syoenso hozukawatei — Hotel in Kameoka

I regret to inform future patrons of Syoenso-Hozugawatei, owned by Okumura Junko, that my recent stay at this onsen was an utter disappointment and a gross violation of trust. Despite the serene ambiance and purported hospitality, my friends and I endured a night marred by egregious misconduct and neglectful management.

Upon arrival, we were already wary due to a previous review detailing incidents of staff stealing money/items from guests' bags while at dinner. Heeding this warning, we took precautions, carrying our valuables and passports to dinner. Furthermore, I meticulously secured my duffel bag in a distinct manner and even documented its arrangement, only to find upon our return that it had been tampered with, its contents disturbed. See attached photos of my duffel bag, before and after we went to dinner. I also included pictures from dinner and the gift shop in between to illustrate the timeline of our movements.

Confronting the staff, we were met with an English-speaking employee who relayed our concerns to the owner, Okumura Junko. While initially empathetic, Junko's assurances of resolution were hollow. She acknowledged similar past occurrences of theft and promised to address the issue with employees, but she failed to offer any tangible solutions or reassurances of security.

The next morning, our discomfort persisted as we sought an update, only to be met with evasion and incompetence from the staff. Junko’s feigned ignorance and lack of accountability were disgraceful, further compounded by her refusal to take meaningful action or offer recompense for our time wasted dealing with this issue / distressing experience at the onsen. As we were leaving she offered me a business card and said I could email her, but there is literally not an email on the business card—yet another disappointment.

In conclusion, I’m sad to report thay Syoenso-Hozugawatei is not only plagued by internal theft but also characterized by woeful mismanagement. Prospective visitors beware: your belongings are not safe here, and any expectation of peace of mind is sorely misplaced. This experience tarnished what should have been a tranquil retreat, rendering it a regrettable and disheartening chapter in our travels through Japan.

P.S. Amidst the disappointment and frustration, it's worth acknowledging the one redeeming aspect of Syoenso-Hozugawatei: the baths themselves were undeniably beautiful. However, even this small consolation is overshadowed by the egregious breach of trust and poor management that...

(Additional photos. added in June, 2024; stayed at the hotel in October 2023)

Japanese Style Room with Open Air Bath, stayed there for 2 nights.

Very frustrated! Requested for a ride at 3:30 p.m. when I made the reservation. Received no confirmation email a few days before check-in. So, I expected everything should have been set-up properly. We were at the Kameoka Station before 3:10 p.m. on the day, waited for more than half an hour and no shuttle bus showed up. We tried to contact the hotel using FB Messenger but received no reply. Felt desperate & tried to call Uber or taxi. Then at around 3:45 p.m. the shuttle bus eventually arrived. The driver did not explain why the bus was late nor give us any apology! He just sort of asked us to 'hurry-up'. I thought maybe some people were late at the previous stop. I understand sometimes there would be some delays. However, what I felt mad was, the driver should notify the hotel staff & someone should email us immediately telling us the bus would be a bit late so as to give us some peace of mind. We did not mind waiting for a bit, but we felt miserable when we were waiting at a place which we were not familiar with & did not know what was going on! So, we arrived at the hotel at around 4:15 p.m., got settled down a bit and then had dinner at 6:30 p.m.. Talking about the check-out time. This hotel has a check-out policy at 10 a.m. instead of 11 a.m. which many hotels at Kyoto have. However, if you need a ride to the Kameoka Station, the last check-out time was around 9:30 a.m. We stayed there for 2 nights. So, we had enough time to enjoy the private open-bath. If you only stay for a night, you can imagine how long you can enjoy it (taking into consideration that you would spend long time having dinner &...

Overall, had a great experience at Syoenso Hozugawatei Ryokan in Kameoka, Japan. ||||Location: A bit out of the way (15mins to Kameoka JR station, then another 20mins to Kyoto), but we wanted to get away from the city and enjoy being in a more nature setting. A beautiful, rural area with a scenic train ride from/to Kyoto.||||Hotel: the hotel and rooms are a bit dated, you can see the wear and tear, and there was a noticeable smoking-room smell in the first room we were put in. Hotel front desk manager was very accommodating when we requested a non-smoking room. The bathroom of our non-smoking room had a different odor, which they immediately cleaned upon request the next day. But keep in the mind, the whole Ryokan/facility is a smoking establishment, so guests are permitted to smoke in the hotel, including in the lobby and other public areas.||||Service: friendly and courteous staff, try to go out of their way to make your stay pleasant.||||Food: tasty, fresh and meticulously prepared. We opted for both dinner (kaiseki) and breakfast during our stay. Both meals were delicious, and well prepared.||||Onsen: Excellent overall. Multiple onsens available to choose from. Robes, towels, etc. all provided by the hotel. Really liked the fact that the onsens were on premises, and just a short stroll thru the hotel to access.||||Transportation: They provided timely and complimentary shuttle pick up and drop off services. They confirmed pick up time (at Kameoka JR station) via email.||||A little investment (updating and renovation of the hotel rooms), and clearly designating smoking areas (separate from public areas) could really make this resort...