Sansou Murata

Fabulous experience of rustic traditional Japanese luxury. Fabulous in-room dining. Each unit is an old refinished Japanese house complete with living room, dining room and bedroom. Fireplace. Of course your own onsen bath. The food was the best out of the 3 top rated onsen inns we stayed at over the three night trip. Each Kaiseki dish was top level matching/surpassing top Ginza ryoteis’ Service outstanding. Several staff waiting at arrival and departure. You feel appreciated. Seems maybe around 10 units. Very private and quiet. Nestled in the mountains just 5-10 drive from the tourist strip. Art museums and galleries a short walk away. The bar is amazing. A vintage circa 1950 Western Electric speaker around 5 meters wide and 2 meter tall. Additional custom built tweeters and massive woofers. Massive vintage German turntable. Sound so beautiful you think the artists are playing live. Bar is eclectic reburshed minks with high ceiling 8 meters and big Hari beams to match. Onsen quality very high. Clear water and the type that lingers with warmth half an hour afterwards.

I heard that this inn was called Yufuin Gosanke, so I made a quick reservation when I checked the availability at Damemoto just before. Until now, Yufuin had only stayed at the foot of Mt. Yufudake, so I got a little lost until I arrived safely. When I arrived, the staff used to call my name first and say, "I've been waiting for you," but that never happened and I was asked the other way around, "Are you staying here?" It's unclear if we happen to be the only ones, or if we've stopped the call as we've done in the past. The staff told me that the car I was in would be parked and I left it to them. The room was called Akatsuki, and it seems to be a popular room, but I certainly nodded that when I saw the open-air bath and bedroom, and dinner was a room, and I was surprised to see some of the tatami turned into a dig, but that was it. The food didn't seem worth the cost of the accommodation. It's subjective until you get bored. The next day's breakfast was served at the restaurant, but the fact that I could choose to start at 9am in the last hour was a blessing for me as I wanted to relax in the morning. After breakfast, I checked out, but despite paying a hefty cash fee, the reception staff were apparently mechanical. From our point of view, it was a very expensive band, but it was a quick one. When you leave the building and look at the parking lot, you see only European and luxury cars parked there. We were compact cars, and there was no such car parked in the parking lot on a hill. I don't know. By the way, at another inn, one of the three privileged ones, I was satisfied with paying so much in many ways that I may have felt even more of a drop. To be honest, it was probably a ryokan I didn't deserve. I think it was good to be made aware of that.

My wife and I stayed at this onsen for 1 night in December 2023 and we are very happy with our choice. The service provided is exemplary, as the resort provides complimentary taxi around town, and the staff are very welcoming and warm in receiving us. The hotel only has private onsens and there are no public baths, but our room and the decor of the resort is very cozy and the Tan’s Bar provides drinks with a special instrument at night. The lounge is also a quiet corner where guests can play chess and Othello, read books with complimentary coffee. Highly recommended!