Name: Yutorian
Address: 451-1 Kawabayubara, Kawaba-mura, Minakami, Minakami, Minakami, 378-0102, Japan
Rating: 8

Shopping on site

Air conditioning

24-hour reception

Elevator/lift

Smoking areas

Smoke-free property

Heating

Newspapers

Gift shop

Garden

Terrace

Private check-in/check-out

General

Non-smoking rooms

Room service

Fridge

Family room

VIP room amenities

DVD Player

Hairdryer

Flat-screen TV

Shower/Bathtub

Bathtub

Shower

Wardrobe/Closet

Slippers

Toiletries

Rooms

Accessibility features

Accessibility

Laundry

Safe-deposit box

Luggage storage

Wake-up service

Telephone

Services and amenities

Diet menu (on request)

Vending machine

Kettle

Meals

Internet access

Internet

Transfer services

Transfer

English

Japanese

Languages Spoken

Bike rental

Karaoke

Sun Deck

Recreation

Free parking

Parking

Fax and copy machine

Business

Massage

Beauty and wellness

Family/Kid Friendly

Kids

Ski passes available

Skiing

Winter sports

Pets allowed

Pets

Location

At the hotel

Room amenities

Yutorian

Minakami

child-bed

child-bed-fee

external-private-bathroom

private-bathroom

shared-bathroom

10-beds

11-beds

12-beds

13-beds

14-beds

15-beds

16-beds

17-beds

18-beds

19-beds

2-beds

20-beds

21-beds

22-beds

23-beds

24-beds

25-beds

26-beds

27-beds

28-beds

29-beds

3-beds

30-beds

31-beds

32-beds

33-beds

34-beds

35-beds

36-beds

37-beds

38-beds

39-beds

4-beds

40-beds

5-beds

6-beds

7-beds

8-beds

9-beds

king-bed

queen-bed

limited-time

lounge

treatment

no-window

bay-view

bosphorus-view

canal-view

city-view

courtyard-view

garden-view

golf-view

harbour-view

inland-view

lake-view

land-view

mountain-view

ocean-front

ocean-view

oceanside

panoramic-view

park-view

partial-ocean-view

partial-sea-view

partial-view

pool-view

river-view

sea-front

sea-view

street-view

sunrise-view

sunset-view

water-view

with-view

annex

basement

main-building

1-bedroom

2-bedrooms

3-bedrooms

4-bedrooms

5-bedrooms

6-bedrooms

not-guaranteed

wired-internet-access

smoking

sauna

duplex

safe

mini-bar

breakfast-for-1

breakfast-for-2

pets-allowed

wi-fi

kitchen

We stayed in the 5th floor room on the slope of the hill with panoramic view of Kawaba.  From check-in we took an autonomous golf cart which brought us to the annex building just to find another surprise: 'monorail station'. The monorail, in substitution for elevator, then brought us from 2nd floor to 5th floor, and further up to the observation deck.
The room was superbly comfortable, and with the help of 'Google Translate' we could operate the in-room onsen without much difficulty.  Dinner keiseki course were good but not as good portion and tasty as other ryokans of the same class . We found that breakfast was a little disappointment too. Anyway, it was just a matter of taste.

Breathtaking Ryokan

Yutorian has a great mix of modern and old Japan. My mom and I went on a ladies' trip for two nights while we stayed in Tokyo. The ryokan is rural, very quaint and off the beaten path, posh, but not snobby. 
The Room: They were kind enough to give us an upgrade to the larger room (本館 style room, Yamabuki Room or Keyaki Room). The rooms were huge, and the room we stayed in had a private tub outside (it's not huge but it's something). The floors were heated, and there was 2 toilets and one shower with a double "his and hers" vanity. Definitely a bit much for two people, so we were very appreciative of the upgrade. 
Onsen: The Ryokan has two soaking areas: one for the public (day use), and one for the Ryokan guests (open 24/7!). The soaking tubs were nice: one outdoor and one indoor. The place is along a road, and they did a very good job in making the outdoor soaking tub feel private.
Food/Meals: Kawaba is a small village which specializes agriculture, so the meals always had great vegetables and meat. They try to give you seafood with lots of trout. We had two dinners there, and they have a good mix of seafood and meat (the meat was much better). The portions were good, and we did not leave hungry. Food was served in a dining area, but always in a private room for dinner. We had the Japanese style breakfast which was also very good and filling.
Sightseeing: You can rent bicycles for 500 yen and bike into the Kawaba "village": it is VERY touristy but worth visiting if you don't feel like hanging around the onsen during the day. The roads are flat in Kawaba since it sits in a valley nestled between the mountains. It is a very beautiful view. There is a Sake "factory" nearby off of Okutone-Yukemuri Hwy (64), south of main road where Yutorian is. Skip the visit as their sake is terrible.
Getting there: You can drive there, but since we speak no Japanese and drive on the right side of the road, driving is not an option. They do offer a free hotel shuttle form Numata Station or Jomo Kogen station. Just call them ahead of time and they will come and pick you up. They have staff that speak English there. In fact, Shinichi (the manager there), speaks very good English and was very accommodating and kind.
Conclusion: I would definitely come back to stay! Thank you everyone at Yutorian for your kind hospitality!

Relaxing Onsen getaway not far from Tokyo

As mentioned by other reviewers, the owner did not spare any expense in building this onsen.  The old style buildings that have been upgraded to make them clean and modern is really nice.  I also enjoyed his collection of Edo period art, including old drawings of the 47 samurai.
The reason I give it 4 stars is that while I thought the food presentation was well done, the flavors weren't as good as I had hoped. I've been to many other onsens and felt the food was not where it should be for the price.  Also the onsen was pretty basic and just looked into a small garden.  The onsen is built on the side of a hill facing some farms.  The are so many rivers in this area so I wonder why they didn't build it facing a stream or river.
All together it is a very good onsen and I would recommend it.

Loved the old/modern architectural mix

If you are looking for a very friendly welcome, fantastic food, a big and well equipped room and a very nice onsen, than you will love Yutorian.
Its very easy to find, parking is no problem. The rooms are in individual houses which are well connected. A funny gimmick are the self driving golf carts that take you with a touch on a button from the lobby to your room.

Best of Kawaba

If you would like to enjoy and stay in very high quality hot spring ryokan (Hotel) in Japan, not too far from Tokyo, you must go there. It will be very special experience for you. Things traditional and modan, they have both, and these are like real museum!!!
Their services, foods and facilities are just perfect!!
Not many special things around there, but you will heartily enjoy your staying.
They have free bus from Numata station (about 2h30 from Tokyo Ueno station), the other free bus is from Joumou-Kogen station (about 1h30 from Tokyo station)

Yutorian

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