Ikaho Onsen Oyado Tamaki — Hotel in Shibukawa

I stayed for two nights as a solo traveler at the ryokan Oyado Tamaki in Ikaho. ||It was very easy to reach by bus from Tokyo as there is a highway bus several times a day directly from Shinjuku to just outside the hotel.||Oyado Tamaki is located at the bottom of the big stone staircase that apparently has 365 steps and that is one of the main attractions of Ikaho Onsen. When I was there. the town was quiet, but apparently it is a little busier in the weekend.||From the reception area to the hallways, bathing area, restauranr and rooms, all areas were very clean and well kept. ||The room I stayed in was pleasant and just the right size with the only flaw that during my first night at around 1am there was a patron from a bar closeby the hotel who for some reason was phoning someone for over 30 minutes in such a loud voice that I could almost follow his side of the conversation even though my window was closed, but I will definately not hold that agains the ryokan as it was just a case of bad luck and I should have contacted the front office so they could stop it.||The food at the ryokan is excellent but you do have the risk of overeating as the meals are quite big. All products had obviously been carefully selected and having dinner and breakfast there twice the chef had taken care that each meal had some dishes in it that had not been in previous meals.||There were two bathing areas and they were switched daily for use by male or female guests. I especially liked the outside bathing area facing away from the village that gave a really nice view over the valley beyond. The water temperature was a bit hot for me so unfortunately I couldnt stay in the baths for a very long time, but I did enjoy my evening and morning bathing time very much.||I also had a chance to use the esthetic salon, having made a reservation for the stone sauna on my first night and a facial treatment the second night. Although I wasnt certain where to go at first, one I crossed that hurdle the experiences were very nice and relaxing. ||The staff of the ryokan was extremely friendly and caring. They were there with a friendly smile from the moment a guest walked in the door until the final goodbye after check out to take care of every need and were always quick to provide an answer to any question I had.||All in all it was a very pleasant experience and I hope to repeat my visit some time soon. Maybe then I will also rent a car so that I can venture out to other areas in the...

We stayed at Oyado Tamaki for 3 nights and would highly recommend!

The hospitality, food and ambience were amazing. The ryokan perfectly balances traditional Japanese styles with modern touches and we had a very comfortable stay. The rooms we stayed in had views of the mountains and stone steps, which created a lovely atmosphere. Big plus was that the whole ryokan and rooms were very clean. Each room is different and has its own charm and personal touches. The rooms also look even better than the photos.

The staff were attentive, welcoming and accommodating. We had members in our party with some dietary restrictions, and they were able to accommodate (we wrote in a request in advance) and the meals were just as creative and delicious! We previously saw comments that meal portions were too small, but that wasn't the case for us at all! If anything, we found dinner to be quite filling. Breakfast was the perfect portion.

The whole ryokan had a peaceful and relaxing atmosphere with little corners to enjoy view and the small touches by the staff made our stay feel personalised and cozy.

It's also just 2 minutes away from the stone steps, where the shops in Ikaho are concentrated, making it very convenient.

We went during winter and it snowed the first day we arrived, which made the journey from the bus stop to the Ryokan a bit dangerous as the roads are quite narrow and steep and we ended up slipping quite a bit. I'd recommend requesting a pick-up /drop off if it's snowing. The view of the stone steps with snow was stunning though!

The hospitality is really worth mentioning twice - at the end of our stay, the owner (I think) and staff saw us off and it was overall just a very enjoyable and...

Warm, excellent hospitality, delicately assorted food which excells most ryokan inns, and such relaxing atmosphere are all equipped at Oyado Tamaki. I love it for not being too large (there's only one elevator, so you don't get lost), and not too small (there're spaces you can sit and rest here and there, beside your own guest room), good balance! They have both Japanese type and Western type guest rooms, so you can choose either of them. The whole ryokan is so clean, well maintained, and especially impressive is the tatami-mat pass way (usually it's only rooms which have tatami mat, but here pass way is also tatami, which means, you can walk barefoot in the whole ryokan!), and little charming heartwarming interiors, which make guests feel welcome. Internet connection is available (they offer Wi-Fi for free, ask the staff for password). ||As to Ikaho also, I should describe some.For people who stay or live in Tokyo, Ikaho would be one of the best Onsen mini-break destinations. Among many others, Ikaho is nicely located even though you need a car from train station to ryokan inn (You can travel by Shinkansen and local train, also, there's a direct bus from Tokyo). One thing I should mention is restaurants are hardly found, so it's better not to think about dining out, stay in Ryokan wearing Yukata (japanese light robe), take time in onsen (there"s outdoor bath, private bath, too), fully enjoy Ryokan LIfe, for it...