Sagasawakan — Hotel in Izu

I have been to a few high-end onsens...and this one was excellent in many regards.||||First, the property...it is not a very old ryokan...was told that this was built after the war...which in Japan is modern. However, the layout is pretty traditional. We chose a room with an outdoor private bath...which was very peaceful at 5:00 AM (jet lag :-) with all the noises of birds and of course, the river. If you are not used to the Japanese traditional house, the room might be a little uncomfortable at first...the bedding is futon that the staff prepares for you...it was very comfortable. The level of the property is pretty much a 5 star as onsen's go. There are many onsen baths at the property, both indoor and outdoor..very nice. They are single sex and there are set schedules that switch from men to women. If you want to bathe with your SO, you can reserve one of the two small private baths...but they are very small and not too inviting, especially the jet tub one. There is also an outdoor swimming pool...not too large but with the onsen pools, you will probably not be interested in the pool...unless you have kids.||||The location is interesting. The Kano river flows in front of the Ryokan. I can still hear the water running in my head...and the insect and bird sounds...very peaceful. There is a small temple within short walking distance. The approach to the ryokan is unassuming. Off a small road that does not suggest that a nice onsen is located there. We were greeted by a nice staff person who wanted to use a wicker buggy for transporting all the luggage...reminded me of Victorian baby buggies...you have to see this unique feature, along with the old lady bell person in uniforms, that sets an old Victorian atmosphere to the place. There is not a lot of stuff to do within waking distance there...but you will probably not want to leave the Onsen...but if you are one of those people who want to explore the surrounding areas by walking, you might be disappointed...it is in the middle of the countryside.||||Service is pretty much what you expect from a high-end onsen in Japan. Breakfast and dinner are served at private dining rooms upstairs. While you eat they will clean the room and set-up/store the futon. All done seamlessly and without you being aware of it...all part of the onsen experience. The guests are mostly Japanese...we did not see any foreigners while we were there...as a result, the staff mostly do not speak English.||||Of course, the meals are included...breakfast and dinners are the usual Japanese kaiseki fare. I found the dinners to be a little too much raw fish/shell-fish/sea-snail...I am an open-minded eater..and enjoy sashimi but a couple of the courses (from the approximately 15 courses) were a bit of a challenge. My son who is not so adventurous eater ended up not eating half of the courses...which was such a shame since they are very high quality. If you have not experienced the onsen kaiseki, this will be such an amazing dining experience. The breakfast had a choice of Japanese style or American style...so if you get overdosed on fish for dinner, you can go for eggs, bacon, yogurt, fruits for breakfast.||||Get here, change into a yukata provided (don't wear underwear for that traditional freeing experience :-), unplug, drink the tea and snacks, take nice long baths in the many onsen baths...open the window and listen to the insects and birds...unwind and forget that the world outside this...

I have been to a few high-end onsens...and this one was excellent in many regards.||||First, the property...it is not a very old ryokan...was told that this was built after the war...which in Japan is modern. However, the layout is pretty traditional. We chose a room with an outdoor private bath...which was very peaceful at 5:00 AM (jet lag :-) with all the noises of birds and of course, the river. If you are not used to the Japanese traditional house, the room might be a little uncomfortable at first...the bedding is futon that the staff prepares for you...it was very comfortable. The level of the property is pretty much a 5 star as onsen's go. There are many onsen baths at the property, both indoor and outdoor..very nice. They are single sex and there are set schedules that switch from men to women. If you want to bathe with your SO, you can reserve one of the two small private baths...but they are very small and not too inviting, especially the jet tub one. There is also an outdoor swimming pool...not too large but with the onsen pools, you will probably not be interested in the pool...unless you have kids.||||The location is interesting. The Kano river flows in front of the Ryokan. I can still hear the water running in my head...and the insect and bird sounds...very peaceful. There is a small temple within short walking distance. The approach to the ryokan is unassuming. Off a small road that does not suggest that a nice onsen is located there. We were greeted by a nice staff person who wanted to use a wicker buggy for transporting all the luggage...reminded me of Victorian baby buggies...you have to see this unique feature, along with the old lady bell person in uniforms, that sets an old Victorian atmosphere to the place. There is not a lot of stuff to do within waking distance there...but you will probably not want to leave the Onsen...but if you are one of those people who want to explore the surrounding areas by walking, you might be disappointed...it is in the middle of the countryside.||||Service is pretty much what you expect from a high-end onsen in Japan. Breakfast and dinner are served at private dining rooms upstairs. While you eat they will clean the room and set-up/store the futon. All done seamlessly and without you being aware of it...all part of the onsen experience. The guests are mostly Japanese...we did not see any foreigners while we were there...as a result, the staff mostly do not speak English.||||Of course, the meals are included...breakfast and dinners are the usual Japanese kaiseki fare. I found the dinners to be a little too much raw fish/shell-fish/sea-snail...I am an open-minded eater..and enjoy sashimi but a couple of the courses (from the approximately 15 courses) were a bit of a challenge. My son who is not so adventurous eater ended up not eating half of the courses...which was such a shame since they are very high quality. If you have not experienced the onsen kaiseki, this will be such an amazing dining experience. The breakfast had a choice of Japanese style or American style...so if you get overdosed on fish for dinner, you can go for eggs, bacon, yogurt, fruits for breakfast.||||Get here, change into a yukata provided (don't wear underwear for that traditional freeing experience :-), unplug, drink the tea and snacks, take nice long baths in the many onsen baths...open the window and listen to the insects and birds...unwind and forget that the world outside this...

We took a 3 hour trip from Tokyo to visit Sagasawakan, in the picturesque hot spring countryside surrounded by amazing views of the rivers, fields, trees and mountains. Taking the Shinkansen, then train, then bus, we were pleasantly surprised to be greeted at the Bus Stop and guided into the Ryokan (taking in our luggage as well). Such amazing service at arrival set the bar for which the staff at Sagasawakan easily matched. ||||Once we checked in we were provided with a guide who also acted as our server during our stay. She provided great service, and while English communication wasn't 100%, her effort, and attitude were outstanding, and the English was good enough that we understood the facilities available to us, and all other information relevant to our stay. When booking, we were unaware of the bookable private hotsprings (outdoor / jaccuzi ), so it was a pleasant surprise when our guide advised us that we could book each of them for 40 minutes free of charge as part of our stay. I have stayed in 5 star hotels, and I would say the service was comparable. ||||||We stayed in the traditional Japanese Room with the private onsen bath. The room was clean, and tidy, and very cozy and comfortable. The experience felt very traditional Japanese, which is exactly what we were looking for in a Ryokan. Our room had a view of the river outside, and you could hear the sounds of nature and water flowing.||||The entire Sagasawakan Inn was surprisingly larger than expected, and there were atleast 5 other public onsens, in conjunction with the 2 private bookable ones. There are many places to relax in the ryokan in the common areas, with amazing natural views. The Gift Shop was also quite extensive. ||||||As part of our stay, we chose the kaiseki dinner and breakfast package, and it was an amazing dinner. The quality of food, variety and the amount all were outstanding. Comparable to Michelin star set courses I have had previously. Dinner was served in a private dining room with me and my partner. There were multiple courses which were all perfectly explained to us, and it was a great experience. We enjoyed the extensive amount of seafood served at dinner, but there were some things that i can understand less adventurous people may not enjoy so much. All the food was fresh and of excellent quality.||||Prior to checkout we were advised of thier free shuttle bus back to...