Kaga Yamashiro Onsen Midori no Yado Banshokaku

Gemini recommended this inn when I asked for travel ideas, so I booked the solo traveler package.The building shows its age, but it is carefully maintained, and I had a comfortable stay.I was told the hot spring water is neither diluted nor heated, yet the temperature was just right. Visiting in October, I found it particularly pleasant to step into the open-air bath after the slightly hotter indoor bath.I enjoyed the delicious fresh seafood from the Sea of Japan. The Kaga Koshihikari rice was another highlight—it had been a long time since plain white rice impressed me so much.I would love to return during crab season.

We stayed in a Japanese-style Room with a private open-air bath fed directly from the source.First, about the Onsen: the open-air bath in our Room was truly luxurious and easy to access from the Japanese-style Room. Even though it was still a bit chilly seasonally, we were able to use it comfortably. The large public bath is located in a secure area inside the building, and although we stayed just before a holiday weekend and had it almost to ourselves, we never felt uneasy about safety. Both the indoor bath and open-air bath were very comfortable. As a result, we enjoyed going back and forth between the private open-air bath in our Room and the large public bath many times!Next, about the meals: dinner was very filling, and we enjoyed a wide variety of local ingredients from appetizers through to the main course. The luxury items—especially grilled nodoguro (blackthroat seaperch) marinated in yuzu sauce and Noto beef—were beyond what we had imagined. Breakfast also offered various delicious “rice companions” that paired perfectly with great rice, so we thoroughly enjoyed it.Since this is not a new building, I was initially concerned about heating and other measures against the cold, but there were no issues with temperatures either in our Room or throughout the Facility. We were able to relax comfortably in a spacious, clean, calm Japanese-style Room. We had packed plans for the next day as well, so we left early on the first Shuttle Service bus; looking back, I think it would have been nice to take things slower at this Accommodation.There aren’t many places to visit right around this Accommodation, but we did enjoy short walks such as Rosanjin’s Iroha Soan and around an atmospheric public bath area nearby. Access is also reasonable: it’s about 10–15 minutes by Shuttle Service bus from Kagaonsen Station (and it takes only around 5 minutes from getting off the Shinkansen to boarding).There isn’t a lobby café or trendy services like breakfast buffets that you often see these days; however, for anyone who wants to unwind at a calm Ryokan with an old-fashioned sense of comfort and security above all else, I can highly recommend this Accommodation. It may also be because we splurged somewhat on a good Room option they prepared for us, but overall my spouse and I were completely satisfied—we couldn’t find anything to fault.Lastly, thank you very much to our attendant for your warm hospitality. We would love to stay again.