Shiratama no Yu Kaho Annex Koshinosato

My mother, my aunt, and I stayed here together. Upon arrival, we passed through a spacious, beautiful lobby and were guided by a staff member to Koshi no Sato. Perhaps because it was Golden Week, there were no seats for the welcome matcha drink at first, but we enjoyed it later and it was delicious. Since I had consulted in advance about my mother’s mobility issues, they had prepared a chair in our Room, which we truly appreciated. Dinner featured elegantly seasoned dishes made with an abundance of local ingredients. The staff’s explanations of each dish were easy to understand, and we could genuinely feel their heartfelt hospitality.The Onsen water at Tsukioka Onsen was also wonderful; after just one night, my mother’s and aunt’s neuralgia seemed to improve slightly. When we left, the staff carried our luggage all the way to the entrance. While many places help with luggage at check-in but leave you to handle it yourself at check-out, here we received warm hospitality right through to the very end—and it deeply moved us.It certainly isn’t cheap, but I believe this Accommodation is well worth the price.

7th Floor 771 / Kasumi [Japanese cypress indoor bath with amphibole stone] Japanese-Western Suite Japanese-Western room, 81.8 sqm Enjoy Echigo’s blessings: Seasonal Kaiseki “Shun Course”I stayed here for the first time after seeing it featured in a TV Ryokan ranking. I was a little unsure whether I’d really get excited about a location that feels like it stands in the middle of rice fields—but now I understand. The view from the 7th-floor room was exceptional: as you’d expect from one of Japan’s premier rice-growing regions, the vast scale of the paddies and their mirror-like beauty created scenery you can only experience here.It’s a large Ryokan overall, but Koshinosato (the annex) has a separate front desk. Check-in is handled by a concierge in a chic reception area. We each received our own room key card. The suite includes a Japanese-style living area, twin beds, and an observation sofa room to enjoy the view. There was also an older massage chair. The in-room bath was very comfortable at just the right temperature, though the view outside is blocked by wooden screening so there isn’t much to see. Amenities were excellent; we were impressed that ReFa hair dryers and other items were provided as a full set. Both yukata and samue are available inside the property; we chose to wear samue during our stay. The refrigerator included complimentary mineral water, beer, cola, and oolong tea.Dinner was served in a private dining room and was just the right amount. The nodoguro (blackthroat seaperch) was tender enough that even the bones were soft and flaky. The quality of the beef for shabu-shabu and the delicious clay-pot rice were outstanding. In particular, breakfast buffet alone—especially making seafood bowls with salmon roe, squid, tuna, salmon, and more—was more than satisfying.The bathwater’s pale emerald color felt unusual at first; while Koshinosato’s dedicated baths are quiet with an adult atmosphere, I personally preferred the main building’s large open-air bath for its spaciousness and comfort.My only real complaint was that there was only one power outlet for one side of the twin beds—I hope this can be improved. If I had to be picky, updating the massage chair would make it perfect.The proprietress also personally saw guests off throughout our stay—very impressive service overall. This is a luxury Ryokan that made me want to return again.Thank you very much.