Ryokan Taishoya Yusyuku Seiryu — Attraction in Ureshino

Wanting an authentic ryokan experience and needing a place to stay for my stopover between Fukuoka and Nagasaki, i stopped at Ureshino, a quiet onsen town and chose this ryokan. ||||First impression of the decor and staff was clean, definitely authentic japanese and a little too respectful and intimidating for 2 Singaporeans with only a very basic grasp of japanese.||||The staff were all ladies (at least when I was walking about), and they spoke even less english than I speak japanese. But that didnt stop them from producing first class service. Because we were late coming in to the hotel, they had a staff wait outside in the cold looking out for us the whole time. I bet they were relieved when we finally arrived :P||||The lady in charge of us made sure we know where was the restaurant, the onsen, even bringing us to the garden before finally bringing us to our room where she carefully explained the amenities. ||||The room we chose was a small basic one. The futons were laid out while we went for dinner. It was a little too thin for my comfort but still ok for a good night's sleep.||||The onsen was empty when we went, it was nice ,spacious with a good temperature in the baths. ||||The best thing was the food. We had kaiseki dinner and everything was carefully prepared and I felt bad for having to eat them. The produce was fresh and from what I understood, the ingredients for most of the dishes were from the area. The rice was one of the sweetest and freshest i have ever eaten in my life, so much so that we even toyed with the idea of buying a small sack back from the hotel store. Breakfast was equally amazing and when we left the hotel, 2 staff members stood at the gate to bow and wave at us till they see our car leave to go onto...

I personally prefer to stay in small family-owned ryokans, however failing that then a well-run hotel-type ryokan will do. This hospitality group owns 3 properties in Ureshino - the Yushuku Seiryuu, as well as the Taishoya and Shiibansanso. I booked the Seiryuu as it was ranked highest among the 3 on TA. ||||The ryokan hotel is comfortable though certainly not luxe, in a pretty setting (rooms overlook a garden) although nothing exceptional. I opted for the Western style room as I like sleeping on beds more then I do futons. The obligatory kaiseki meal, served in the restaurant not in the room, was pretty good (Saga beef is to die for!).||||The good thing about staying at this chain's property is that you can use the onsens at any of their 3 properties (or at least the package I booked allowed this). We walked 5 mins along the streets to the rotenburo (outdoor bath) at the Taishoya, which was very nice. You can also take a shuttle bus to their other property which is a little further away to use their onsen.||||Did not really get to see much of Ureshino as we arrived late and left early, however it seems there is nothing much to see in this little town anyway (no quaint village streets as in Yufuin...

I personally prefer to stay in small family-owned ryokans, however failing that then a well-run hotel-type ryokan will do. This hospitality group owns 3 properties in Ureshino - the Yushuku Seiryuu, as well as the Taishoya and Shiibansanso. I booked the Seiryuu as it was ranked highest among the 3 on TA. ||||The ryokan hotel is comfortable though certainly not luxe, in a pretty setting (rooms overlook a garden) although nothing exceptional. I opted for the Western style room as I like sleeping on beds more then I do futons. The obligatory kaiseki meal, served in the restaurant not in the room, was pretty good (Saga beef is to die for!).||||The good thing about staying at this chain's property is that you can use the onsens at any of their 3 properties (or at least the package I booked allowed this). We walked 5 mins along the streets to the rotenburo (outdoor bath) at the Taishoya, which was very nice. You can also take a shuttle bus to their other property which is a little further away to use their onsen.||||Did not really get to see much of Ureshino as we arrived late and left early, however it seems there is nothing much to see in this little town anyway (no quaint village streets as in Yufuin...