Wakamatsuya — Hotel in Yamagata

This is a traditional style Japanese hotel where the main attractions are the onsen, the food and of course the skiing and snow monsters in winter. ||The rooms were typical tatami rooms that were very clean and comfortable. We were on the fourth floor and the view was great. The room had Japanese TV but unfortunately no WiFi, however free WiFi was available in the lounge area located in the foyer. Furnishing was a traditional table replaced by futons laid out at night and put away in the morning. There was also a smaller table and chairs provided next to the window to take advantage of the view.There was a bar fridge with a few beers and sake for sale but with a convenience store locate about a three minute walk away, we stocked up from there. Bathroom and toilet were separate and were on the larger size for Japanese accommodation.||Breakfast and dinner were included in the price of the room and served in the restaurant on level two. Although there were other customers, screening made it seem quite private. The food served was a traditional style breakfast (pickles, rice, miso, fish, fruit, etc) and dinner was either keiseki, shabu shabu or nabe for the three nights we stayed. All the food was fantastic, generous and focused on fresh local ingredients. They only issue we had was eating too much! ||The onsens consisted of three different baths, two outside and one inside. The male and females were exactly the same layout and set up. There was also a private onsen so you could enjoy as a couple or family. There was no booking system so it was a bit hit and miss to find if it was available (a possible improvement). Even though the hotel was at full capacity (we visited on a national holiday weekend) the onsens were only busy at the peak hours just before and after meal times. The water was one of the stronger I have encountered with a distinct sulphur smell but for me wasn't an issue. A word of warning, all my girlfriends silver jewellery turned black from the sulphur and that was just from exposure walking around town, I would suggest you keep it put away for your trip. Gold was fine.||Location was convenient to the ski fields with about a five minute walk to the closest gondola. They offered a free shuttle service to/from the bus station and to anywhere in town you asked. They also had some agreements with local ski places for discounts. It was centrally located so an easy stroll got you to a variety of izakayas and other places of interest including the many public onsens dotted around town. English was not a strong point but the service was extremely friendly and helpful. Definitely a great experience in a fantastic location I...

arrived at zao waka no yado wakamatsuya on 3.11.2023

becos they were repairing the bridge we had a really tortuous detour & got a bit lost with the car gps

finally parked & walked to ryokan

ryokan very good service..the service guy walked with me to drive the car back over. also helped to send off 2 luggage to our tokyo hotel so we just travel backpack for next 2days

this really an onsen town smelling of sulphur & onsen water flowing through town

onsen at wake ryokan quite good one indoor 2 outdoors not much views but nicely designed..quite small only 5 shower slots

the lobby lounge provided coffee tea and drinks and also a variety of desserts-jelly, yogurt, milk

a fine kaiseki dinner

1 taro tofu ok 2 saba kyoto style pressed sushi ok not my favourite..dry fish flavourful with lime but tough, eggplant always good, chestnut great 3 the special hotpot with konjak and vegetables very tasty dashi 4 Yamagata beef excellent 5 sashimi was very good but forgot to take photo of akaebi and tako..buri was very good 6 tempura good standard 7 Yamagata snow pig shabu shabu was good 👍🏻looked fat but not so marbled taste good 8 kani kamameshi quite poor not much taste and not much crab meat mostly overcooked-this poorest dish…pickles ok 9 pumpkin dessert joint poorest dish

over good kaiseki dinner not among the best

nice breakfast @ zao waka no yado wakamatsuya

among the better breakfast 👍🏻

jogakura still the best

after brekkie we went out to get a...

The ryokan is close to both the Zao Bus station as well as the middle chairlift/ropeway, and is pretty much in the centre of the town area. They do provide transport to and from the bus station as well as the ski areas if you call them.||On checking in, we were offered a local "tea", and as we were early, they kept our suitcases and subsequently took them to our room. The rooms were comfortable, with facilities attached.||There is a private onsen, although that is on the dark side, whereas there are also three baths in the gender segregated onsens (one indoor, two outdoors). The onsen is highly acidic and sulphurish, so beware of tarnishing jewelry! I had no problems with the heat levels, although this is one of the hotter onsen (tip: the smaller outdoor onsen is the coolest, and it helps if you rinse with some of the water before getting in).||The meals were excellent, with good variety each day, serving the local...