Hanafubuki

“Wonderfull, well worth your time!”

What a lovely place to be! After the crazy busy spots in Tokyo like Shibuya and Akihabara it was surreal to find that there are quite and serene spots in Japan like Hanafubuki! Super friendly people too, so nothing but praise! Just to illustrate, we forgot a jacket in our room. Same evening we cal… more

What a lovely place to be! After the crazy busy spots in Tokyo like Shibuya and Akihabara it was surreal to find that there are quite and serene spots in Japan like Hanafubuki! Super friendly people too, so nothing but praise! Just to illustrate, we forgot a jacket in our room. Same evening we called from our next hotel and it was no problem to send the jacket to there. The only small complaint I have, is that it doesn't fit a highly personal service provider like Hanafubuki to still have all personnel wear a face mask. It may be intended in the right way but it still takes away lot of the experience. Vending machines are omnipresent in Japan but please save Hanafubuki from the machinification of their service!

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“A lovely stop between Kyoto and Toyko”

We stopped at this ryokan for one night between Kyoto and Tokyo. It's set in a suburban-ish feeling area and the grounds of the ryokan are beautiful and green. We went to the onsen (all private) three separate times and never had trouble finding an available one. The onsen are a mix of indoors and … more

We stopped at this ryokan for one night between Kyoto and Tokyo. It's set in a suburban-ish feeling area and the grounds of the ryokan are beautiful and green. We went to the onsen (all private) three separate times and never had trouble finding an available one. The onsen are a mix of indoors and outdoors. The food was delicious and beautifully presented. We could barely finish the breakfast, it was so much food! In terms of logistics, in case this helps other travelers: It is not really that out of the way to go to the Izu Peninsula in between Kyoto and Tokyo. On the way from Kyoto, we transferred trains once in Atami, and on our way out to Tokyo there was a direct train. We walked from the local Izu-Kogen train station to the ryokan (10-15 min), but it's not flat, so if you have a lot of luggage or mobility issues, you may wish to take a taxi. (Speaking of luggage, we had our luggage sent from our Kyoto hotel to our Tokyo hotel with "takkyubin" service so we only had to bring small daypacks for our one-night stay at the ryokan. HIGHLY recommend doing this.)

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“The Literal Best Hotel Experience Of My Life”

I am not exaggerating when I say this is the greatest place I have ever been in my life. A friend recommended Hanafubuki to me, and I have made a point to tell everyone I know about it. The below is long, but worth reading I promise! It's located a ways outside of Tokyo on the Ito Peninsula, and t… more

I am not exaggerating when I say this is the greatest place I have ever been in my life. A friend recommended Hanafubuki to me, and I have made a point to tell everyone I know about it. The below is long, but worth reading I promise! It's located a ways outside of Tokyo on the Ito Peninsula, and there were almost no other tourists there. Half of the guests staying there were themselves Japanese. It was very nice as a reprieve from the bustle of Tokyo. The grounds themselves are gorgeous, like out of a storybook, the onsen hotsprings are amazing (but very hot!) and there is no time limit to use them. They each have a light outside that will be on if they are in use, so it's very easy to tell which are available. They are also private, so if you are with the other gender or have tattoos you can still use them, unlike some of the public onsens in Japan. We chose to stay in a traditional Japanese-style room, which involves sleeping on tatami mats on the ground. This was much more comfortable than I expected! The food was amazing, I still cannot believe that much food was included in the nightly price. The price included a delicious and very hearty breakfast (we chose the European-style, but there is also Japanese-style with fish) and a Kaiseki dinner, which is a traditional Japanese meal with around 10 courses. It was a tremendous amount of food but also the presentation was stunning and it tasted like we'd paid $200 for the meal. We still can't get over how wonderful it was. I also got a massage, which was one of the best massages I've ever had. The staff in general was incredibly kind and hospitable. Since this is located outside of Tokyo, be prepared that not everyone speaks English but it wasn't an issue at all and they were all lovely. You can stay here all day without leaving and be perfectly happy, but there is also a nice hike to a suspension bridge by the ocean nearby, as well as a teddy bear museum! We live in California but would come back here as soon as we are physically able to. 10/10.

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“Lots of private baths (onsen)”

I always try to find Ryokan (Japanese traditional Inn) with many private baths options, that you can use without reservations as much as you can, and this is one of these Ryokan. I have been there twice with family, and recommended another friend, who also liked it. It has large isolated accommod… more

I always try to find Ryokan (Japanese traditional Inn) with many private baths options, that you can use without reservations as much as you can, and this is one of these Ryokan. I have been there twice with family, and recommended another friend, who also liked it. It has large isolated accommodations (hanare), and even good size for three generations. There are nice walking paths nearby, good for the morning walk. Their garden is full of green, and very picturesque. If meal at the room is provided, that would have been even better. You can probably ask for it ti fully enjoy the place.

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