Yorozuya

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傳統日式酒店，很濃郁的文化氛圍，温泉不錯，餐食很豐富

I booked a night in Yudanaka with my partner so that we could visit the Snow Monkey Park. Most places were already booked up, so we went for Yorozuya (sometimes romanised as Yoroduya) even though it was a little beyond our budget. At £300 a night for a double room with dinner and breakfast, I thought “this had better be good…” Honestly, it was probably worth double that. The ryokan itself is massive; the atrium has a scale that almost defies sense. We were greeted by staff who were awaiting our arrival, and took our luggage up to our room while we enjoyed a complementary matcha tea. A guide led us up the stairs, handed us XL yukata to wear during our stay and explained the situation with towels. She took us in the lift to our room, and showed us how to access the onsens and where the dining halls would be. We took a few moments to settle into our tatami-floored room, change into our yukata, and investigate the albeit pretty boring view from our balcony. For the record: the joy here is _inside_ the ryokan rather than outside. We tested both the on-site onsen; they operate on schedules so that male guests and female guests bathe separately, but can both enjoy both of the baths. It is worth trying both. It’s a cliché to say, but particularly coming from Europe without much experience of this kind of venue, they made me feel like I was in Spirited Away, if Spirited Away was a series of Hokusai prints. I loved relaxing in the heat of the outdoor bath surrounded by rocks, trees and classically Japanese sculptures, with snow gently falling. Suitably relaxed, it was time for dinner. This was worth the whole booking price alone. We were served a 10-course kaiseki dinner, in a private booth, with attentive staff bringing us fresh water and sake whenever we desired. Every single bite was exquisite. While not 10 courses, this extended into breakfast which was a similar luxurious experience. I was sad we only had one night there, and would go back in a heartbeat. The experience of staying here creates a stronger draw for me to return to Yudanaka than the snow monkeys. We were treated so well, and truly unwound in a setting that felt almost too good to be real.

This review is for the onsens at this location. There are two onsens at this location which switch between men and women at certain intervals during the day. While both are great, there is one that stands out and I was told was a UNESCO World Heritage site. It was a remarkable onsen by which all future onsens will fail to measure up. You are able to access these onsens even if you are not staying at the resort; I paid 800JPY in November of 2022 and it was the best value I could hope for.

大浴場＆露天の桃山風呂は、登録文化財で建物には風情がある。湯は透明アルカリ性の源泉掛け流しであるが、露天の方は広すぎるせいか温度が低すぎた。部屋は本館５Fだったが、3人で10畳＋7畳の二間で十分広く満足。但し食事は夕食の肉は固く、メニューも工夫がなく凡庸だった。また朝食は貧弱で価格に見合わないと思う。接客は良かったと思う。貸し切りサウナ風呂もあるが別料金である。

歴史ある木造の桃山風呂は一見の価値あり。お湯は若干の電解質と硫酸・炭酸イオンを含んでいるようだが、無味無臭で少しヌメリを感じる程度の優しいお湯。硫黄泉のような特徴あるお湯が好みの人には物足りないかも。食事はおいしく量も十分で、サービスもよい。各住宅にお風呂がない湯田中らしく、共同浴場が徒歩圏内に多数あり宿泊客も利用できる。