Special Report on Garden Ryokan Yachiyo

With over a hundred years of history, Yachiyo Ryokan is a traditional and authentic Japanese ryokan, ideal for a traditional ryokan experience. The landscape of the garden may be enjoyed throughout the year, and is especially beautiful during the cherry blossom season and the autumn season.

Comments from Japan Hotels Online Manager

We visited the ryokan in June 2007 and stayed two nights in the garden-facing rooms. We had a first-floor room with a bath and toilet in the room and a second-floor room without. We had a tour of all the rooms, each of which had a distinctive style. There is a major road close to the ryokan, and guests may hear some of the traffic. Since we are from Tokyo, the traffic noise did not bother us, but this may be an issue for others, guests wishing to avoid these rooms should request when making their reservation.

There were three types of meals to choose from for dinner: "Kaiseki" (a traditional Japanese cuisine, which features seasonal and regional specialties), "Sukiyaki" (which consists of thinly sliced beef slowly cooked or simmered at the table, alongside vegetables and other ingredients, in a shallow iron pot in a mixture of soy sauce, sugar, and mirin. Before being eaten, the ingredients are usually dipped in a small bowl of raw, beaten eggs), and "Shabu-Shabu" (a Japanese variant of hot pot. The dish is related to sukiyaki in style. Both dishes use thinly sliced meat and vegetables, and are usually served with dipping sauces. However, shabu-shabu is more savory and less sweet than sukiyaki. Only the Kaiseki dinner is served in guest rooms. All breakfasts are served in the restaurant. For breakfast, you may receive a choice of Japanese or Western breakfast. For the first night, since we were tired from the trip from Tokyo, we ate dinner in our room. For the second night we ate dinner in the restaurant, which has a magnificent view of the second garden. We were very satisfied with both dining experiences.

There are also two exclusive large rooms which took our breath away. These rooms are double the size of the other rooms, and cannot be booked through the regular reservation system. But, if guests are interested in these rooms, they can contact us and we may arrange them based on availability. The ryokan offers wireless LAN access in the rooms, but guests should bring their own wireless-enabled laptops. Please note that the ryokan staff cannot provide technical support. Also, around the corner is the Kyoto City International Foundation (Open from 09:00 to 21:00) which offers on-premise computer rental for 200 yen per 30 minutes. And their PCs have English operating systems.

Overall, my comments on this ryokan are that it is traditional and authentic. I must agree that it is old and for that sake some may not like it. But, it has the true taste of traditional Japan, and allowed us to feel as if it were a home away from home.

Online Booking Manager Katsu Terauchi