Kamenoi Hotel Tsukubasan — Hotel in Tsukuba

I booked this a bit last moment and payed 30,000 yen for two people for one night. For that price range, this was probably one of the least good hotels/ryokansI stayed in Japan.||||The Good:||||-Room||-- We booked a Japanese style tatami room and it was more or less what you would expect. But it had a very nice view of the Kanto plain which gives it a very good edge.||||-Location||--Just by the Tsukuba shrine, it's probably one of the best locations at least within Ibaraki.||||||The Not-So-Good||--Food||Dinner (which was included in the price) is good volume-wise but very average for quality. The sashimi was not too fresh, and overall it didn't meet the expectations you have from a good Ryokan in Japan.||||--Service||This is a Japanese Ryokan, so we start from a very high benchmark. If it was any other country I would rate the service excellent, but compared to the experience I had in other Ryokans in Japan this was a bit below average. The restaurant staff were a bit rough around the edges, it took a bit of time to get their attention and it didn't feel like the professionalism you often see in similar places. Note that nobody could speak English but that's something you would expect.||||-Traditional||If you are a foreigner looking for a traditional Ryokan, this is probably not good for you.||||||The Bad||-- Onsen||The onsen was a bit of a disappointment. They have 3 baths, which they rotate between men and women.||||There is one at the roof, which is supposed to have very nice view, but you couldn't really see much, the water was too hot, smelled of chlorine and had no amenities. The bath itself was very small and there were 3 other guys inside when I went and we could barely fit.||||There is one on the 2nd floor which has a small inside bath and an outside bath which is under reconstruction. The water was nurui (lukewarm) and again smelled of chemicals. Besides the water the amenities of the onsen was quite average.||||Lastly there was one on the 1st floor which was a roman bath theme with an outside bath. This is probably the best of the three but again the water was not great and also it felt a bit fake.||||||In summary, what I look in a Ryokan is the food and the onsen both of which were a bit below my...

Pleasant Stay with Excellent Service at KAMENOI HOTEL Tsukubasan

We had a pleasant and comfortable 3-day, 2-night stay at KAMENOI HOTEL Tsukubasan (13-15 May 2025). The room was spacious and clean overall, providing a relaxing space after our daily outings.

On our first night, we did encounter an issue—there were many fine hairs found under the blanket, which caused some skin irritation for my spouse. However, we were impressed by how quickly the housekeeping team responded. They promptly changed the bedsheets and even provided a topical medicine for the irritation. The staff member kindly assured us that if the irritation didn’t improve, we could reach out again for further assistance.

The hotel’s onsen facilities include only an open-air bath, which alternates between male and female guests depending on the time of day. Do note that there are no private onsen options available. While the buffet selection remained the same each day, the meals were satisfying.

We would also like to highlight the exceptional service from Omori San at the front desk. He was incredibly helpful, offering detailed local information and proactively assisting with our luggage courier arrangements. His professionalism and hospitality made our stay smooth and worry-free.

Thank you to the entire team for your warm service. Despite the minor issue, we appreciated the swift response and would consider returning...

Update... they have quite the nice buffet which I recommend. They are NOT a big resort, but the smaller dining area is so much nicer.i forgot to mention that the seventh floor bath is an infinity pool with a great sunset view of the area with the Tokyo skyline on the horizon.

Located on the mountainside of My Tsukuba, this Onsen hotel is a pretty good experience. The rooms are nice with a room safe. Most basic entities are in the room or available in the lobby. There are three bath locations: first floor, second floor, and seventh floor. The first floor has both an indoor and outdoor bath, but the post bath amenities are limited. Basically body lotion, soap, and a hair drier. The seventh floor has a really nice view all the way to see Tokyo. But the washing stations there are limited in number. In general the water temperature is not super hot, so if you like baths of different temperature, then you will be disappointed. However, for the basic Onsen experience, out in the country, and nice views, this place is a...