Yumeguri no Yado Yoshiharu — Hotel in Izunokuni

Izu is famous for hot springs and there are an incredible number of hot spring inns throughout the peninsula. What sets Yoshiharu apart from the rest is the number of private hot springs rooms throughout its spacious complex---each room with a different theme. ||||When you first book with Yoshiharu, you have the option of booking a regular room or a room with a private onsen on your terrace. But wait! there's more. In addition to the communal hot springs baths (one large men's and one large women's) there are also a number of small onsen rooms---each completely private and each with its own theme and garden and every guest can enjoy these private rooms no matter what kind of room they book.||||There is no need to reserve these small onsen rooms ahead of time. You simply part the noren curtains of the entryway to see if there are slippers outside the onsen room you want to try and if there are, it means that one is presently in use (doors are locked from the inside). So, you simply walk to the next room and do the same until you find an "empty" room and then it's yours for as long as you wish. After your finished, you can try another room. ||||You would think that with this system, the rooms would all be full, but we found this wasn't the case and only once did we have to wait more than 5min. for one of the rooms to empty. In case that happens, you can still enjoy the hotsprings while you wait because outside the rooms are low-set benches in front of which flows a hot springs stream with a nice garden. So, you dip your feet into the stream and enjoy while you wait for someone to come out of one of the private onsen rooms behind you. ||||Each of the rooms has a different theme---One has a long Japanese wooden tub with a Japanese garden, another has a more western-style look with a wooden deck and chairs and a jacuzzi, another has a cherry blossom theme, etc. etc. ||||With so many different hot springs to try at Yoshiharu, we didn't find time to try the stone sauna rooms or the spa treatments (separate fee required), but in any case, Yoshiharu not only enables it's guests to enjoy the hot spring waters, but to feel pampered doing so.||||Even though Yoshiharu has been around for a while, the facility has constantly been renovated and the rooms are Japanese tatami style and very comfortable (all surrounded by viewing gardens). Our room had new tatami mats which were still green. The only faults I could find were 1. A very slight moldy or musty smell in the room, but this went away by keeping the windows open and the screen doors shut to keep out any mosquitoes. (They provide mosquito coils as well so mosquitoes were not a problem as long as we kept these burning while we enjoyed drinks on our outside terrace). 2. The ceiling seems to be thin and sometimes we could hear a "thud" when other guests were walking around in the room above ours, but it wasn't very noticeable and was completely nonexistent by the time we went to bed.||||The dinner was a course dinner prepared in our room and with so many Japanese delicacies I can't remember them all, but especially enjoyed the grilled abalone, fresh fish and wonderful pickled vegetables. By the time the matcha pudding (made with local Shizuoka tea) rolled around we were already very full and satisfied. ||||Service was excellent and the staff are very attentive and very knowledgable about the local area. There are lots of staff on hand to help you with whatever you need. If you do stay at Yoshiharu, make sure to go to Panorama Park (only a 20 min walk away) which is a gondola ride to the peak of the highest point in the area. INCREDIBLE VIEW! You can even see the ocean!!||||Yoshiharu gets an excellent rating for: ||The private themed onsen, coupled with regular onsen which sets it apart from other Japanese inns. ||The excellent Japanese cuisine making full use of fresh local seasonal ingredients||The wonderful rooms||The excellent service and smiles||||Hope to...

My stay here was a treat from a friend of mine who was touring me around Japan. The goal was to experience true Japan and this was it. Yoshiharu is a jewel that seems to only be known by locals, no tourists. Check in is 3pm but because we were touring around, we were late and arrived around 7pm. The staff were worried about us and had tried contacting my friend to make sure we were okay. So sweet of them! The facilities were beautiful and so well kept in true Japanese fashion. They toured us through the whole place during checkin and provided yukatas for us to wear to dinner. Our meal in the formal dining room was a cool experience. It was a traditional meal with so many small portions that I lost count. Breakfast the next morning was also traditional so don’t expect anything “North American” in terms of food. There’s an onsen option for everyone. Being a bashful Canadian girl, the public bathhouse was not for me, but the private ones were great. The room was so neat to stay in with tatami floors. The staff set up our beds on the floor which were surprisingly comfortable. The staff were so friendly but spoke very little English if at all. It was good I had a friend who is Japanese with me to translate. Everything about this place is about tradition and authentic experience. My stay here was most definitely a highlight my...

My stay here was a treat from a friend of mine who was touring me around Japan. The goal was to experience true Japan and this was it. Yoshiharu is a jewel that seems to only be known by locals, no tourists. Check in is 3pm but because we were touring around, we were late and arrived around 7pm. The staff were worried about us and had tried contacting my friend to make sure we were okay. So sweet of them! The facilities were beautiful and so well kept in true Japanese fashion. They toured us through the whole place during checkin and provided yukatas for us to wear to dinner. Our meal in the formal dining room was a cool experience. It was a traditional meal with so many small portions that I lost count. Breakfast the next morning was also traditional so don’t expect anything “North American” in terms of food. There’s an onsen option for everyone. Being a bashful Canadian girl, the public bathhouse was not for me, but the private ones were great. The room was so neat to stay in with tatami floors. The staff set up our beds on the floor which were surprisingly comfortable. The staff were so friendly but spoke very little English if at all. It was good I had a friend who is Japanese with me to translate. Everything about this place is about tradition and authentic experience. My stay here was most definitely a highlight my...