Myoken Ishiharaso

Visiting relatives and road tour . Excellent facilities and great food. Only issue I had was onsen was 1 temperature for all except ice bath. Hot, too hot to sit long.

We decided to add on one night in Kagoshima prior to embarking on our second Yakushima trip. We did this specifically to try out Myoken Ishiharaso - while the ryokan is a relative unknown in foreign circles, the its prominence among Japanese folks as one of the top onsen and culinary ryokans prompted to extend our trip to try it out. We're definitely glad we did! First, the location - even though it's a mere 15 minutes drive from Kagoshima Airport, we felt like we were a world away; the ryokan is on the outskirts of Kirishima National Park, and is situated along the banks of the pretty and quaint Amori River. It's definitely a place you can easily visit from Tokyo or Osaka given its proximity to the airport, and feel like you're in an off-the-beaten-path destination. On the other hand, it's quite a ways away from Kagoshima City proper... if you want to see the sights (Sakurajima, Sengan-en, etc.) then you definitely should plan for a long day or spend two nights in the area. Note that check-in at Ishiharaso is 2PM, and you'll want to get there not much later than that, if you intend to enjoy everything that the ryokan has to offer. We stayed in a Suite in the" Ishikura" annex building called "Kirara." It's generously proportioned (85 square meters) and features a separate bedroom/living room/tatami room, and an open-air outdoor Onsen (natural hot springs) bath on the room's balcony. The added benefit of staying in an Ishikura room (and a handful of the top suites in the main building) is the fact that you can elect to have meals in your own room. We chose Kirara due to preferring a more comfortable (to us), Western-style accommodation - Kirara's bedroom has two double beds, and the living room is furnished with real sofas. Please note that in-room meals are served in the Tatami room. We really enjoyed the variety of Onsens that are available at Ishiharaso. The in-room open-air Onsen was awesome. It's different from many others in that it's full of Iron, and you can really smell it. Not a super pleasant aroma, but it's natural, and it's not overpowering in its aroma. What was impressive is the fact that it's not only is it of the "kakenagashi" (24/7 constant free-flowing) variety, but the volume and force is unlike any other Onsen we've experienced. We could tell that they are close to the source, and there is an abundance of the hot springs water that Ishiharaso taps into. We also tried out several of the Onsens on the property, and they were all interesting in their own unique way. There is a pretty pathway along the river that leads guests to the main "Daiyokujo" (segregated communal bath) that is large and indoors in a separate building that also contains a lounge/cafe. In addition, there are several outdoor Onsens scattered througout the river banks, including a footbath, a mixed-gender bath, and two private rental baths for couples/families/friends. Ishiharaso rents out bathing suits for women, which is (probably!) needed for the mixed-g