Kashikojima Hojoen — Attraction in Shima

After staying at many other ryokans and receiving warm and personalized service, we found this place to be very large and quite impersonal. The dining experience has more of a cafeteria vibe - even though a kaiseki meal is being served. The server comes in with each course and and provides a quick description in Japanese and immediately exits. The printed menu is also only in Japanese and no effort is made to explain the courses if you speak English. Service feels rushed at times and at other times you may be sitting for quite a while before the next course arrives. You'll have to track someone down to refill your water. Breakfast buffet is similarly chaotic and not exceptionally creative. Though you are paying quite a high rate for the room, you must also pay additional for other services such as use of the game room or to play ping pong. Gift shop is highly priced so would suggest you get your drinks/snacks at the train station before catching the shuttle to the hotel. The hotel is pretty isolated so their shuttle to and from the train station is much appreciated. The bath is spacious and clean though would appreciate if they had more prominent signage to encourage use of the open air bath which is in a separate location. The view of Ago bay from the room is spectacular. However the large picture window allows a lot of sun/heat to warm the room and the air conditioner is not very strong. The most memorable part of our stay was our encounter with Mr. Ohta who runs the bowling alley. He is a wonderful person who made our experience so enjoyable by sharing his bowling tips, helping us to do scoring and cheering for our strikes and spares. It is clear that he loves his job and we found his hospitality to...

This is review about the onsen and service. It was excellent!

From the moment I was about to walk inside, a gentleman welcomed me and I asked him about the use of the onsen. He then informed me that it was for guests only and I told him I read something of an offer from Y1250 to Y700 on the whole website. Apparently that was for people who have lunch! I didn't book lunch but the gentlemen eventually allowed me to use the onsen and was extremely helpful, concerned on where I was staying and with indications on when to take the train later, how and so on. He seemed to honestly care for the well-being on his guests even I was not staying over the night! He didn't follow the manual but went beyond to let me have a great experience. Even when I was about to leave, he walked from behind the counter, showed me the train times again and even offered me to use the hotel bus and escorted me all the way to the parking, while having a conversation. Seriously, the best service experience ever in Japan (I live here).

Regarding the onsen, it has very very good water and the views of the bay in the rotemburo are spectacular! I would recommend you to book lunch, then maybe do some sightseeing and come back to use the onsen for sunset. After the sunset you can also clearly see the star constellations.

Again, 6...

I had always wanted to stay at Kashikojima Hoshoen as one of the pleasures of sightseeing in Ise-Shima, and both the food and baths were satisfactory. The hot springs are highly recommended, with plenty of baths and hot water, including an open-air garden bath. From the room, you could see the magnificent view of Ago Bay and the entire Shima Peninsula, and the sunrise was also beautiful. The Japanese-style room consists of a table seat and a Japanese-style room, so you can dine in your room in a comfortable position and enjoy a delicious meal. In the morning, a peregrine falcon sat on the railing of the balcony, which was a rare experience, and made this a...