Satoumitei Kinparo main residence — Attraction in Oarai

We stayed here for one night in May 2015, and it was the only night available at this ryokan between May and September of this year. That says something about how popular it must be with locals. Indeed, it is a lovely place.Amazing cedar structure, lovely hot baths (not onsen, just regular water) overlooking the ocean and very impressive food presentation at both breakfast and dinner. Can't fault the accommodation, food nor service. The ladies running the ryokan are very lovely and so friendly, although they speak practically no English. In short, I can absolutely see this being a favorite getaway place for residents of Tokyo or other nearby cities. It is quiet and relaxing. However, if you're a foreigner looking for an authentic Japanese ryokan experience, this may not be the best bet and this is why:||||- The ryokan is far from Tokyo. It takes about 3 hours one way to travel there. ||||- Although it sits right on the ocean, the waters are rough, shoreline is rocky and the views are really not that impressive. Perhaps this depends on where you're coming from, but being used to the tremendous views of the Pacific Coast of Canada, coming here to see/experience the ocean is simply not worth it.||||3. Ryokan is expensive, at nearly US$800 per night. The quality of accommodation and food is not to be faulted, but you have to keep in mind two things: ||||1. This is Japanese accommodation, which means it is not the luxury you may expect in other hotels with similar price tag. Everything from furnishings to sheets to toiletries is simple and serves a purpose. The style is a mix of a high end spa and Ikea: very sterile and zen with very basic design elements or furniture.||||2. The food is Japanese and this means there will be a considerable number of things not appealing to Western palates. In our experience dinner was excellent and we ate and enjoyed most of the 8 course offered, but unfortunately we left breakfast largely untouched.||||There are a lot of other, less expensive ryokans that will offer an authentic experience if that's what you're after.||||Ultimately it is up to you if it's worth to come here, but do you research on the area and Japanese...

I stayed here recently in the past weekend hoping for some quiet time with my wife, and it was 3 days before my wife's birthday so was hoping for a surprise. ||||Location itself is almost perfect. It's northeast bound from central Tokyo and takes about 1 hr and 30 min. to get there. Nice short getaway from Tokyo.||||Indeed the ryokan was a big surprise. It sits along side the road, so it could be slightly difficult to find the place unless you rely your trip on your car navigation. Not many parking spots available on the same side where the Ryokan sits, so I had to park across, which was not a problem. Something I have noticed the moment I arrived there was the fact that the people working there were all women. There wasn't a single male working for the Ryokan. Typically, parking assistance will be men in general, but it was not the case here. Nothing wrong with that but just slightly different than other Ryokans.||||We were welcomed with a cold tea along with a small Japanese traditional cake. It tasted great.||The room was somewhat modern equipped with a small sink area with some drinking glasses. Amenities are John Master Organic's productions, which was also pleasantly surprising. ||||Both dinner and breakfast came with lots of dishes to enjoy and they made us so much full that we could almost skip lunch on Sunday. ||||Overall, it's a really quiet place with only 8 rooms with your own privacy overlooking the beautiful Pacific Ocean. My wife and I have promised to come back in winter time when there is another type of Japanese soup dish (nabe) to try. Looking very much forward to the next visit.||||Also I wouldn't forget to mention that they surprised us with a cake with a message written to my wife after we came back from dinner!!||||One last minor note to make is that the Ryokan does not have natural hot springs... but what the heck, the view from the main bath is just...

I came here to stay for 1 night. The rooms are nice and clean, the view is amazing, but the service is absolutely fantastic. It is a very Japanese style but with some touches of modern design. The place has a very “home” type of feel with books to read, dvds to watch, and piano and guitar to play. The view is spectacular with the beach just steps away. If anyone wants to go fishing, there was a man just fishing off the rocks

The internet here is extremely slow (2-3Mb/s) however I think this place is more of a “get-away” from the hi-tech world and just relax kind of place. I enjoyed my stay here.

Would I come back again ?...