이케다야 가지카엔 오쿠츠

Beautiful classic Ryokan facility with much history and classic character. Dedicated, hard-working, pleasant staff. Unfortunately we were disadvantaged by our nationality and attendance during Golden Week, despite booking over 3 months ahead. The room we had chosen was a Japanese style Quadruple Room. Upon arrival we were informed that this did not have a private tub as pictured on the booking sites. I used Agoda, but the staff member told me this was interchangeable with ***. I presented receipts, dates etc. Instead the room we were given was to me, a standard Japanese style room. Beautiful but small with no shower, no tub, no sink other than basic toilet with small vanity. I paid over *** per night for this! I was naturally very dissected and stressed. Staff tried to compensate by allowing us "free" 50min entry to the private pool area for 50min. This was pretty small with no view, grateful for opportunity to refresh after long day of travelling. When I went to the basement female onsen in the morning, a male was in there. We were given the chance to "upgrade " the following day. Very grateful to staff for this, however it was what we feel we had originally booked and certainly paid for. So after much stress and interruption, we returned the next evening to the new room. This was lovely and spacious, however again not what I had originally spent hours of precious time choosing from the available rooms in February. This was western style with a modern bathtub, no timer tub onsen, no onsen view! Comfortable though. Breakfast on the second morning included tomato sauce . At checkout I was charged the onsen area tax, another $60. I again explained that I had also emailed the facility a few times prior to attending to confirm booking. I was informed that the Western sites were not the best for such a facility. Also that the pictures were not necessarily a guarantee of, say, an onsen within the room although that was pictured on 2 sites. I did wonder then why they don't update their pictures or not use these booking sites. I felt unwelcome and ripped because I could have chosen something more suitable in the time frame and all up over *** with breakfast only, few new wrinkles and grey hair from the angst and lost time. Beautiful facility for a genuine traditional experience, just check!

Owner and staff are friendly and helpful. Enjoyed the onsen and I slept very well here. Hope to come back soon

Unless Okutsu Valley (or Gorge) is on your must-see list, there may be little reason to stay in this area, as the town is very quiet and has limited attractions. The hotel is probably one of the few accommodation options around. The hotel is functional and reasonably maintained, though the room is rather dated. It is spacious, with a few modern touches. Unfortunately, we did find a bug in the room, although we were not sure how it got in. What made the stay pleasant was the friendly and helpful staff. To our surprise, they were Nepalese and spoke Japanese as well as some English. Despite this, they embraced and delivered the warmth of Japanese culture and hospitality. Dinner was also enjoyable. The hotel is tucked away along a quiet street, with a dilapidated building directly opposite. It was rather unfortunate to see the area in such a neglected state. Overall, the hotel is a functional choice if you are visiting Okutsu Valley or Gorge, but the surrounding area has little else to offer.