Sansatei Genbukan

“Aging ryokan with spectacular views”

We stayed at Sansatei for 3 nights in a standard Japanese-style room. I had booked an Upper room (floors go up to 6) so I wasn’t impressed that my room type was switched without asking me first - however it turned out that we loved our 3rd floor room. Rooms are very basic with little to no ameniti… more

We stayed at Sansatei for 3 nights in a standard Japanese-style room. I had booked an Upper room (floors go up to 6) so I wasn’t impressed that my room type was switched without asking me first - however it turned out that we loved our 3rd floor room. Rooms are very basic with little to no amenities in the room. However the view is astounding - there’s a seating area with large window overlooking the Matsu river and the mountains. Rooms had real tatami mats and shoji screens. We loved the thick cotton ukatas with a kokeshi design. There is no central A/C or heat at this hotel so when the weather was cold, so were the hallways outside our room, and our seating area by the window. However the heating unit in the room was very efficient so we weren’t cold. Bedding was a thin futon on top of a foam layer and a beanbag-style pillow that took some getting used to. The primary reason for the 3* (Average) review is that this hotel is very much in need of investment. The hallway carpets are worn out, the windows are all single-paned and let in cold air, and the onsen windows were all covered in clear plastic, so there was no nice view that you expect in an onsen. The onsen has a women’s side and a men’s side. The women’s side has tons of bathing stations, a very large rectangular indoor pool, smaller round indoor pool, and an outdoor pool. Normally I love the outdoor onsen, but this one was not well cared for and the only view was of construction materials. There are Pola body soap, shampoo and conditioner and several stations with different brands of hairdryers. The onsen itself (ignoring the view) was very nice. Despite the aging condition of the hotel, we very much enjoyed ourselves here. The location, right in the charming little town of Togatta Onsen, and right on the Matsu River, is amazing. It was also one of the few ryokans in the immediate area which allowed us to book a no-meals option.

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“Nice baths, disappointingly unimaginative food, formulaic service.”

Nice spacious room with a view of the river (which unfortunately is so fast-flowing and therefore loud that you can't sleep with the windows open). Good array of free traditional sweets and snacks in the room, but dinner was disappointing - plate after plate of fish or meat, with virtually no veget… more

Nice spacious room with a view of the river (which unfortunately is so fast-flowing and therefore loud that you can't sleep with the windows open). Good array of free traditional sweets and snacks in the room, but dinner was disappointing - plate after plate of fish or meat, with virtually no vegetables and uninspired presentation and seasoning. Dessert was a persimmon jelly that reminded me of children's cough medicine: why not fresh fruit when the surrounding orchards were groaning with gorgeous apples and pears and peaches? Breakfast was better, though not sure whose idea it was to serve hamburgers in a curry sauce. The baths were spacious and suitably hot and relaxing. Pillows filled with dried beans made for a rather uncomfortable night's sleep. Service generally fine, but didn't feel very genuine: too many formulaic "go-yukkuri dozo"s. THe town badly needs a facelift too, and an injection of imagination. Still, it made for a relaxing stay at the right point on our long drive south.

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“weekend choice from sendai”

with free 50 mins bus connection from sendai, it is a good choice for weekend. view from the room is great with entire zao covered tough renovation should be considered soon. after all.. a decent onsen hotel.