Satoyu Mukashibanashi Yuzanso Ryokan

“Family of four staying half board”

Stayed at Youzanso during late March 2023. It was during the cherry blossom season. We (family of four) had the room with the Lake Otsu view and private bath. The room was sufficient for 4 of us but I wouldn't call it spacious. However, the room and bathroom were clean. The room came with dinner … more

Stayed at Youzanso during late March 2023. It was during the cherry blossom season. We (family of four) had the room with the Lake Otsu view and private bath. The room was sufficient for 4 of us but I wouldn't call it spacious. However, the room and bathroom were clean. The room came with dinner and breakfast for 4 of us and costed about AUD800. The dinner and breakfast was quite good and would recommend to anyone considering the half board. It might get old if u were staying for few days but we were only there for one night. We toured Kyoto for the day and stayed here overnight then went back to kyoto for more sightseeing. It wasn't as convenient as if you stayed in Kyoto but the travel wasn't long or difficult. The property is bit dated and looks more like a hotel than a ryokan. The facilities are clean but also look dated as well. However, the public onsen is great, clean and the outdoor bath is a must. Took this photo of the external bath when no one was present and the ambiance was really something...

less

“Just 20 min from Kyoto Station”

Ogoto HOT SPRING is the largest hot spring resort just 20min by green color pretty train from Kyoto Station. It is very popular as a hot spring with skin-enriching properties thanks to its high alkaline levels, which give your skin a smooth feel after bathing. Almost all hotels have their own trans… more

Ogoto HOT SPRING is the largest hot spring resort just 20min by green color pretty train from Kyoto Station. It is very popular as a hot spring with skin-enriching properties thanks to its high alkaline levels, which give your skin a smooth feel after bathing. Almost all hotels have their own transportaion buses b/w the Ogoto station and their accomodation. When you call the hotel after reaching the Ogoto station, they can pick you up at the station. It is free. I booked Yuzanso for 1 night staying to enjoy the hot spring. All staffs are very good hospitality.The breakfast is healthy. Very reasonable price, not expencive, but if you would like to enjoy Japanese hot spring to boost up your health, this hotel should be better than another hotels there. They have the restaurant (good)and bar(okay for beer not cocktail ) When you have some problems in the hotel, all staffs will help you to resolve them as soon as possible. The bed is a little bit small, but I like this hotel in Ogoto Hot Spring area. Ogoto Herb Garden is next door from Yuzanso. I enjoyed herb tea. It should be perfect healing staying. Recommend.

less

“Lovely Onsen with great views”

We booked a ryokan with a private onsen. I thought that if we're going to Japan then we must try an Onsen, so when I found this onsen which is halal friendly in their menu and offers a private onsen at an affordable price I booked it nearly straight away. The staff at the hotel do not speak much… more

We booked a ryokan with a private onsen. I thought that if we're going to Japan then we must try an Onsen, so when I found this onsen which is halal friendly in their menu and offers a private onsen at an affordable price I booked it nearly straight away. The staff at the hotel do not speak much English so brush up on some Japanese phrases but they try really hard to communicate which is good. It's around 20 minutes train ride from Kyoto station and then you can call the hotel to pick you up using the phone by the station. When we called them, they arrived within 5 minutes; there is a 7-11 across the road from the station, if you have things to buy I suggest you buy it before you call the hotel as there is literally nothing around the hotel. They do have a small shop where I bought some milk but a 7-11 is probably cheaper. We provided with dinner and breakfast in traditional Japanese style, all was halal, but we couldn't finish the food as there was just so much. I'm not used to Japanese breakfasts so couldn't eat much but at least we got to experience it. The onsen itself was nice, smaller than I expected but could semi fit in two of us. The view is wonderful and it was nice and reflective to be in the onsen at night. The water is boiling hot though so make sure you fill it with enough cold water too.

less

“A truly Japanese experience for some fairly western tourists!”

If you are after a slightly Japanese Inn style but still with plenty of western influences then this place probably isn't for you. However for that reason it delivered to us what felt like a very traditional Japanese experience and one that we as a family will remember. On arrival we were surpr… more

If you are after a slightly Japanese Inn style but still with plenty of western influences then this place probably isn't for you. However for that reason it delivered to us what felt like a very traditional Japanese experience and one that we as a family will remember. On arrival we were surprised that we were all sleeping in one room on Futon's, but once we embraced that, we cracked on, put on our Yukata's (everyone in the hotel wears these) and headed for the public Onsen. The baths are beautifully presented with an indoor and outdoor hot bath, a sauna and a cooler pool in a wooden bathtub which was great for cooling off after the sauna. Men and women bathe separately and are only allowed to bathe naked! Please note the swimming pool is only available in the summer. We were here in early June and that wasn't summer so it was empty much to my mothers disappointment. We selected the breakfast only menu and on both mornings of our stay were were presented with a very traditional Japanese breakfast. Very little in the way of sweets and plenty of fish and soup. Some of our group coped better than others with the breakfasts but no-one could deny they'd experienced a Japanese breakfast. For evening meals we hadn't selected the evening meal with our booking which you can have delivered to your room (make sure you are on time if you have selected this as they are very prompt). We therefore ate in the A La Carte restaurant which is open at 8PM (not ideal if you have small children). This option had loads of really tasty Japanese options and some western (chips as a side and a pizza) but we all got on well with our choices. Accommodation wise the room was beautifully presented if not a little smaller than we were expecting. The views of the lake were fantastic and our private bathtub (highly recommended) was also beautifully presented and very relaxing. The shuttle bus is available from Ogoto-Onsen station and can be called from a mobile phone bolted to a table in the Station (we only found this at the very end of our trip).

less