Kawawa Station × Accommodation With Welcome ServiceHighly rated Hotel·Ryokan

I made a Reservation for my daughter’s birthday. We were warmly welcomed on arrival by car, and the experience began with a matcha tea service. The semi-private dining area for dinner was decorated for her birthday, and we truly appreciated the thoughtful touch. The meal was also delicious. We chose a Room with an open-air bath, but there were quite a few stink bugs, which was the only slight disappointment. Of course, insects are part of nature and can’t be helped, and overall we had a wonderful stay.

I chose this Accommodation because I wanted to relax in a bath with an ocean view, and it offers ocean-view rooms with private open-air baths. I later realized it was featured in the Michelin Guide (Tokai edition). There are many baths throughout the Accommodation—on the rooftop, on the 5th floor, two on the 3rd floor, and one on the 2nd floor—but unfortunately the 2nd-floor bath was closed on the day of my stay. The in-room open-air bath had plenty of hot water and a great view, and I enjoyed it very much. The 5th-floor bath is a reservable private bath in 25-minute slots, so it felt a bit rushed. On the 3rd floor, if it’s available you can lock it and use it privately; I used only one of them, and its semi-open-air style was best suited for washing up. I used the rooftop open-air bath after dinner—the gradient of colors in the sky was stunning, and I could even see an evening star, making for a truly beautiful experience; however... because there is nothing to block the wind on the rooftop, I felt very cold even during the short walk to the tub. You may want to choose your season if you want to fully enjoy it. The staff were cheerful and kind. I booked a Plan with breakfast and dinner; both meals were delicious and felt like just the right amount. Perhaps because everything paired well with alcohol, I got thirsty at night and drank water several times (I appreciated that cold water was provided in a pot in my room). The bedding was high quality and I slept well. Overall satisfaction was high—an Accommodation that made me want to return. One disappointing point—also mentioned by others—was that there were many marks on the tatami mats that looked like they came from dragging tables or other furniture around. Also as others have noted, there were some areas where cleaning seemed insufficient: higher spots and exterior sides of window frames looked like they hadn’t been wiped for quite some time. What bothered me most this time was that weeding around the open-air bath area hadn’t been done at all. It seems like it could be finished within an hour—or handled with weed killer—but since there don’t seem to be many young people locally and older staff appear to be running things mainly themselves, this may be easier said than done. Photos from when Game 16 of Ryuo Title Match (Season 16) was held here are displayed inside; you can see younger versions of Morishita Koji? Wait: Actually "森内、羽生" are Yoshiharu Morinouchi? It's "Morinouchi" vs "Habu". Alongside them is also a young Sugimoto Masayuki (8-dan), famous as mentor to Fujii Sota (six titles). Shogi fans—and especially Fujii fans—should definitely take a look.

The sunset viewed from the terrace was the most beautiful I have ever seen. Listening to the sound of the waves as the sky gradually shifted to shades of orange and purple, and watching the sun sink behind the mountains across the water, I never got tired of it no matter how long I looked. It was a luxurious escape from everyday life and became one of my best travel memories. We stayed without meals, but there were dishes and seasonings available, and we rented a knife and cutting board—so all we needed to bring were ingredients and drinks. The warm hospitality from all the staff was wonderful as well. I would love to come back again to see this sunset.