) Outside is a large patio with a garden, an open-air hot springs bath, as well as a view of the hillside across the valley - it's in a private and serene setting. You'll never believe that you're in a nondescript building that is shared with a relatively large ryokan (Fukuichi.) That such a luxurious ryokan cheapens out on the amenities, therefore, is puzzling to us. Most of the bathroom toiletries are single-use, tear-to-open packages for things like moisturizers, toothpaste and shaving foam. Most luxury ryokans have individual, travel-sized amenities from name brands, but not here. The primary reason most travelers come all the way to Ikaho Onsen is to enjoy the Onsen, and here, Kaichoro mostly delivers - but, to get the most out of your stay, you'll need to know what options are at your disposal. For starters, Kaichoro (and Fukuichi) source two different Onsen varieties - "Shirogane No Yu" (Silver Onsen) and "Kogane No Yu" (Golden Onsen, which is more brown that gold in color.) The in-room Onsen in different rooms at Kaichoro source from one or the other, and it depends on the room that you stay in. Our Suite was of the Silver variety. The communal, gender-segregated Onsen baths in Fukuichi offer both types; however, the three private rental onsens (also shared with Fukuichi) - Yurari, Sarari and Fuwari differ - in fact, the first two are not Onsen at all - they are Negative Ion tap water baths sourced from nearby Mt. Haruna (Sarari is continuously flowing from the source), while Fuwari is a Golden Onsen that comes straight from the source. Armed with