Seiransou

It's clean and tidy, and the service is attentive. It doesn't look like it has been there for nearly a hundred years. All six of us liked it.

We stayed in the main building this time, so this is just my impression of the main building. Our room number was 4XX, but it was on the floor just above the lobby, so it was quiet and a satisfactory room for us seniors. We read other people's reviews and were aware that the building was old before making our reservation. As it is an old building, the floors creaked in places, but it was kept very clean and we were able to stay there with peace of mind. The large public bath is not very large, as stated on the inn's website, but the bathtub and washing area were clean. The hot spring water comes out of the tap in the room bath. It seems that the hot water stored in the bathtub decreases over time. (^^; There is a washing area, but it was a little disappointing that there was no shower. As the name "no-ten-buro" (field bath) suggests, the open-air bath is an outdoor bath, with natural bamboo groves nearby, and to enter you have to put on your shoes and cross a walkway. (If it's raining, you cross the walkway with an umbrella, and it seems that they lend out umbrellas to enter the bath.) There is no washing area, so it is recommended to bathe in your room or after washing in the large public bath. Food was a buffet both in the evening and in the morning. Seats are assigned in advance, so there is no need to worry about not being able to find a seat. I had heard that dinner starts from 6pm, so I went there just before, but there were people already eating there (this may depend on the reservation plan). There was sashimi and appetizers on the table. The selection was decent and the food was delicious, but unfortunately the tempura and simmered dishes were all soggy. At breakfast, you are told to sit in the same seat as last night. (It's a good idea to remember where you sat for dinner (^^;) The food was mainly Japanese, so it was a little disappointing that there was no bread. At both dinner and breakfast, paper cups were provided so that you could take the coffee back to your room, which we were happy to take out. We went as a couple, but there was a kids' room, and in the lobby there was a sweets section with a sign saying "Dagashi-ya" (Candy Store), so we felt that it was a child-friendly inn. The staff were also very polite. At check-in, we were told that "We will come into your room at dinner time and lay out the futon," but they came to lay out the futon before the dinner buffet time. (Lucky for those who don't like staff coming into their rooms when they're out, unlucky for those who don't like staff coming in when they're in their rooms.)