Asaba

“Wonderful ryokan experience”

An architect’s vision, Asaba is a modern style ryokan panelled in light wood with rooms overlooking a pond stocked with fish and a waterfall, as well as a stage where performances occur in certain seasons. There are small indoor baths and a very pleasant outdoor bath. Our room had a nice Japanese t… more

An architect’s vision, Asaba is a modern style ryokan panelled in light wood with rooms overlooking a pond stocked with fish and a waterfall, as well as a stage where performances occur in certain seasons. There are small indoor baths and a very pleasant outdoor bath. Our room had a nice Japanese tub to enjoy a private soak. Dining is in room, breakfast and dinner included, and our meals were Kaiseki style. Each meal was delicious and relaxing, served by friendly attentive staff. Futons are set out after dinner for a very comfortable sleep. Lots of power plugs, good wifi, flat screen tv and refrigerator. There is a tea and coffee station as well as some complimentary drinks including bottled water. Great toiletries are provided. The lounge has coffee, and tea, and a fine view of the pond especially in the evening when lanterns are placed outside. Service is outstanding! The town of Izu is a pleasant place to wander about and visit the many tiny shops. There’s a pleasant walk through a bamboo garden that will take you from Asaba to the commercial area. A side note: during our stay a group of tourists in the outside bath was ignoring or was unfamiliar with, proper bath etiquette, with loud talk, laughter and other behaviour disrespectful of other guests. Much like the hot tub at a Florida spring break hotel. I encourage first time ryokan visitors to read up on bath etiquette in advance for everyone’s enjoyment.

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“Quiet Sophistication and Top-Notch Service”

My husband and I just spent a glorious two nights at Asaba Ryokan and we loved it start to finish. Everything was spotlessly clean, the service was attentive but understated, and the peace, quiet and relaxation were the perfect antidote to jet lag. All that said, there are customs and etiquette spe… more

My husband and I just spent a glorious two nights at Asaba Ryokan and we loved it start to finish. Everything was spotlessly clean, the service was attentive but understated, and the peace, quiet and relaxation were the perfect antidote to jet lag. All that said, there are customs and etiquette specific to ryokans and hot springs bathing, so do your homework. If you are expecting to be able to choose your meals or not get naked to enter the communal baths (segregated by sex), you will be disappointed. If, however, you’re open to the experience and especially the bathing culture, you can’t do better than Asaba. If your goals are to relax, bathe and eat well, Asaba will tick every box. We can’t wait to go back!

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“Stunning Historic Ryokan”

From the moment we arrived, we were taken away by how stunningly beautiful this ryokan is. Everything is tastefully designed and at times it feels more like a museum than a ryokan. We loved our room Hagi which faced the pond. We also absolutely loved the food that was served here - the ingredients … more

From the moment we arrived, we were taken away by how stunningly beautiful this ryokan is. Everything is tastefully designed and at times it feels more like a museum than a ryokan. We loved our room Hagi which faced the pond. We also absolutely loved the food that was served here - the ingredients were very fresh and the dishes, to our palate, were better than the ones at Fufu (and mind you, food is a strong point across all Fufu properties). Our room attendant, Yoko, was also friendly, knowledgeable on a lot of things and had a cool personality. The tatami was also plush and very comfortable, possibly the best futons we have ever slept on. What wasn’t so great for us, however, was the lack of proficiency in English. There were a couple of service lapse, which we assume is due to language barriers despite what we thought was clear communication and acknowledgment. We feel that it should be better for Japanese speaking guests. We also feel that most staff here were a little bit old and feel that we might be a bit too young to be a guest, I’m not sure how we got the feeling but just didn’t click for us. For the room, it lacked the normal skincare amenities of an onsen ryokan and the hairdryer was very weak, which would pose an issue for the ladies or gents with long hair. Service here, while good, was not great per se. In the end we had a good stay here but were not blown away. Room: We stayed at Hagi room, which is adequately sized for two and enjoyed a great view of the garden. Would happily stay there again if we return. One night would be enough given the very small size of the Shuzenji town.

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