navi.w
December 7, 2023
In order to go to Shiosei Initial D, I went to Ikaho Onsen for the first time and booked to stay here. I spent three days and two nights in a row, and the dinner and breakfast dishes were different every day! Awesome! This is a hotel in the area that is over a hundred years old. It has a long history and has been renovated.
Transportation: Take the Ikaho Onsen Line from Shibukawa Station for half an hour. If you catch the express bus on time, you will arrive within 10 minutes.
The hotel is right next to the main bus station of Ikaho Onsen. When you arrive, you will be greeted by staff outside the entrance. Everyone in the hotel has to take off their shoes before entering. The shoes will be kept in the shoe cabinet outside, which is very Japanese hotel style. When checking in and explaining in the lobby, you will be asked when you will have dinner and breakfast, which is very considerate. Then directed to my room. I felt very comfortable as the staff guided/explained very politely. I stayed in a corner Western-style room on the 5th floor, which was half a floor away. The room was large, clean and comfortable. The good thing about the in-room facilities is that there are plenty of sockets, which are useful for charging smartphones. It's just that there is no bathroom in the room. I have to go to the large bathing room on the first floor to take a bath. I just find this inconvenient. Dinner is served in the venue on the 2nd floor with a handwritten menu. The staff explained each item politely and cared about getting enough rice, which was very delicious! This is a perfect service. Dishes were a local selection of meat, fish and vegetables, allowing us to enjoy local produce. Drinks are available at an additional cost and a la carte dishes can be ordered separately. Regarding the breakfast the next day, the portion was very large and very satisfying. Especially the steamed vegetables are very delicious. Even at breakfast, the staff was very friendly and polite, providing bathing information and asking if I need to clean the room that day? I said no. Very considerate, I enjoyed the large bath on the 1st floor, the open-air bath on the 8th floor, and the private open-air bath. The men's and women's hot springs will change venues sooner or later, which is great! Note that only the large bath on the first floor has shampoo and shower gel, so go to the large bath first. In addition to a large bathtub, the public bath also has a sauna and a cold shower. It was a bath that healed my body and mind. The hot spring is very hot and nice to soak in. You can enjoy different scenery in the open-air bath in the morning and evening. It is easier to see the scenery than renting an open-air bath. But the most enjoyable thing is to soak in the hot spring naked while admiring the beautiful scenery! After I soaked in the hot springs in the morning and returned to my room to rest comfortably, a thrilling and embarrassing episode happened. Suddenly someone (named the female manager Omori) opened the door to my room with a key. I had clearly told me that there was no need to clean it. I didn't realize that someone would come in the room. I was completely naked at the time. The scene was very sudden and embarrassing! She was embarrassed and said sorry and immediately closed the door. It was also the first time that a return incident happened to me. I didn’t feel uneasy or unhappy at the moment, I was just scared. When I came back to my senses, I just felt that the female person in charge made an unintentional mistake. Afterwards, when we met, she told me that she was very sorry. Opinions for this hotel: First, because I feel that if you want to enter the guest room, no matter whether there is anyone or not, you must knock on the door and say "Sorry for disturbing you" before entering. The female person in charge suddenly opened the guest room door without saying anything and came in! Not very respectful. The second point is that I have communicated with the hotel staff that there is no need to clean the room. Did you make any mistakes in communication? The third point is that I don’t know whether the female person in charge is intentional or not, but the female person in charge is obviously not dressed to prepare room cleaning equipment. In addition, even if you insist on entering the guest’s room, you must ensure that the guest agrees and has already gone out. Implement. It is recommended that the room should be equipped with a back lock to ensure the safety of guests. I hope this hotel will learn from this to ensure that similar things don't happen to other guests. 
I will also consider staying here next time. 

Summary (out of 5)
Dinner: 4 points
Breakfast: 4.5 points
Room: 4 points
Hot spring: 3.5 points
Original TextTranslation provided by Google