Shinwaen

The rooms are all standalone bungalows with a rustic charm. We stayed in winter, and even with the air conditioning, it was still a bit chilly. Although there's a private hot spring, the view from it is practically non-existent – it's basically an outdoor shower. Since the shower is also outside, it was really freezing cold to bathe in winter! 🥶🥶🥶🥶🥶 The public bath's pool view was also quite mediocre. Overall, it's a hotel where both the rooms and the views are pretty average. The food was decent, nothing spectacular but perfectly acceptable.

The service, facilities, and even the dining hall were all delicious and wonderful. However, I think the corners of the room could have been polished a little more.

I stayed for one night after touring Mt. Aso. Located in a small hot spring village, this Japanese-style ryokan hotel features a beautifully manicured garden. It consists of a main building and an annex; in the annex, each room is equipped with a natural open-air hot spring that flows directly from the source and can be used freely 24 hours a day. However, check-in starts at 4:00 PM, which I felt was a bit too short to fully enjoy the season. Check-out is at 10:00 AM. Uniquely, the sauna is located in the middle of the garden, which is inconvenient as you have to enter fully clothed. It is a Finnish-style sauna where the temperature is raised by a wood fire and water is poured over heated stones. The hot springs are diverse, and the water quality is satisfactory. There are two private hot springs in the main building, which can be used at any time as long as they are empty. The food was not bad, but it wasn't particularly special either. However, the service was friendly and courteous, so I was satisfied with that alone.

The location is suitable for those traveling by car. The rooms are fairly spacious and include breakfast and dinner. Dinner is served course by course to the room with explanations for each dish. Breakfast is served at a designated restaurant and is Japanese style, with good variety and taste. The onsen (hot spring) has an outdoor area and two private rooms. The private rooms are suitable for a family of three to enjoy the onsen together.

The experience was excellent, and the sukiyaki on the second day was delicious. The complimentary fireworks gave the kids a taste of summer from a Japanese drama. The hotel has two public baths and two private baths, which was more than enough.