Wado — Local services in Chichibu

Update May 2024:

Because of our wonderful stay last September, we decided to visit Wado Onsen again this year. This time, we stayed for 2 nights. The first night we had the "basic dinner" set. Like before, the rooms and baths were exceptional, and the staff were very welcoming. We talked to the staff about nearby activities including Mitsumine shrine and Wado Strawberry Farm. One staff was very friendly to my young daughter and made attempts to communicate and greet her.

The second night we ordered the Kaiseki menu. Unfortunately, the server that night was a bit off, even for my Canadian standards for customer service. Although my Japanese is not very good, the server did not make any attempt to communicate with me or even make any eye contact. Nor did he greet my child or acknowledge her. The server was very loud when putting down dishes, and because they waited so long in-between servings, many of our dishes were cold. The server was very loud in putting dishes away outside our dining room. I think this kind of service is normal for me as a Canadian, but I have been to many Ryokan all around Chichibu and this was the first time I felt that the server did not embody Japanese Ryokan "omotenashi" spirit. Even I could tell that this service was not standard when compared to other Ryokan and my spouse echoed my sentiments.

Other than the server on the second night, the rest of the staff and service was exceptional.

First visit, September 2023:

An "upscale" ryokan that may be more preferable to those looking for a mix of western amenities and Japanese baths. The food was amazing, with flavours that are a bit more bold that traditional ryokan kaiseki. The service was impeccable, and the baths themselves were spacious and modern.

They have a bus service to and from Wado station, and from there it's a short train ride to either Chichibu or Nagatoro. There are also many shrines, hiking trails, and other activities in the area.

Definitely consider Wado if you are looking for a relaxing getaway in Japan that's off the...

Have been to Wado 8 or 9 times with my Japanese family & friends. I recommend the inn and its atmosphere, delicious food and efficient staff. To get there, its a fairly simple trip from Tokyo: take a Seibu-line train to Chichibu and stroll 5-10 minutes to the Chichibu local train station, then go to Wado Kuroya station (a small waiting room & a platform), where if you call the inn, theyll send a van for you. ||I dont think staff is fluent in English, but if you have simple questions such as times for dinner & breakfast, and some ready phrases in Japanese, Im sure its do-able!||Rooms vary in size & price, & you can get futons on tatami floors or western-style beds; both are quite nice, but I love the traditional futons. Rooms are always clean and if there was a smoker in the room, its hard to tell. But Japan is not as good on non-smoking areas as I wish! ||This is actually kosen thermal water, (not on-sen water, which is much hotter) and the baths are wonderfully relaxing. You can get a room with your own goemon-buro--an outside bath that we call a teacup--ideal for 1 person. The inn rotates mens & womens baths overnight so you have a chance at all baths. ||Many rooms face the river, and sitting on the small porch after a soak--lovely!||Dinner is served to your own party in a private dining room, and breakfast is in a large communal room--traditional, opulent and delicious.||We enjoy the gift shop across the road for local treats & handmade fabrics. ||This might be most enjoyable with a Japanese-speaking travel companion to understand all options, but either way, Wado is a worthwhile experience!||Last note: Chichibu Station is undergoing renovation and they are including a daytime on-sen for soaking, ready to open in Spring 2017. We look forward to going back for...

We stayed here in the summer of 2023. Paid around 70000 yen for a night with 2 meals, and was quite surprised at some of the poor service in this ryokan.

We arrived by car, it was raining and a member of staff stood outside just stared at us without greeting or trying to hand out an umbrella to us (and there was a whole umbrella stand next to him too). Didn't try to help with the luggage at all, and then asked us to sit in a sofa in an area that's only reachable by going down a few steps (yes we were carrying out own luggage at that point), when there are other empty sofas that can be reached without taking any steps.

The room was quite dated but was clean. Love the terrace and the greenery outside. The mattress was very hard though, it was worse than sleeping in a standard thin fudon.

Dinner was another horrible experience. The food itself was fine, the serving staff tried his best and was nice, but we waited for over an hour to just to have the first few dishes and we have gotten so hungry just sitting there. Then suddenly they dumped the rest of the dishes to us in one go. It was the worst dining experience in a ryokan for me, regardless of price point. My partner noticed they were having a big group in the dining hall, so I guess their kitchen and serving staff got overwhelm?

Anyway, this isn't somewhere I will go again if they don't improve on...