Ryokan Katsuraso

This is the second time I have stayed at Ryokan Katsuraso, I came here five years ago and it was so memorable I wanted to bring my girlfriend out to see it. As it happened, she arrived as my girlfriend and left as my fiancée, so it is a special place to us. This is a family guesthouse, and it has all the character and charm of a small, local business. The inn is immaculately clean and the rooms are comfortable. We were given a western style room (I believe they brought beds in for our benefit) and whilst we would have preferred a Japanese style room, but were touched by the fact they had made the effort to accommodate our needs. There are three hot spring bathrooms, we tried two of them. They are perhaps a bit tired and in need of a bit of superficial repair, but they felt genuine and infussy, and I would not change them. The location is very good, being right next to the old town and the Kitamuki-Kannon temple. It takes a bit of finding from the station if you don’t speak Japanese, but it really worth making the effort. Walking around the temple complex after dinner is a real treat. However, the best thing about Ryokan Katsuraso are the couple who run it. The wife speaks some English and made such an effort to make us feel welcome and to explain how the baths work, what things we could see in town and what all the food was. Oh the food! The husband is the chef and his work is worth travelling across the country to try. All the food is seasonal, immaculately presented and completely, absolutely sublime. On taste alone it was probably the best meal I have had all year, but the whole experience was one we will remember for a lifetime. If you would like to experience small-town Japan and have a genuine, unfussy but truly memorable Japanese experience, I can’t think of anywhere better to have it.