Originally Posted by
hippogriff23
You previously mentioned that Hidatei Hanaougi, Honjin Hiranoya Kachoan and Hanaougi Bettei Iiyama are far inferior to Wanosato, but was wondering whether you think they are still good/worth the price if we want to experience a nice ryokan.
Do you also have any thoughts about Yatsusankan in Hida-Furukawa? My understanding is that they don’t have an actual Onsen but transport the water to the ryokan (not sure what exactly it means). We are also thinking about Matsusaki and Shogetsu, but these are quite a bit further (and Shogetsu rooms with private Onsen seem to be always sold out). Thanks!
While those three ryokans are not as incredible as Wanosato, they are all very solid and definitely in the luxury category. Honjin Hiranoya Kachoan has - by far - the best location; it's a minute away from the main old town area. The other two are about a 30 minute walk away. Kachoan does not have Onsen, however, so if that's something you're after you ought to look elsewhere. Both Iiyama and Hanaougi have rooms with Onsen.
Yatsusankan is a historic building, and every March they bring out the Hina dolls, which is a unique thing. I have not stayed here, but my guess is that it's nice but probably one notch below when it comes to luxury.
Regarding the "transporting of Onsen water to the ryokan" - this is the case with some ryokans that don't have the ability to have the Onsen flow to the property (via pipes) straight from the source. They bring the Onsen, via a truck (think like a gasoline truck but smaller - this is Japan, after all) from a location that does have access to the source. This is often the case with ryokans in areas that don't have much in the way of hot springs availability, such as Kyoto. The ideal Onsen is one that is
Gensen Kakenagashi - which means it's not only straight from the source, but the Onsen is continually flowing into the bath, and the Onsen is never recirculated.