Yumoto Saito Ryokan

We really enjoyed staying in this ryokan. Driving all the way up was already nice (narrow) through the mountains. Staff are waiting outside upon your arrival and that is the first sign that they truly want to make you feel comfortable. Our host was great explaining us the room, and each dish during the great and enjoyable diner. We should have stayed longer. It was our best Ryokan experience in this 10 day trip !

My husband and I stayed here for 3 nights in June 2023 (originally planned for 4 but Typhoon Mawar impeded our plans). We stayed in the Kaizanso wing, with a traditional tatami room and semi-open air bath and balcony. We loved our room and the view of the trees and mountains. The bath looking over the landscape was incredibly relaxing (and you can adjust the temperature, which is nice). The only drawback to staying in this room is that it takes 3 elevators and an 8-minute walk to get there from the entrance to the ryokan. If you forgot something in your room, you are going to get your steps in that day! The decor of the room is traditional, so if you are a foreigner, be ready. There are no chairs except on the outside deck, for example. The bed futons are laid out while you are at dinner, and I found that one futon was not enough, but with two futons on the tatami floor, it was just right. The bedding was super soft and comfortable, and I loved the traditional yakuta pijamas. The staff was super helpful with making the ryokan reservations and dealing with the typhoon disruption. Miura was very gracious and understanding. The hotel also has a gift shop with lots of interesting food gifts. We tried the private bath, but it was 41 C and too hot for us. The ryokan-only open-air baths are low temperature at around 37 C are much more tolerable. Sitting in the milky white waters surrounded by trees and beautiful rock decor is really magical (but they do smell like sulphur). There was generally no one in the open-air bath in the afternoon (it seems it's more customary to go early in the morning). You can't wear any clothes or bathing suits, and no tattoos, so just be aware of this. There is also a separate larger bath open to the public, but we didn't get to try that one. We had breakfast and dinner all 3 days at the hotel, in a private tatami room in the restaurant. The traditional Japanese breakfast was great, and the dinner varied, which was nice. There was sukiyaki and other hotpots and steam pots, as well as sashimi, rice, miso or dashi soup, and dessert. There is a modest corkage fee if you want to bring your own beverages, which we appreciated. Our server was great. The view from our room -- and along all the roads to the ryokan -- was very nice, but I was a bit disappointed that there were no hiking trails within walking distance of the ryokan or the charming Shirahone Onsen village, since the scenery is so spectacular. There is an old hiking trail down to some waterfalls that is past the bus stop, but it seemed like a lot of the wooden trail was broken and it was closed. It would be nice if you didn't have to drive a ways to get to a way to be in the woods. Also note that there is no ATM in Shirahone Onsen or really nearby, so bring plenty of cash with you from wherever you are coming from. There is also no ATM in Kamikochi, but the taxis and most of the stores and restaurants don't take credit cards (they take local mobile payments li