Rankeisou

Our stay at Rankeisou was absolutely soothing for our bodies and souls. If you’re looking to stay at a traditional ryokan that’s away from the chaos of a big city, eat delicious and nutritious meals, soak in beautiful outdoor onsens, and experience the kindest hospitality — look no further! You MUST stay here and I guarantee it will be a life-giving and special experience. It certainly was for us. The inn itself is nestled in nature and if you’re lucky to get a room by the riverside, you can hear the gentle flowing river. The grounds are well-kept and must be beautiful in all seasons. We came near the end of November, and even with overcast skies and fallen leaves, the ryokan was so picturesque. Indoors, you can see all the thoughtful touches such as fresh flowers, signs in calligraphy on traditional paper, and an amazing record collection + speakers. There are public onsens and also private onsens available by reservation once you arrive. We stayed two nights with the breakfast and dinner options and - wow - I can’t even begin to describe how delicious everything was. I do not eat raw fish but they were able to accommodate by replacing the sashimi with other options such as steamed shrimp and crab. Mountain vegetables galore, wagyu, river fish, grilled fish, soups with insane umami - all subtle but exquisite taste. Some of my favorites were things like pickled radish steeped in sweet vinegar with yuzu or the tempura chestnut — and these weren’t even the main dishes. Very satisfying and filling meals! But what makes Rankeisou stand out from all the places we have stayed, is the kindest hospitality from Yukari san, who spoke fluent English and was my first point of contact since making the reservation directly on the website. Yukari san went out of her way to help us out, and while I will spare you all the details, I will say this: she felt more like family than a stranger and I sincerely hope you all will get to meet her. She is amazing! All of the staff here have been kind to us despite us not speaking Japanese and I cannot express my gratitude enough. I am so thankful that we were able to experience the magic of Rankeisou. Our favorite ryokan! Some practical tips: 1. I highly recommend renting a car so you can explore the area at your leisure. You could visit the snow peak headquarters, the Suwada open factory, etc (the tsubame-sanjo area is know for their metalwork and various crafts! Perfect place to get one of a kind souvenirs) 2. If you’re going to take public transportation from Tokyo, get the JR east pass as you will get it’s worth by just making a round trip to Tsubamesanjo station. 3. The free ryokan shuttle service will take about 45 minutes to get from the station to the inn so when you are booking your trains, keep that in mind. Shuttle pick up time from the station is 2:45 pm. The morning shuttle leaves from the inn and 10 am. Plan accordingly!

My stay at Rankeisou was nothing short of amazing. I tried to look for a ryokan in different parts of Japan and finally settled on this, but it turned out to be so incredible that I’m so glad to have found it. The building and ryokan is almost 100 years old, but everything was new and comfortable that it felt so luxurious being in a historical place. I went at a time with snow everywhere and it was just beautiful even to look at it from the outside. The food was amazing, every meal rivaled even that of kaiseiki in Japan. The ryokan served everything from the local area- so I had lots of mountain vegetables, meat and fish from Niigata. The porridge cooked with onsen water was so so good. The ryokan does such a good job of showcasing the good produce of the area. The menu was even carefully explained in English. The onsens were equally amazing, both the private and public onsen. I spent much time enjoying them. Most of all, it is the kind hospitality of Ootake-san, the proprietress of the ryokan that made the stay especially memorable. She spoke and wrote perfect English, and was so helpful and attentive and went out of her way, I felt like I was staying in her home, instead of a public ryokan. I also could chat and got to know her, I had a really good time. I hope to be back soon as I’m missing it already!