An Onsen & Ryokan Experience At Taenoyu Onsen

After much research prior to our trip to Japan, we finally decided to make a reservation at Taenoyu Onsen which is one of eight ryokan (traditional Japanese inn) in Nyuto Onsen located in the Tohoku region of Honshu.

We were raring to go to Tsurunoyu Onsen at first. Tsurunoyu Onsen is the oldest operating ryokan of Nyuto Onsen. A ryokan so rustic that it does not have plumbing or electricity. But Taenoyu Onsen wins over because of the fact that we actually managed to communicate with the ryokan staff via e-mail.

Taenoyu Onsen is a modern, well equipped ryokan that sits beside the Sendatsu River. Special characteristics of Taenoyu Onsen is the dark golden brown waters. There are seven baths visitors can enjoy at the onsen and we tried them all.

For first timers visiting both an onsen and a ryokan, Taenoyu Onsen comes highly recommended by us (and you know how fussy I can be, right?). The staff there, while not thoroughly conversant in English, know enough to explain their services, giving directions and food offered to guests. Of course, knowing a little bit of Japanese doesn't hurt either. It may not be a luxury ryokan, but still, the service that was accorded to us got us a little bit flustered because we don't get to experience this kind of service often (make it almost never!)

From Lake Tazawa, we took a bus to Taenoyu onsen (bus fares from Lake Tazawa: 350yen , from Tazawako Station: 800yen) and there was a bus stop directly opposite Taenoyu Onsen. Make sure you press the bell when you hear "Taenoyu Onsen mae" - which meant in front of Taenoyu Onsen; being announced in the bus. If you missed the stop, don't worry because the next stop is just a few metres away so you can easily walk back.
Immediately after we alighted from the bus, we were greeted by a staff who was already waiting in front of the ryokan (took a few seconds to alight from the bus as we need to pay for our fares upon exiting the bus). I guess the staff there are well tuned to the sound of stopping vehicle to know that guests are coming. Funny thing was, we were mistakenly thought to be a Hong Kong couple that were also checking in that day. (Yeah, we get that plenty of time in Japan. We were always thought to be tourists from China)

Exterior of Taenoyu Onsen. We were quickly ushered in, asked to change our shoes to indoor slippers and completed our check-in.

The lobby area. The ryokan was fragrant with the burning of incense. Soft, soothing music was played continuously making guests feel relaxed and stress free. There were slippers for indoor wear (green colour), toilet slippers and slippers to be worn outside. Our shoes were safely stashed away out of sight.

Our room. We were shown to our room and tea were made and served. While we were enjoying our tea and sweets, the staff explained to us about the amenities at the ryokan. Earlier, she had shown us the communal sink, toilet and dining area. (Yes, we didn't have a bathroom in our room).

Reservation for private bath time and dining arrangement were done too, all while sipping our hot tea.

View from our room. We slept while listening to the sound of the stream. It was so relaxing. Of course, with such a nice view, we couldn't resist taking a photo. How do we look in our yukatas? The ryokan even has yukata for children of all sizes. Raimie tried a couple on, until the staff found the right size for him.

Toiletries provided which includes a small towel to be used in the hot spring. Facial cleanser, body wash, shampoo and conditioner were available in the shower room located at the changing area.
Slippers to be worn in the toilet. It is a no-no to bring in your indoor slippers in to the toilet. Leave them outside the toilet, OK? :)

The communal sink and sink inside the ladies toilet. Two stalls available downstairs and one in the changing room. I preferred the one in the changing room as it had a bidet there. Toilet seats in both places were nicely warmed so my butt didn't felt cold.

Not having a bathroom in our room was not an issue here. For me, it just felt that I was staying at one of my relatives' (albeit wealthy one) place. Our room was located on the same level as the toilet so that helped too,I suppose. Though walking to the toilet at night, one have to tread lightly as the wooden floor creaks and make sounds. Wouldn't want to disturb other guests. For info, there are rooms with in-room bathroom available but they were more expensive than ours.

The room felt very small when we first entered it (it was a 6 tatami room), but after settling in, we felt the room was just nice and cosy for us. While we had dinner at 6.00pm, our futons were laid out ready to be used. Even the tea sets were changed and wet towel were provided too for us.

Raimie absolutely love the futon, rolling around and playing hide and seek under the blanket. And it was so hard to coax Raimie to wake up the morning after (Raimie is an early riser normally and would wake up way earlier than us!)

Me, the next morning before breakfast pretending to be a Japanese guest of yesteryear. LOL

Next up - our onsen experience; mixed bath and all and our Japanese meals in a ryokan.