 Image search results - "ryokan" |
This is Shorenkan Yoshinoya (昭恋館よ志のや), a hot spring ryokan on the Tango Peninsula (Kyotango). Founded in 1928, it has 11 guest rooms.
|
|
Lobby entrance.
|
|
Lobby
|
|
Nice Japanese-style room.
|
|
View from my room.
|
|
View from my room.
|
|
This is the dressing room for the bath named "Shoren-no-Yu" (昭恋の湯). (“Shoren” means “Love of the Showa Period.” And “Yu” means hot spring water.)The ryokan had two hot spring baths, and both were designed by an American.
|
|
Dressing room.
|
|
Entrance to the bath area.
|
|
The "Shoren-no-Yu" (昭恋の湯) bath was originally an abandoned building that was renovated into a bath with a high ceiling and garden. Most everything was designed by Alexander Wilds and his artist wife Yukiko Oka. Wilds is an American sculptor from New Orleans living in Japan since 1985. He currently teaches art at Yamanashi Gakuin University in Kofu, Yamanashi Prefecture.
|
|
For Shoren-no-Yu, Alexander Wilds and his artist wife Yukiko Oka designed and built most everything including the garden. The shelves in the dressing room were made by his friend. Stained glass was made by his mother. Ceramic tiles are Mexican, leftover from a previous project of his. The bathhouse was originally an abandoned house which he stripped.
|
|
Since the ryokan celebrates the Showa Period (implied by the name "Shorenkan"), he aimed to make the bath have a Showa/Taisho Period feel. It was a tough job because they had to haul everything in and out manually. No accessible road so they had to roll the wooden barrel tub to the building manually (it couldn’t be rectangular). This bath was built during June to Oct. 2003.
|
|
The bath in a wooden barrel. They allowed men and women to use this bath on alternate days.http://alexanderwilds-japan.blogspot.com/2017/12/alexander-wilds-architecture-yoshinoya.html
|
|
Facing the bath's garden area.
|
|
This is the other bath named “Vidro-no-Yu” (ビードロの湯) and also designed by Alexander Wilds and his artist wife Yukiko Oka. The indoor part. The glass windows were a design highlight (hard to see because of the steam and dark night). The glass door opens to a balcony with a bath.
|
|
Outdoor baths on the balcony. It was night so I couldn't see the scenery. But it was great that we could try these two different baths during our overnight stay.
|
|
|
|
Indoor bathing area.
|
|
Dining room.
|
|
Dinner started with this.
|
|
|
|
Shorenkan Yoshinoya ryokan is probably more famous for its food, especially crab during crab season (Nov. to March). But it wasn't crab season when we were there so we didn't have any crab. But the food was still excellent. Kyotango, Kyoto Prefecture.
|
|
|
Yuzu sherbet. Yummy!
|
|
Breakfast.
|
|
BreakfastShorenkan Yoshinoya Map: https://goo.gl/maps/hAHehEVDsft
http://taiza.jp/en/
|
|
Entrance to Takemori Inn/Ryokan (竹盛旅館) in Otomi, where we stayed for a night. Photo by Kinjo Toru. https://www.takemori-inn.net/Map: https://goo.gl/maps/pG9zEMWQ1Zozys1x5
|
|
Okinawan welcome sign at Takemori Inn/Ryokan (竹盛旅館).
|
|
My Japanese-style room at Takemori Inn on Iriomote. Nice two-room suite.
|
|
My Japanese-style room at Takemori Inn on Iriomote.
|
|
Outside my room at Takemori Inn on Iriomote. View of the bridge to Ohara across Nakama River.
|
|
Outside my room at Takemori Ryokan on Iriomote.
|
|
Modern bathroom at Takemori Ryokan on Iriomote.
|
|
Dinner at Takemori Inn. Chawan-mushi, local fish, Yaeyama soba. The ryokan owner was very friendly. Not English-speaking though.茶碗蒸し、海藻と野菜和え、近海魚の刺身、近海魚の塩煮、煮物（冬瓜)、ソーキ、昆布、こんにゃく、黒紫米入り西表産ひとめぼれごはん、八重山そば
|
|
Delicious Okinawan breakfast at Takemori Inn/Ryokan (竹盛旅館).
|
|
My room at Koishiya in Shibu Onsen.
|
|
Each room has a different artwork or design.
|
|
The sliding door entrance to my room had this decorative cloth plastered on. Very retro/unique. Love it. The door has a simple lock and key too.
|
|
My room at Koishiya. It also has a tokonoma (alcove) on the right, but instead of a picture scroll, it has small western paintings which didn't match the room.I can understand that any hanging scroll could be expensive or stolen. And it was a budget ryokan.
|
|
Transom in my room.
|
|
My room at Koishiya. Tokonoma alcove
|
|
Even the table was artistic in my room at Koishiya.
|
|
Opposite side of my 8-mat room. Nice design of the sliding doors through which I enter the room from a small foyer. Every room has a different design.Koishiya is cheap because it doesn't have hot spring water piped in. Instead, they drove us to the nearby Yorozuya ryokan that has a hot spring bath.
|
|
The Koishiya staff drove me to a hot spring bath at a large inn called Yorozuya (officially spelled Yoroduya) in neighboring Yudanaka Onsen.Website: http://yudanaka-yoroduya.com/
|
|
Yorozuya has a huge hot spring bathing facility with one large indoor bath and one outside. This place also had a classic design, taking you back in time to the 1930s.This is the men's changing room. It's huge and looks more like a temple with woodcarved transoms high above. Maybe it was a temple before. The door on the right is the entrance to the indoor bath.
|
|
Door to the bath.
|
|
Hair dryers and retro-style mirrors are provided.
|
|
Cautions for taking a hot spring bath.
|
|
Yorozuya's Momoyama-buro hot spring onsen bath. Large, but it was steamy. I was the only one there.
|
|
They have separate times for men and women to bathe in these large baths.
|
|
Yorozuya's outdoor bath was great too.
|
|
|
|
|
