The staff were super friendly, helpful, considerate and accommodating (arigatou Youko, Onuma, and Furuse!) Futon was EXTREMELY comfortable. Meals were a great pleasure - always a nice variety.

friendly staff, big rooms, excellent breakfast deal. great outdoor onsen. staff can drive you to the station, which was very convenient, as was the bus that goes to Yamadera and Ginzan Onsen.

location is tricky without a car but staff gives you a lift/pick-up at station (this could be better communicated as I found out by accident). Outdoor onsen is gorgeous but the shower should be inside. Be aware not much English is spoken.

we stayed for 3-nights with only breakfast included. the Ryokan itself has warm and cozy public spaces where one can relax. If I were to rate the staff I would give at least a 9 as they were all super friendly (except an older lady at the gift shop). There was a lot of photos and magazines, photo albums about owner's cat, so if you're a cat lover I think it'd be perfect. Outdoor hot bath was great (much better than indoor bath hall) - temp was just right and a wonderful treat in winter nights.

two main problems with the Ryokan first, the owner of the Ryokan probably spent too much money on website - which was great by the way - but not have enough to improve the actual conditions of the room as well as the public bath hall. Many rooms have doors that are not just dated but clearly worn out at the top and bottom. Inside our room the bathroom and main room wallpaper was stained and it just didn't feel clean. Lighting of the room was terrible (too dark in some area, and inconsistent tint). Public bath hall also was very very dated and needed a major makeover. many parts of the walls were rusted and the ceiling would drip onto your head when you're in bath.... ugh. We've stayed at at least 12-15 different Japanese Ryokans all over the country so there's quite a bit of experience for comparison. second, the quality and selection of food for breakfast just wasn't good. 1st day breakfast was disappointing as there were too many pickle dishes and the fish (salmon) was way too salty. also the small hotpot was soup which was a duplicate to the miso soup. Taste wasn't bad, but as pickles come they are still too salty. I could see a lot of guests did not finish their breakfast. 2nd day breakfast was an improvement. In the small hotpot there was a overeasy steamed egg and a couple of sausages and the fish was a different kind and less salty. However 3rd day was back to the same as 1st day and it was our last meal at the Ryokan so needlessly to say it was very disappointing. We didn't finish them which was a shame and a waste but what could you do. overall it's just not good value which is a shame because it could have been a great Ryokan.