Yuzuya Ryokan Kanazawa Ryokusone

“Repeat visit”

After staying at Ryokusone back in October, 2019, we decided that another stay was in order, for 3 seasons. 1) We intended to tour Kanazawa once more; 2) We had fond memories of the awesome dining experience at Ryokusone; and 3) While Kanazawa is a world-class tourist destination, there is a dearth… more

After staying at Ryokusone back in October, 2019, we decided that another stay was in order, for 3 seasons. 1) We intended to tour Kanazawa once more; 2) We had fond memories of the awesome dining experience at Ryokusone; and 3) While Kanazawa is a world-class tourist destination, there is a dearth of luxury options in the area. Ryokusone is not situated in the center of Kanazawa - it's situated atop a small hill overlooking the city, and is about a 10 minute drive to the main Higashi Chaya District and Kenrokuen Garden. If you're idea of a perfect ryokan stay requires easy walking to the main tourist attractions, then Ryokusone is definitely not for you. We had a rental car (just like last time) so it was not a major inconvenience for us. The property was the same as last time. It's very traditional in look and feel (especially its entrance, reception area and even the door to our room), but done in a tasteful manner and is not at all worn down. It also shares the same shortcomings as it always had; namely, no real property grounds to speak of (it's in Kanazawa, so you'd kind of hope for a pretty little garden) and no Onsen (natural hot springs bath) either in the room or in a communal bathing area (which there is none.) We booked the same room as before - Special Room Yamaboushi (山法師), a 2 story maisonette-style room that has the bedroom located on the upper floor. We generally prefer non-loft-style suites, but we're even more keen on maximum space, and Yamaboushi is the top category (and most spacious) suite among the 7 rooms in the ryokan. The room itself is a mixture of old and new. Yamaboushi has some stunning decorations, especially the massive wall mural in the bedroom. But while it does have very traditional elements, it does offer modern amenities and creature comforts. There are 2 queen size beds, and a sofa and cofee table in the living room, so it's Western in lifestyle. Two knocks against it are the lack of any real desk, a severe lack of power outlets and there being only one sink in the bathroom. Aside from that, there's not much to complain about. There's even an outdoor bath that is free-flowing temperature-regulated (so you don't have to fill it up each time you want to jump in), which is very convenient, despite it not being an Onsen. We were really looking forward to dinner, and were pleased to see that same head chef that was responsible for our meal during our previous visit. While it did live up to expectations, for some reason we did not find it to be quite as spectacular as we experienced the previous time, and I'm not sure why. My guess is that seasonal produce and seafood are just not as good in June as it is compared to the Spring, Winter and (especially) Fall seasons. For instance, Nodoguro (Blackthroat Seaperch) was applied to three different courses - we absolutely love this delicacy of a Fish, but if there were other incredible seafood offerings, I would guess that the head chef would've gone for more variety with the ingredients. Either way, food here is still in the Tier-1 category of ryokan dining experiences, and we were satisfied with our meal. We remembered breakfast also being a highlight (it's generally an afterthought in most ryokans, at least compared to dinner), and it probably had to do with the head chef also being responsible for it (in other ryokans, this task is often delegated to others.) It was not the run-of-the-mill rice, miso soup, tofu, grilled fish and salad variety. There were unique twists to each little offering, and as before, the clay pot-cooked rice was top notch. Given its lack of charming property grounds and an Onsen bath, it would be difficult for me to put Ryokusone in the same category as some of the finest ryokans in Japan. However, if you need someplace to stay in the Kanazawa vicinity and enjoy world-class Kaiseki fare, I doubt there's any other ryokan that tops Ryokusone.

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“peaceful but out of the way location”

This was our first ryokan experience. The rooms were spacious and lovely. A shoes-off, kimono-on room. Great staff. Tea and a sweet were offered on arrival. The place had a simple elegance that we appreciated but it does not come cheap. 3 of 4 of us thought it pricey, but that is the nature of ryok… more

This was our first ryokan experience. The rooms were spacious and lovely. A shoes-off, kimono-on room. Great staff. Tea and a sweet were offered on arrival. The place had a simple elegance that we appreciated but it does not come cheap. 3 of 4 of us thought it pricey, but that is the nature of ryokans. I did not realize there was no onsen when I booked. The kaisecki dinner was multi-coursed, but none of the dishes knocked my socks off. Same for breakfast.

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“Incredible food, but falls short in some other areas”

Yuzuya Ryokan Kanazawa Ryokusone is as "traditional" as they get, ryokan wise. There is no attempt to look and feel modern in any way, and therein lies the charm of this ryokan. What it lacks, however is a proper property grounds with a nice garden, or any kind of grounds whatsoever. There is also … more

Yuzuya Ryokan Kanazawa Ryokusone is as "traditional" as they get, ryokan wise. There is no attempt to look and feel modern in any way, and therein lies the charm of this ryokan. What it lacks, however is a proper property grounds with a nice garden, or any kind of grounds whatsoever. There is also no common area to relax and unwind. You're either hanging out in your room, or you're hitting the town. It's pretty much a traditional property with great food. If that's what you're looking for, look no further. We had 3 people in our party, so we booked two rooms - one of them being the top one at Ryokusone - the Special Room Yamaboushi. While it was pretty nice, there wasn't anything amazing about it. It was a 2-story room (the bedroom is upstairs) with steep stairs, and was moderately room but doesn't scream "spacious luxury." Food was the highlight. They don't serve meals in the rooms (unfortunately - this is our preference) but the food they had on offer was terrific. That said, given its price one would expect a great Japanese meal, and it did not disappoint. A few other nits to pick. The bath is not a real onsen bath, and they do not offer laundry services. Ryokusone is not a "destination" ryokan; I would not recommend anyone go out of their way just to stay here. However, if you're already planning to be in the area, and want a decent place to stay with great food (and not much more), and have the financial means to manage it, Ryokusone is a decent choice.

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