Seifutei — Hotel in Inawashiro

My wife and I stayed at Seifutei last week (early March) during our two-week trip to Japan. It was hands-down the highlight of our trip. Seifutei was wonderfully relaxing and just want we needed after the first few hectic days of sightseeing and jet lag.||||First, if you just Google map the location, it can seem intimidating, but it is actually quite easy to get to (especially if you have the JR pass). From Tokyo, take the bullet train (shinkansen) to Koriyama station and then transfer to the local Ban-Etsusai line heading west towards Inawashiro station. I recommend having one of the electronic train cards (Suica, Pasmo, etc) so you don't need to worry about figuring out the ticket fare for the local train. We were in touch with Seifutei before our trip via email and called the night before from our prior hotel to arrange for pick-up at Inawashiro station. A lady from Seifutei met us at the station. She spoke very good English (although was quite modest about it), and it was a short drive to the inn.||||Our room was very spacious and had terrific modern touches, while retaining a traditional look -- e.g., very pretty tatami mat flooring that was heated, an air purifier/humidifier in a small in-room rock garden nook, etc.||||Of course, the best part was the private onsen bath connected to the room. The private onsen was VERY BIG (could easily fit several people) and had a wonderful view of nearby woods and koi ponds below. For anyone who wants to experience Japanese onsen together with their spouse or family, or who might be reticent about being in an onsen with strangers, I HIGHLY recommend Seifutei. It is essentially an entire private onsen area where you can relax at your convenience for the duration of your stay. We were particularly lucky as it started snowing during the night and we watched the snow come down while soaking in the onsen. Magical!||||As typical with ryokans (traditional Japanese style inns), Seifutei served two meals (dinner on check-in day and breakfast the next morning). These were included in the reservation price. Dinner was a kaiseki multi-course dinner and breakfast was Japanese style as well. These were among the best meals we had during our trip.||||Every member of the staff was incredibly kind, courteous, and helpful. The service we received was wonderful and exceeded our expectations time and again -- especially since we only knew a limited number of common Japanese phrases and probably fudged some etiquette during the dinner service (this being our first trip to Japan).||||My wife and I stayed at a few 5-star hotels in both Tokyo and Kyoto during our trip, and another ryokan with a private onsen, but our night at Seifutei tops them all. If I could give Seifutei 6 stars on Trip Advisor, I would! If you are coming to Japan, make time in your itinerary...

If you’re in the area this place is a must visit spot. The hospitality shown was incredible and they’re extremely accommodating even with a language barrier! I can tell that the staff looks at the reviews posted, meal courses are served at your desired pace. I took a day trip to this resort as a midway point for my visit to Japan and it served as a great refresher! If possible I’d recommend visiting in May, as cherry blossom trees are everywhere and is absolutely breathtaking. If you’ve never experience an Onsen, might as well go to one of the best ones around! An...

All the staffs at there were really warm and nice. And our room was big and clean. Futon is so fluffy and comfortable to sleep. Dinner and Breakfast were good too. Especially private big open-air bath outside of the room is awesome. At the night, watching a million stars in the sky and soak in the Onsen-water is.... speechless. Price is higher than other hotels around there. But worth a try!! If I have a chance to visit again there, I will stay at...