Your street shoes stay at the front entrance. Indoors, slippers. In your room, stocking feet. The carpeted hallways have fresh cut flowers in alcoves.
By chance, we were assigned a spacious suite that, by sliding the partitions, subdivides into four separate rooms. Along with the strictly traditional room design with sliding partitions and tatami mats, there's inconspicuous adjustable air conditioning, ceiling lights (fluorescents behind rice paper look wonderful), and an abundance of electrical outlets. We also had a fine view of the hotel's garden.
The room's bath area has two separate toilets in their own small rooms (with slippers), two sinks, and a separate shower/bath room.
The suite could comfortably accomodate a family. To judge from a play area on the lobby floor, the hotel is family-friendly.
I realize that not everyone enjoys sleeping on a futon (I'd like more padding beneath me), but even if that's a challenge, the hotel is so quietly elegant and the hot springs are so nice (including a foot bath at the entrance) that it's well worth a slightly hard night.
The hotel's onsen (bathouse) facility has its own escalator.
Our group dinner at the hotel was, to my untrained Western palate, wonderful.
I had wondered what others' enthusiasm for onsen was about--I'd only stayed at one modest onsen hotel.
I didn't explore the hotel's environs due to a rainy evening, but the hotel itself was so hospitable that it was an extraordinary night. It's a perfect place to visit with friends. I regret not having more photos to share.
