Sennen no Yu Gonzaemon — Hotel in Toyooka

I had the pleasure of staying here with 3 of my friends for one night during the long weekend. We had a little trouble finding it, but that was mostly because we were distracted by the many beautiful sights and shops that Kinosaki had to offer, all of which were well within walking distance of this cozy little ryokan.||||Upon finding the entrance, we were impressed by the mossy stone and tree-filled corridor that led us away from the busy energy of the main street and transported us to a place of comfort and peace. The reception was filled with several staff members waiting to greet us and show us to our room. Despite this, it was unbelievably quiet. Check in took a minute before we were shown to our room.||||The room was clean, brightly lit, and could accommodate all four of us. Though I found the ensuite bathroom to be a little small, that is only because I'm over six feet. My friends didn't seem to take any issue with it. Wifi was available in the room, and comfortable yukatas and traditional overcoats were provided for us to change into during our stay that really tied the whole experience together. If they don't have one that fits you in the room, you can call down to the front desk to request a larger size. I was thankfully able to get one that was long enough to accommodate my height!||||My only gripe was the fact that the mini fridge in our room was not for personal use but rather was full of beer, soda, and other drinks that would be charged to the room. We had opted to bring out own drinks, but others might find it convenient that they don't have to go to the corner store if they don't want to.||||While this ryokan is certainly more affordable than others, we had opted for a more expensive reservation that included a special seasonal dinner of snow crab, the local delicacy of Kinosaki during the winter. The reservation stated that each person would get 1.3 servings of crab. I wasn't sure what that meant but rest assured we all ate more than our fill of crab. No one left the table hungry. Rice, soup, salad, pickles, vegetables, and even beef were among the side dishes served along the SEVERAL courses of crab. Not only was everything delicious but beautifully presented. Great for those who love to Instagram their food~||||As with most of the local Ryokans, passes were provided for us to enjoy the many hot springs that the town had to offer, which we enjoyed thoroughly. It is absolutely recommended that you do this, or at least head out for an after-dinner stroll along the canal. This allows the hotel staff to come into your room to freshen things up and lay out the futon beds and duvets for the night. This meant that when we returned sleepy from our hot-spring baths, our beds were already made and waiting for us. We all slept in the same room, talking late into the night before settling down into a comfortable sleep.||||Then in the morning after breakfast, we went downstairs to the ryokan's own private baths to freshen up before our check out. Both the men's and women's baths have indoor and outdoor hot springs to enjoy.||||When checkout time came at 10am, we were reluctant to leave. We had a magical time and made many great memories even during our short stay. While it lacks a few of the more basic amenities that some might be used to from a more modern hotel, the trade-off is a traditional and authentic experience with eager and attentive service staff that are never more than a phone call away. ||||4/5 - Definately a solid choice of Ryokan for the price and the optional upgrade to the seasonal Crab feast is also worth...

I had the pleasure of staying here with 3 of my friends for one night during the long weekend. We had a little trouble finding it, but that was mostly because we were distracted by the many beautiful sights and shops that Kinosaki had to offer, all of which were well within walking distance of this cozy little ryokan.||||Upon finding the entrance, we were impressed by the mossy stone and tree-filled corridor that led us away from the busy energy of the main street and transported us to a place of comfort and peace. The reception was filled with several staff members waiting to greet us and show us to our room. Despite this, it was unbelievably quiet. Check in took a minute before we were shown to our room.||||The room was clean, brightly lit, and could accommodate all four of us. Though I found the ensuite bathroom to be a little small, that is only because I'm over six feet. My friends didn't seem to take any issue with it. Wifi was available in the room, and comfortable yukatas and traditional overcoats were provided for us to change into during our stay that really tied the whole experience together. If they don't have one that fits you in the room, you can call down to the front desk to request a larger size. I was thankfully able to get one that was long enough to accommodate my height!||||My only gripe was the fact that the mini fridge in our room was not for personal use but rather was full of beer, soda, and other drinks that would be charged to the room. We had opted to bring out own drinks, but others might find it convenient that they don't have to go to the corner store if they don't want to.||||While this ryokan is certainly more affordable than others, we had opted for a more expensive reservation that included a special seasonal dinner of snow crab, the local delicacy of Kinosaki during the winter. The reservation stated that each person would get 1.3 servings of crab. I wasn't sure what that meant but rest assured we all ate more than our fill of crab. No one left the table hungry. Rice, soup, salad, pickles, vegetables, and even beef were among the side dishes served along the SEVERAL courses of crab. Not only was everything delicious but beautifully presented. Great for those who love to Instagram their food~||||As with most of the local Ryokans, passes were provided for us to enjoy the many hot springs that the town had to offer, which we enjoyed thoroughly. It is absolutely recommended that you do this, or at least head out for an after-dinner stroll along the canal. This allows the hotel staff to come into your room to freshen things up and lay out the futon beds and duvets for the night. This meant that when we returned sleepy from our hot-spring baths, our beds were already made and waiting for us. We all slept in the same room, talking late into the night before settling down into a comfortable sleep.||||Then in the morning after breakfast, we went downstairs to the ryokan's own private baths to freshen up before our check out. Both the men's and women's baths have indoor and outdoor hot springs to enjoy.||||When checkout time came at 10am, we were reluctant to leave. We had a magical time and made many great memories even during our short stay. While it lacks a few of the more basic amenities that some might be used to from a more modern hotel, the trade-off is a traditional and authentic experience with eager and attentive service staff that are never more than a phone call away. ||||4/5 - Definately a solid choice of Ryokan for the price and the optional upgrade to the seasonal Crab feast is also worth...

We are budget travelers and this ryokan was the most economical we could find on a Saturday night in April. Note that economical doesn't mean cheap and even the price we paid, it was one of the best accommodations we had in our trip to Japan. ||||The staff was extremely attentive. They have two private onsens in house (one for male, one for female), but you get to use 7 of the town's onsens for free with the stay. ||||We went with a kinosaki dinner + lunch plan and both of the meals exceeded our expectation. ||||The room we got was roomy with a small section to drink some tea. Toilet was ensuite. Location is superb,right across from 2 of the 7 onsens by the canal... you can walk everywhere in the town. They also provide a free shuttle to the train station, but walking will be just 10-15 minutes.||||I can't think of anything bad about this hotel. The only thing is when I made a booking, we got a room that says smoking. I checked with the agency and realized that they don't have a non-smoking room, which is the case for many ryokan in Japan. Don't be put off by this as you can notify them that you are non-smokers and they will make sure to freshen the room. We didn't notice any smoke in our room at all.||||Be sure to book well in advance as this is a...