Motokawarayu Inn — Hotel in Okura

Location||Hijiori Onsen Town||I see this is the only hotel by the river along the village houses. A small road separates the other 2 hotels and the river. The rest of the hotels, inns and shops are located side by side and opposite one another along a long wide alley where cars and vans can pass. ||It’s very convenient in this small village where you can walk everywhere. ||||Hotel is 4 storey and I am surprised that it has an elevator!||I have a twin bed room facing the flowing river. Some rooms are Japanese style and some rooms face the carpark. ||Very clean and cosy environment. ||Indoor Hotspring bath is on the 4th level. A private bath is on the ground floor where you can open the window to the running river and fresh air. It has an interesting reservation system, given a wooden block to slot into the board on the wall at the entrance of the private bath. ||||Meals ||Breakfast and Dinner are served ryokan style in the private dinning rooms. Super delicious with many many courses!||||Helpful and cheerful staff who speak little English. ||Staff Junya was at the reception when he saw me struggling to make a walk in reservation with another lady.|| I understand no Japanese besides Good Morning and Thank you. ||When I returned to check in, he has Google Translate on his handphone, he just put it in. Junya shows such initiative in serving foreign guests. I follow him and download Google Translate too. ||He has another older female colleague who is also very helpful and can speak a few phrases in English.||She’ll remind me in English, ‘Dinner 6 o’clock.’ ||She saw me and Junya talking into the phone to communicate when he served me dinner. ||So when she served me dinner on my 2nd night, she pointed to my handphone to use Google Translate and she talked into the phone to explain every dish! So adorable old lady willing to learn at her age. ||||I’m enjoying my stay here very much, very relaxing and well served by Junya and his colleague. ||So come even if you do not speak the Japanese language like me, Junya has...

Location||Hijiori Onsen Town||I see this is the only hotel by the river along the village houses. A small road separates the other 2 hotels and the river. The rest of the hotels, inns and shops are located side by side and opposite one another along a long wide alley where cars and vans can pass. ||It’s very convenient in this small village where you can walk everywhere. ||||Hotel is 4 storey and I am surprised that it has an elevator!||I have a twin bed room facing the flowing river. Some rooms are Japanese style and some rooms face the carpark. ||Very clean and cosy environment. ||Indoor Hotspring bath is on the 4th level. A private bath is on the ground floor where you can open the window to the running river and fresh air. It has an interesting reservation system, given a wooden block to slot into the board on the wall at the entrance of the private bath. ||||Meals ||Breakfast and Dinner are served ryokan style in the private dinning rooms. Super delicious with many many courses!||||Helpful and cheerful staff who speak little English. ||Staff Junya was at the reception when he saw me struggling to make a walk in reservation with another lady.|| I understand no Japanese besides Good Morning and Thank you. ||When I returned to check in, he has Google Translate on his handphone, he just put it in. Junya shows such initiative in serving foreign guests. I follow him and download Google Translate too. ||He has another older female colleague who is also very helpful and can speak a few phrases in English.||She’ll remind me in English, ‘Dinner 6 o’clock.’ ||She saw me and Junya talking into the phone to communicate when he served me dinner. ||So when she served me dinner on my 2nd night, she pointed to my handphone to use Google Translate and she talked into the phone to explain every dish! So adorable old lady willing to learn at her age. ||||I’m enjoying my stay here very much, very relaxing and well served by Junya and his colleague. ||So come even if you do not speak the Japanese language like me, Junya has...

緊急事態宣言が解除されたので、秘湯を守る会のスタンプ集めのため、宿泊しました。秘湯を守る会の公式サイトで日程と凡そのエリアを指定して検索し、出てきた候補の中から選んだのがこの宿です。||||肘折温泉は新庄市内からクルマで４０分程度。最後、温泉街に降りる急斜面に掛かるループ状の橋がちょっと珍しい造りです。おそらくこの橋が無いと、冬季はクルマでのアクセスが困難なのでしょう。尚、南側の寒河江方面に抜ける道は、工事のために長期通行止めとなっていました。||||狭い温泉街の道を進んでいくと、川に面した四階建ての建物がこの宿です。秘湯の会の宿によくある、鄙びた田舎の一軒宿的な雰囲気ではありません。古くからある温泉街の老舗宿といった感じです。外観はそこそこ年季が入った感じですが、中はきれいにリニューアルされています。||||案内されたのは一階川側の畳貼りツインルーム。反対側の部屋は駐車場に面しているので、川側の方がいい部屋でしょう。カメムシが入ってくるので窓は開けずエアコンを使うように、と予め言われました。トイレの中に洗面台があって、行くにはスリッパを履いて一旦部屋から外に出る必要がある、面白い間取りでした。||||きれいに清掃はされていましたが、前客の使ったらしい歯ブラシが床に落ちているなど、ちょっと目の届かないところがあるようです。この宿、殆どご家族だけで営まれているのか、表に出てくるのは男女御二人だけでした。他に裏方で作業をしている方がいるようでしたが、食事時など結構客が多いのによく二人で切り盛りしているなと感心した次第です。||||浴室は四階にある展望風呂と、一階の貸切風呂の二ヶ所。貸切風呂は自家源泉だけを使用していて、二種類の源泉を混合した展望風呂とは泉質が異なっています。どちらも源泉掛け流しで、塩素消毒等はしていないようでした。泉質名は「ナトリウム－炭酸水素塩・塩化物泉」（自家源泉）。茶褐色で少し金気臭のする温泉です。よく暖まる、秘湯の会の加盟宿らしい温泉でした。||||食事の方は、夕食朝食共に二階の食事処で。囲炉裏が売りのようですが、全ての席にあるわけではありません。コロナ対策として、多少席の間隔を広く取っているようでしたが、席の間の遮蔽板はごく一部を除いてありませんでした。||||料理の方は品数、味、ボリューム共に申し分なく、山形らしい料理を堪能することができます。ただ、お値段の方もそれに合わせて若干高くなっているようです。標準的な宿泊プランで泊まりましたが、今回の旅で泊った他の秘湯の会の宿（いずれも標準プランで宿泊）と比べると、一泊一人２千円程度割高な設定でした。||||肘折温泉に再訪する時には、候補に挙げていい宿だと思いました。自家源泉を集中供給されるお湯とは別に持っているのは強みでしょう。ただ、前述のように人手不足の感は否めないので、きめ細かな応対を求める向きにはちょっ...