Fukuichi

“Relaxing Onsen trip in the mountains ”

Good: Great, personal check-in...no standing in line, each customer was seated in their front lobby/lounge and served a hot towel & hot tea (or cold beverage). Staff then ran around to personally register each guest without us leaving the chairs! Van picked us up and dropped us off at bus terminal… more

Good: Great, personal check-in...no standing in line, each customer was seated in their front lobby/lounge and served a hot towel & hot tea (or cold beverage). Staff then ran around to personally register each guest without us leaving the chairs! Van picked us up and dropped us off at bus terminal. We reserved & rented a private indoor bath designed to keep the family together, best if you have kids. Beautiful Japanese ryokan style room, set up our Futon nightly. Easy rear access to shopping street in the rear. Well worth the value at about $200/night. Bad: Heck of a journey on the Shinkansen for an hour, local train for 40 minutes, public bus for 30 minutes, then call hotel for their van pick up. Worth it for the beautiful views and peaceful surroundings. Also, they have 3 restaurants but a tiny menu with pretty much just ramen and gyoza.

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“Excellent Experience”

Fukuichi is a hot springs resort about two and a half hours from Tokyo. A direct bus goes to it from Shinjuku station. Because of my ignorance of proper ryokan protocol I was naturally anxious about booking at a Japanese-style resort, but my concerns were laid to rest upon arrival when my wife and… more

Fukuichi is a hot springs resort about two and a half hours from Tokyo. A direct bus goes to it from Shinjuku station. Because of my ignorance of proper ryokan protocol I was naturally anxious about booking at a Japanese-style resort, but my concerns were laid to rest upon arrival when my wife and I were graciously greeted by the perfectly English-fluent Ms. Katy Niwa, who acted somewhat as our aide-de-camp during our stay. She walked us through the resort and answered our many questions, and was available when we needed her. Every staff member we encountered was friendly and polite. The resort has both Japanese and western-style rooms. We chose the latter, and spent our nights on futons that hotel staff laid out on the tatami mat floors as we were dining. Dinner and breakfast were included in the option that we chose and were Japanese-style, in a private dining room attended by a personal steward. About ten courses in total, with all the usual suspects: sashimi, tempura, sukiyaki - excellent food. In the evening we booked a private hot spring bath (this is extra, about 5000 yen for 45 minutes) and had a relaxing soak in the loving goodness of a very large, steaming tub. During the day we explored the shops along the quaint, steeply sloped street just outside the back entrance of the ryokan. A wonderful place and experience that we very much recommend.

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