Asaba Ryokan - Izu Japan

July 31, 2007 on 10:23 pm | In Culture, Travel | | Email This Post

I recently had a chance to stay a night at Asaba Ryokan in Izu Japan, and experience a night of extreme luxury.

My wife and I got lucky and won a prize that took us to Izu via the Green Car (like 1st class) on the Shinkansen, and put us up for the night. Just to put this into perspective, Chirac stayed at this same Ryokan! This ryokan is more than 300 years old, and considered one of the best in the area. In addition, I’ve been in Japan for almost 5 years now, and I think that was the first time I have ever ridden the Green Car. In the picture above the inn itself is on the right. The building on the left is also owned by the inn, but is only used for traditional plays (Noh) on special occasions. This picture was taken from the inns cafe. The cafe has no wall, it opens right out to the lake. I’m no architect, but the effect was incredible.

This is actually part of the hallway to our room. It’s off to the left in this picture.

This is the private bath inside of the inn. First come first served. The bath is filled with 100% natural hot spring water.

This is the open-air spa（露天風呂）. The water on the inside of the rocks closest in the picture is hot spring water. The outer rim is a regular lake. I talked to an old naked guy here in the morning. He was nice.

We also had a bath in our room filled with hot spring water as well. There were also two other indoor baths on the premises for men and women respectively.

In one day, we took four baths. Then took two the next morning… Allow me to speak for everyone and say that the only reason anyone really stays in these places is to enjoy the baths and the food. Though not pictured here, the inside of the rooms are very minimalist. Tatami, a large wooden table for eating, large windows, and a small TV stuffed into the corner. While you are in the hot springs taking your bath after dinner, the hotel staff will come into the room and take your futon out of the closet and spread it out for you. So even the futon are completely out of sight during the day. The rooms are almost completely bare. It’s very relaxing.

Breakfast time! In a few days I will post the 2-hour dinner we had in this place. Even though each dish was small, there were so many different things… I could hardly finish.

The town that Asaba Onsen is in is called Shuzenji. There is a temple (called Shuzenji…), hot springs, a short hiking trail, and a lot of shops and Japanese tourists. The town does feel extremely touristy, but it’s not too over the top to be annoying.

A few years ago (okay so 3 years ago now… I’ve been here too long) I went to another Onsen town in Kansai and posted about it, check it out to expand your onsen town knowledge. As in the previous post, there are also a bunch of ashiyu places in this town as well. In the picture above, that little brown hut in the middle of the river is an ashiyu place. We met some young Osaka people there. They were funny.

If you want information on other Japanese Inns to visit, just Google “Japanese Ryokan”, or check out these books as well. Ryokan are pretty expensive, but if you’re coming through Japan I would recommend trying one for at least one night!

The Japanese Spa: A Guide to Japan’s Finest Ryokan and Onsen

Classic Japanese Inns and Country Getaways

Enjoy!

- Harvey

Related Posts... (in theory)   Japanese Inn Meal at Asaba Ryokan in Ise    Onsen Trip    Japan Baka Map  

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  1. Gravatar

    I agree that despite the cost anyone traveling to Japan should make a point of staying at a ryokan at least once even if it means going into debt.

    I took a long weekend to Nikko in October 2005 and stayed in a ryokan http://www.japaneseguesthouses.com/db/nikko/konishi.htm just up the hill from the Sacred Bridge and it was the most peaceful 3 days I can remember. And yes, it was all about the onsen and the food, which was delicious! All those tiny dishes with just a morsel summing up to about 1/10th of what we Americans eat at a meal and I was amazed at how it filled me and satisfied me completely.

    The dining room staff made a point of showing me how to deal with the dishes that were unfamiliar to me even though they spoke no english and I could say very little in Japanese. At the first meal I kept asking for refills on my water, which was served in maybe a 2 ounce glass. The staff managed to find a large 12 ounce glass with cartoon dolphins on it and for every meal after that they had it on my table full of cold water! As I recall my 2 nights in the ryokan cost in total about $450 US which was (IS) more than I would be willing to pay for a week’s lodging under any other circumstances. But the sheer delight of staying somewhere so luxurious in its simplicity and the experience of true service which was mostly “invisible” and the welcoming friendly accommodating staff was worth every penny and I would do it again in a heartbeat.

    And I’ve gone on too long but one more story about my ryokan experience. It was my first onsen experience and as a prudish American I was a bit nervous. My first night there I went to the women’s onsen and thankfully I was the only person there which made me feel a lot more comfortable. I had researched and studied onsen etiquette before going so I knew peeing in the onsen was bad. I respectfully sat on the little stool and shampooed, washed and rinsed myself thoroughly before entering the most wonderfully hot spring water. I was very relaxed and feeling so peaceful when all of a sudden two women came in. They washed and got in the onsen with me and smiled and nodded and I smiled and nodded and after about 10 minutes the younger woman began to speak to me in hesitant english! We had a little conversation and she translated for the other woman who turned out to be her mother. They got out and then when the coast was clear I got out and put it down to a real Japan experience. The next day I was walking around the temples in Nikko and two women in the distance suddenly began waving at me! I kept looking behind me thinking they were waving at someone else and it finally dawned on me that it was the women from the onsen.

    I will always regret that I didn’t say “Sorry. I didn’t recognize you with clothes on.”

    Comment by Kitty — August 1, 2007 #

  2. Gravatar

    Well, Harvey, you’ve inspired me. I’ve been thinking about how you wanted pictures of everyday life over here and I realized the best thing I could take a picture of is the swimming pool with a giant First Cavalry patch on the bottom. That’s how you can tell the two support batallions we have here are really bored.

    Comment by JCD — August 1, 2007 #

  3. Gravatar

    Harvey, that looks amazing. Did you win the trip on the shinkansen, or the whole deal?
    You both must’ve had a wonderful time.

    Comment by Overoften — August 1, 2007 #

  4. Gravatar

    Sorry that wasn’t clear, we won the shinkansen ticket, and the night at the inn! We didn’t have to pay a dime. Excellent…

    Comment by harvey — August 2, 2007 #

  5. Gravatar

    Kitty! It must have been hot waiting for them to get out while you stayed in the onsen! I can’t stay in for more than 10-15 min without getting up on the edge to cool down once in a while.

    Onsen experiences… Gotta love em.

    The sitting down and showering thing does take some getting used to doesn’t it…

    Comment by harvey — August 2, 2007 #

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