Yumerindo — Hotel in Minamioguni

I see a few negative reviews here. I feel they are undeserved. I am from Toronto Canada married to a Hong Kong female in Hong Kong. I went with her parents and brother and uncle. Aside from her they don't speak English that well. I see a lot of "communication" complaints here, but yet with all i've just described here in my situation they, and myself were able to perfectly communicate with the Yumerindo staff. The only time I had a problem is when I couldn't get across what i wanted to say, however when I used basic VERY basic Japanese they understood right away.||||The staff||They did care despite other reviews saying they don't. They parked our car, they took our bags with care, took the time to explain(In English) the in's and out's of the hotel. The negative reviews i see here about them are undeserved.||||The Room||Basic room we had. It was nice and quaint. No complaints from me. Tatami mats were comfortable enough to walk around on and sleep on with the mattress they provide. ||||The Food||Fantastic food. My wife is a food snob, and she had zero complaints about the food. So for me who is far more basic in tastes i found this to be superb. Dinner and breakfast are great. Not many snacks or shops near by so buy some stuff from 7-11 or Lawson somewhere before heading in, if you need to snack through the night.||||The Onsen situation||There is a public one that's open most of the time. I can't remember when/if it closes. I didn't use this as i find getting naked with men unsettling. I used a private one. Which you book your time as you check in. You get 1 hr. VERY relaxing and nice. It was a bit cold air but that's ok added to the ambience. You can rebook a second session but it costs i think 500 yen per hour.||||My complaints would be the TV comes on automatically around 7AM or so, an hour before Breakfast is served at the restaurant. Which was a bit jarring as the volume was a bit of a higher level. Definitely their way of "wake up" call. ||||They came and took the beds away while we were having breakfast which was unfortunate as my wife wanted to head back to sleep after breakfast...

I see a few negative reviews here. I feel they are undeserved. I am from Toronto Canada married to a Hong Kong female in Hong Kong. I went with her parents and brother and uncle. Aside from her they don't speak English that well. I see a lot of "communication" complaints here, but yet with all i've just described here in my situation they, and myself were able to perfectly communicate with the Yumerindo staff. The only time I had a problem is when I couldn't get across what i wanted to say, however when I used basic VERY basic Japanese they understood right away.||||The staff||They did care despite other reviews saying they don't. They parked our car, they took our bags with care, took the time to explain(In English) the in's and out's of the hotel. The negative reviews i see here about them are undeserved.||||The Room||Basic room we had. It was nice and quaint. No complaints from me. Tatami mats were comfortable enough to walk around on and sleep on with the mattress they provide. ||||The Food||Fantastic food. My wife is a food snob, and she had zero complaints about the food. So for me who is far more basic in tastes i found this to be superb. Dinner and breakfast are great. Not many snacks or shops near by so buy some stuff from 7-11 or Lawson somewhere before heading in, if you need to snack through the night.||||The Onsen situation||There is a public one that's open most of the time. I can't remember when/if it closes. I didn't use this as i find getting naked with men unsettling. I used a private one. Which you book your time as you check in. You get 1 hr. VERY relaxing and nice. It was a bit cold air but that's ok added to the ambience. You can rebook a second session but it costs i think 500 yen per hour.||||My complaints would be the TV comes on automatically around 7AM or so, an hour before Breakfast is served at the restaurant. Which was a bit jarring as the volume was a bit of a higher level. Definitely their way of "wake up" call. ||||They came and took the beds away while we were having breakfast which was unfortunate as my wife wanted to head back to sleep after breakfast...

It's one of the more reasonable places to stay in Kurokawa. I stayed 2 nights and had a nice time, especially doing the onsen meguri. Good points: The hotel is a traditional building, peaceful and charming. I had a room with a little veranda, and sat listening to the sounds of the river and wildlife. The onsen itself is one of the better ones in the area. For men, the indoor bath is steamy with a 'healthy' feel, and the outdoor one is lovely (officially it's mixed bathing, but I only ever saw men in there). I came and went by highway bus. The coach stop is c.5 mins walk to the hotel so very convenient. The staff are nice and friendly. Breakfast, though I'm not a massive fan of breakfast in general and Japanese breakfasts specifically, was ample and beautifully presented. Caution: If, like me, you choose the B&B option, then dinner is a hassle to get in the village. There are only a couple of places open late, and these seem to be booked up or on holiday etc. There's a well stocked little local grocery / booze shop at the top of town where you can get a bento if you run out of options (open till 22.00). If I went again, I'd get dinner included. The above is also a good option for beer etc. The vending machine beers in the hotel are 460 for 300ml! (and they ran out and weren't restocked during my stay). The shop in the hotel doesn't stock alcohol, though there was a room service list in my room. CLEANING. At check-in, I said it was fine for my room not to be cleaned on the second day. That was my choice - I didn't care about housekeeping not putting away the bed, cleaning the sink and toilet etc. for a two-night stay. However, I did expect fresh towels, a new yukata, and perhaps a new rubbish bag in the bin.

Overall, it was a nice place to stay and enjoy Kurokawa onsen at an...