Aoi no Bi Yuyu (Formerly Yumoto Shirogane Onsen Hotel)

Both dinner and breakfast are buffet-style, with a simple but well-chosen selection, and everything was delicious. For dinner, the only fruit was melon—luxuriously so—meaning all-you-can-eat melon. There were cakes too, but I liked the simplicity of having just melon. As you’d expect from an Onsen Ryokan, the Onsen itself was solid and enjoyable. The cold bath felt extremely cold in the evening—around the low teens °C by feel—and in the morning it seemed closer to about 20°C; it might be just right for sauna fans who like very cold water.

It was lavender season, so I expected it to be crowded, but I was able to relax comfortably in both the restaurant and the Onsen. I stayed in a suite, and the Room was clean; both dinner and breakfast were served in a private dining room. The meal also included crab, sea urchin, and medium-fatty tuna sashimi, all of which were delicious. The suite came with a steam sauna and access to an exclusive lounge, but since there were complimentary beers and other drinks in the Room and I wanted to relax there, I didn’t use them. It might be nice to offer a wider selection of drinks in the Room. Also, the Onsen water was too hot for me to enter. The meals were excellent. There was an all-you-can-eat melon buffet with very tasty melon. Instead of packaged ice cream bars, it would be great if soft-serve ice cream were available. I would love to stay at this Ryokan again. Thank you very much.