There are a lot of onsen (hot spring) and ryokan (Japanese inn) in the area, so Satoshi has been wanting to check them out.
The hot spring/ryokan area is about 15 minutes away by bus from Shuzenji station.
The ryokan we would be staying at was Katsuragawa.
Oh em gee! chaos when we entered the lobby...they had a long line to check-in, other guests were grabbing their yukata from the shelves, children running around…
no amenities in the room, so be sure to grab them in the lobby…
definitely not the zen that I envisioned from other ryokan we've visited in the past
I told you that many prefectures were giving discounts to boost their travel markets, well Shizuoka was no different.
The only thing was that Shizuoka is very strict.
I wasn’t aware, but one of the criteria to qualify for the discount in Shizuoka was that ID was needed at check-in (guessing it wasn’t necessary when we went to Enoshima because no one checked our ID)
In Japan I usually don't travel with ID, in fact, to ride an "inter-island" flight in Japan, I've never been asked to see ID to check-in, ever!
So, we were shocked when the front desk clerk denied giving me the discount because I did not have ID.
They also said we might be billed 5000 yen by the travel agency we had gone through to pay for the difference for not qualifying for the discount, eep?!
Bummed after we checked-in, we then realized at 17:30 that we needed to make reservations for the buffet?! and ended up with a reservation for 19:30...small kine hangry…
So we went to the hot spring and then to dinner...and if I thought check-in was chaotic, dinner was even krazier.
Most ryokan have slippers to wear, but this one only gives you socks, so in the dining area we were all walking with socks…you could kind of feel the floor being a little slippery and a little grimy…eew!
after many rounds and an hour of all you can drink, we rolled back to our rooms and waited for their nightcap ramen at 22:00..oink!
I took the socks I wore in the dining area off in the room because I couldn’t see myself wearing them in bed too…
The next morning, we woke up, went to the hot spring and then down to breakfast…
Which was krazy like dinner.
We decided we were gonna eat enough so that we didn't need to eat lunch...
Up and down the many hills to see various historical gravesites that Satoshi was interested in seeing.
I was happy that there were still some autumn colors.
Despite my not having my ID, we tried to make the best of it and got to see all that we wanted to.
Not sure we would come back, but if we do, we want to try some of the local soba restaurants and cafes.
Katsuragawa
860 Shuzenji
Izu, Shizuoka
Phone: 0558.72.0810
If you are interested, more photos and videos here.
oh that is so aggravating and disappointing!
ReplyDeleteWould they have accepted a picture of your ID if you take one so it's on your phone?
V
V, Actually needed ID that showed my name and address, if it had a photo that would've been a bonus.
ReplyDeleteTake care.
Kat
omigarsh! Kat, I've seen your 'rants' but this one takes the cake. I stopped halfway through reading to find this place on booking.com (my go-to for lodgings) and couldn't believe what some of the Japanese comments were:
ReplyDeleteSome families didn't follow the 30-minute limit for visiting the seven hot spring...I think the impression of the hotel will change depending on what kind of people you share the schedule with when you stay. I didn't understand the all-you-can-drink system. I forgot to take amenity, and when I went to get it later, there was no shaving.
I think they should've let the ID thing slide...and the guy with the cart in the dining room.
I need to show health insurance card or social security AND ID just to change something in our phone contract (it's in my name).
Kat, another thought that crossed my mind when reading...what do you mean about amenities? I read the part 'other guests were grabbing their yukata from the shelves' and wondered why aren't they placed in the room.
ReplyDeleteI can say that amenities (all within the room) for places here would be bathrobe, slippers (like the kind that goes with pjs), hot water kettle, coffee maker (the kind that uses capsules), coffee capsules, sugar, assorted tea bags, tiny bottles of shampoo, shower gel, etc, and sometimes even a large bottle of water. I'm referring mainly to b&bs and self-catering apartments since we usually stay at those types of accommodation.
sorry so long, but your post got me wondering.
Aiyaiyai, not the smoothest-running vacation, but judging from your additional photos it looks like you still had a nice trip.
ReplyDeleteRowena, ammenities in most ryokan/hotel rooms usually are tootbrush, yukata, razor, coffee, tea, a little snack to have with said coffee/tea, slippers...
ReplyDeleteJalna, for sure :)
Take care you two.
Kat
I never would've imagined a razor and toothbrush, wow.
ReplyDeleteOh man, what a bummer Kat.....
ReplyDeleteRowena, you get kind of spoiled with some of these ammenities that you forget to pack them whenever you travel overseas...
ReplyDeleteKirk, for real
Take care you two.
Kat