Yutorian Kawaba Onsen

I've heard it many times, but it's a great inn. It is a rare inn that has a monorail in the building. It is also worth taking a walk around the museum. The hot springs are also good.

We stayed in the 5th floor room on the slope of the hill with panoramic view of Kawaba. From check-in we took an autonomous golf cart which brought us to the annex building just to find another surprise: 'monorail station'. The monorail, in substitution for elevator, then brought us from 2nd floor to 5th floor, and further up to the observation deck. The room was superbly comfortable, and with the help of 'Google Translate' we could operate the in-room onsen without much difficulty. Dinner keiseki course were good but not as good portion and tasty as other ryokans of the same class . We found that breakfast was a little disappointment too. Anyway, it was just a matter of taste.

Yutorian has a great mix of modern and old Japan. My mom and I went on a ladies' trip for two nights while we stayed in Tokyo. The ryokan is rural, very quaint and off the beaten path, posh, but not snobby. The Room: They were kind enough to give us an upgrade to the larger room (本館 style room, Yamabuki Room or Keyaki Room). The rooms were huge, and the room we stayed in had a private tub outside (it's not huge but it's something). The floors were heated, and there was 2 toilets and one shower with a double "his and hers" vanity. Definitely a bit much for two people, so we were very appreciative of the upgrade. Onsen: The Ryokan has two soaking areas: one for the public (day use), and one for the Ryokan guests (open 24/7!). The soaking tubs were nice: one outdoor and one indoor. The place is along a road, and they did a very good job in making the outdoor soaking tub feel private. Food/Meals: Kawaba is a small village which specializes agriculture, so the meals always had great vegetables and meat. They try to give you seafood with lots of trout. We had two dinners there, and they have a good mix of seafood and meat (the meat was much better). The portions were good, and we did not leave hungry. Food was served in a dining area, but always in a private room for dinner. We had the Japanese style breakfast which was also very good and filling. Sightseeing: You can rent bicycles for 500 yen and bike into the Kawaba "village": it is VERY touristy but worth visiting if you don't feel like hanging around the onsen during the day. The roads are flat in Kawaba since it sits in a valley nestled between the mountains. It is a very beautiful view. There is a Sake "factory" nearby off of Okutone-Yukemuri Hwy (64), south of main road where Yutorian is. Skip the visit as their sake is terrible. Getting there: You can drive there, but since we speak no Japanese and drive on the right side of the road, driving is not an option. They do offer a free hotel shuttle form Numata Station or Jomo Kogen station. Just call them ahead of time and they will come and pick you up. They have staff that speak English there. In fact, Shinichi (the manager there), speaks very good English and was very accommodating and kind. Conclusion: I would definitely come back to stay! Thank you everyone at Yutorian for your kind hospitality!