Tsukimotoya Ryokan

Upon arrival at Kinosaki Onsen station, we took a short walk from the station to the Ryokan that we stayed for the night. We booked our rooms through Agoda and we got the room with Half-Board (Dinner & Breakfast) as we wanted to experience the entire Ryokan experience.

When we arrived at the Ryokan, the first thing that we did was to take off our shoes to change into the slippers provided for us at the entrance. The Ryokan Experience started the moment we stepped in. Bringing us to our room, the staff ensured that we felt welcomed. Check-in was done at our room where we filled up the necessary documents over a cup of warm green tea. Our Onsen Entrance Pass together with a map of the area was also presented to us. We received shopping vouchers that we could use at selected shops. A demonstration on how to wear the yukata was also done and we were asked for our preferred meal timing for dinner and breakfast.

The vouchers was an initiative by the local tourism branch. They hope to encourage more spending from the tourists who are visiting the area. Staying in a Ryokan also entitled us free entry into any of the seven onsens in the town over the duration of our stay.

Contrary to the pre-conceived notion that sleeping on the floor is going to be an uncomfortable experience, our experience had blew that idea out of the window. The futons that were laid out on the tatami mats in the room was really comfortable. Honestly, throughout the trip, there were quite a few accommodations whereby we had to sleep on futons, and I think we miss sleeping on the futons more then sleeping in a western bed.

Back at our Ryokan, we returned after our visit to the onsen to see that dinner has already been set out on the table in our room. After welcoming us back to the Ryokan, one of the staff came with us into our room and started to prepare the mini pot for our Pork Shabu Shabu. It was a new experience for us and certainly the first time we had a multi-course Japanese Meal served within the comfort of our own room.

Dinner includes Snow Crab, a local produce of the area, and fresh sashimi. At first we thought that that was all there is to the meal. We were caught by surprise when the staff returned halfway through our meal with more food. The seafood served was super fresh and the beef was super tender and nice. The fruits that ended the meal was also super sweet as well.

The next morning, shortly after waking up, the staff knocked on our door half an hour before our preferred breakfast timing to setup the room for breakfast.

Keeping the futons and setting the table, the staff brought in a course of traditional Japanese breakfast consisting of miso-soup, rice, salmon and a portion of tofu cooked in a mini-hotpot. Though the breakfast was not as grand as dinner the night before, it was still different from the typical western breakfast that we were so used to. The rice came in a mini-cooker where by you can help yourself to additional servings. For a short-grained rice person like myself, I had extra.

After breakfast, we headed for the streets to visit one last onsen before we left town.

Upon checking out, the staff waved goodbye and we took a nice stroll back to the train station.