Chorakuen Ryokan & Onsen — Local services in Matsue

The Chorakuen ticks all the right boxes for a ryokan stay. Let's break it down:||||1. Service is impeccable||We were late arriving and were the only ones on the courtesy shuttle from Tamatsukuri Onsen station to the hotel. We don't speak Japanese but the elderly driver and assistant took pains to try to communicate with us. We appreciate the effort. The bus stops at a sister property where we got off for some coffee and cake while waiting for other guests (there were none but we appreciated the cake and coffee while waiting). Once we arrived, hotel staff rushed out to greet us. They were were already anticipating our arrival. Staff try very hard to communicate and this is something I deeply appreciate. We were brought to our rooms, given a quick overview, served tea and sweets in the traditional style once in the room. Everyone, from front desk to dinner/meal attendants were very hospitable and warm. ||||2. Great onsen choices||The ryokan has two types of bath facilities - one the usual combo of indoor/outdoor baths within the building and the other, its main highlight - the largest outdoor baths (shared mix gender bath) in Japan. The rules are slightly bent here in that ladies have a tube towel for modesty and the men can wear shorts provided into the bath. Typically in other mix gender baths I have been to, this is not a given. I have mixed feelings about this but can understand that as a business, catering to more foreigners or even younger Japanese who may not be comfortable in mixed baths, that this is now allowed and catered for. Bath water was great and it was nice being in the same pool with my whole family for a change. Being in heated water with a light winter rain falling was a beautiful experience. The other usual indoor/outdoor gender-specific baths were also good. ||||3. Good food||We were given a private dining room for our party of 7. The food was excellent although we struggled with the crab - it's really us being noobs at eating the much-vaunted Matsuba crabs for the first time. However, every other dish is excellent. Breakfast was traditional Japanese and again, was of a high quality in service, presentation and taste. ||||4. Restful comfortable sleep||Rooms were sizeable, each with a balcony, a small traditional entry way, baths and toilet. As with the usual ryokan experience, we left for dinner and returned to find our futons all laid out. Excellent sleep quality here with the sound of a rushing waterfall as our ambient sleep noise. ||||5.Gorgeous extensive gardens||This ryokan had one of the most generous gardens I have seen. As a strolling garden, the hotel has given various view stops for guests to stop, drink in the view and move on. Each pavilion shows a different aspect. There are private suites as standalone houses in the large garden, each with private gardens and entrances. They look expensive but beautiful. ||||||Overall, this ryokan gave the best of both worlds - it was old-school ryokan service and atmosphere in a largish/mid-size modern building. While it was clearly a modern complex, it did not lose its touch as a traditional ryokan. This is rare and valuable in a tourism scene where increasingly large and impersonal hotels/resorts tout themselves as ryokan. I think it and the surrounding Tamatsukuri Onsen needs two days/nights to do it justice. Pity we only stayed one. For the price we paid, not too steep, it was...

For the non-Japanese visitor, this ryokan gives a glimpse into a way of life that is both gracious, unhurried and supremely refreshing. I only wish we could have stayed more than two days! The service is unbelievably attentive, without being intrusive; the gardens are beautiful and exquisitely maintained; the food is wonderfully prepared; while the rooms are quiet and lovely, although sleeping on a futon might require a little extra cushioning for the uninitiated. (Borrow an extra futon from the cupboard in your room.) HOWEVER, it is the hot springs that are the unique experience. You can bathe in your room, or arrange for a small, private hot springs experience for an extra fee, but really, the best experience is their large outdoor bath, particularly at night in the rain. (Heavenly!) It is mixed bathing, but most people only stay about 10 to 15 minutes, so you are virtually alone in this very large stone-lined hot springs with steaming water continuously pouring out of the mouth of a dragon. Women wear a modest cotton wrap that is provided and men are careful about their towels when entering and leaving the bath. The women's bath has a private entry room with a bathroom that contains not only the wraps and extra towels, but hair dryers and other amenities. We tried to go three times a day, as recommended, but still had time to see the local points of interest, which are varied, numerous and very much worth visiting. Truly this is a part of Japan that very, very few get to experience. Just amazing and I have been to Japan many times over 35 years. By the time you leave, you are completely rested and refreshed...and already wondering when you...

3-2-19 checkin||3-4-19 checkout||Reservations through JTO (Japan Traveler Online)||||I made reservations at this onsen in Matsue and paid in full 7 months in advance $500/night in August 2018. I realized that there would not be many English speakers in rural Western Japan, but I was traveling with my son who is fluent in Japanese.||||We arrived at Yunosuke-no-yado Chorakuen in the late afternoon after 8 hours of train travel. The hotel had no records of our reservation. We had to wait an hour in the lobby while the hotel staff huddled and tried to find our records. Finally, they found our reservation and we were shown to a smoking room, even though our reservation stated non-smoking. The room was dingy with a stained sink and peeling paint. I called the manager and insisted on transfer to a non-smoking room. The initial response was that another room was not available but we could transfer the next day. I said that was unacceptable and a nice non-smoking room was made available. We were compensated with sake at dinner. ||||The next day, after returning from a day trip to Matsue, our room was not made up and we had to call management again to put away our futons and clean the bathroom with new towels. Upon checkout, we were asked to pay the entire bill ($1000) even though I had prepaid 7 months prior! ||||The staff was courteous and the Japanese meals were excellent. The coed onsen was large, clean with beautiful surrounding gardens. ||||Overall, I would not recommend this hotel for western travelers. The hassle and multiple mistakes took away some of the pleasure from the meals...