Izumiso 和泉莊 — Local services in Matsumoto

We had a Koki-iwai Ceremony, the ryokan lent us the cute hat & vest (red for 60 year-olds, purple for 70+ year olds). Our room was really large with 2 full-size beds, a small seating area on the side, and a large tatami area sizeable enough for everyone to get together. My daughter planned The Party, and the staff were great about keeping our plan secret, the timing of our dinner, taking photos, & arranging other bedrooms. Ladies could pick the yukata they wanted to wear (& we laughed because 2 picked the same light-green yukata!)||||Dinner was kaiseki in a banquet hall just for our party and they put in a table with chairs for us on the tatami! The spring menu was carefully thought out with interesting flavors and textures, all complemented by the local sake! Delicious.||||The onsen was clean, huge, with 2 different temperatures and an outdoor bath. Relaxion area was nicely appointed with various face/body products to sample. Parking was available & they assisted us.||||I also liked the mountain tops etched into the window overlapping the western view so you could learn the names of the many...

This was our first Ryokan -it was for sure very authentic. Though the staff spoke almost no English, they used a pocket translator which worked well. We each had rooms on the first floor with in room onsets which we used instead of the public ones. The bed killed by back the first night as it's HARD but you can pile up the mattresses so the next night I put like 6 of them on top of each other and then it was comfortable. I'd give the food a high rating for effort but it was VERY Japanese. Dinner was an experience - not as good as other food we have had, but even with a vegetarian and pescatarian, we we able to find enough. The rooms are very cozy upstairs and service was GREAT - thank you for a great stay. Location wise it's a good 30 minute walk to downtown area. Lots of space though not all of it is usable (like the foot washing room). Didn't try the Japanese toilet but...

Disclaimer: we're European and this is the only Ryokan we visited. We were amazed by the place compared to Western-style hotels even though we thought we knew what to expect before booking.||||Location is a bit of a surprise, side-alley in the middle of a totally unremarkable section of town. Once you're inside however... great atmosphere, great rooms, great outside heated bath, great food, great hospitality. Price is a bit steep but worth every cent. Go...