Name: Chigira Jinsentei
Address: Ikahocho Ikaho 45, Minakami, Minakami, Minakami, 377-0102, Japan
Rating: 8

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Chigira Jinsentei

Minakami

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We stayed in Chigira Jinsentei in early of April 2012. The ryokan looks new and comfortable although it is the oldest ryokan in Ikaho still in operations till now (it was established since 1502). Needless to say about japanese hospitality and friendly welcome as it is very impressive like anywhere in Japan. The foods (kaiseiki and japanese breakfast were quite good and beautifully decorated). There are indoor and outdoor onsens which are clean. I do prefer the outdoor one because soaking in hot water while the outside temperature was under 10 degree celcius was so relaxing. However, the most special about this ryokan is its historic value. The ryokan is famous because of a novel (Hototogisu) about a turbulent japanese woman's life was written by the novelist Tokutomy in this ryokan. This novel was published in 1900 and now the ryokan's owner still keep a room where Tokutomy stayed. With the "Hototogisu" backdrop in mind, we were happy that we choosed Chigira Jinsentei to stay.

Romantic and historic ryokan

Jinsentei first opened its doors in year 1502 and is one of the older businesses in the world (it's listed as such on wikipedia).  Its prime location along the steps of Ikaho Onsen is the result of being the oldest ryokan in Ikaho.  This is, however, a minus for us since we arrived by JR bus, which bus stop is at the foot of the steps.  With no Japanese cellphone nor command of Japanese we had to drag our luggages up the steep hillside (fortunately, not the steps) to arrive at the hotel.  Anybody who want to stay here and do not want a work out should remember to ask for a pick up.

Despite its age, the ryokan does not feel old.  Everything inside is clean and tidy and well-maintained, as one would expect of any respectable onsen ryokans, and its age only shows in the below-the-sink water heaters to provide warm water - the old construction of the building does not provide for centralized hot water provision.

Staying at Jinsentei is a decent experience and you'll be well taken care of and will receive the standard ryokan treatment:  meals will be served in your room, your futons will be laid by their staff and your luggages will mysteriously appear in your room by the time you finish checking in.  The meals will invariably be huge, but arguably not particularly impressive as we've had better at other ryokans with lower prices, albeit not at Ikaho.

ON the service front I also find Jinsentei to be slightly disappointing.  Service was good, but arguably not as good as other places (the ryokans we stayed at earlier, Ichinoyu honkan of Hakone or Kiyoshigekan of Kusatsu, for instance, were better).  It wasn't that they were rude or unprofessional, but there was this feeling that the staff just weren't as caring as the other places.  We were, as usual, trying to be friendly and using all our very limited Japanese, but the service slipped over the 4D3N we were there.  The very welcoming attitude seemed to turn a bit into "don't care" by the fourth day.  Jinsentei just didn't feel as homely and welcoming as the others.  And I thought the guests should be made to feel at ease, not the other way round!

There are four charter-able semi-open-air onsens in the main building.  They call it "family onsen" but in reality three of them are so small that they are more suitable for going solo.  The last one (the left door on the third floor) is easily big enough for four person and was our preferred room.  As we are not used to getting naked in front of strangers, we did not use the public onsens.

One should note that there is no English menu at the bar and the bar tender doesn't speak English either.

All in all, a nice but not particularly impressive experience.  Slightly expensive, probably due to the fame of the ryokan.  If we were to visit Ikaho again we'd likely stay at another ryokan.

Decent onsen ryoken but with some drawbacks.

Very impressed by the classic Japanese style wooden building that stands there over decades. We stayed in a two-room unit, which is very spacious and luxurious for two of us and the decor is pretty & authentic.
The ryokan is right on the famous stone steps, which makes it easy to stroll about the onsen street late at night or early in the morning. Best environment to enjoy an authentic Japanese onsen atmosphere.

Staff are all friendly and efficient, but i felt it not neccessarily in a manner that other Japanese ryokans offer. That this ryokan offers is rather frank and casual. You would either love it or get confused.

Foods are average. Or a bit disppointing given the price of this ryokan. At this rate, you would expect more innovative and visually enjoyable dishes with a proper menu hand-written by a chief chef. If you don't care such things, everything else (taste, portion & freshness) is okay.

I wouldn't recommend this place unless you value an authentic atmosphere of Japanese ryokan & onsen. If these are your priority, this is the right place to pay for.

Chigira Jinsentei

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