Name: Kisyu Shirahama Onsen Musashi
Address: 868 Shirahama-cho Nishimuro-gun, Shirahama, Shirahama, Shirahama, 649-2211, Japan
Rating: 7

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Wheelchair Accessible

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Shirahama Airport

Kisyu Shirahama Onsen Musashi

Shirahama

We took a group of foreigners. It was perfect to introduce the Japanese traditional way to share a room and take a bath. They enjoyed a lot. The meals were great. The breakfast buffet has a wide variety of choices. It’s about a one hour from the Kansai Airport (KIX)

Great for a large group

We had three week working tour trip in Japan and Musashi Ryokan turned out to be one of the best places we have visited. 

The hotel itself is a traditional one, we had a very nice room with beautiful view to the sea. The onsen is very impressive. The ones on the ground floor are the same many others in Japan in general, very clean and comfortable, the one on the top of the hotel is amazing. The moments of enjoying the sunset from there would be something to die for.

What we really love from this place are the people, the hotel staff. Everyone is helpful and friendly. Special thanks to Mr. Yoshino, he gave us his smiles and support every time we need. He speaks very good English and very knowledgable about the whole areas, he can answer all of our questions. Mr. Yoshino shows us what hospitality of the Japanese really means! 

Besides, the breakfast buffet is delicious with many different kinds of Western and Japanese food. The location if perfect, bus stop is just in front of the hotel, and the beach is there, just 1 minute walk. All nice sightseeings places are in walkable distance. 

We extended our trip there longer than plan and absolutely we would be back.

Highly recommends for travellers who would like to have relaxing and enjoyable holidays.

One of the best hotels in Japan!

At the end of our Japanese tour, we wanted to relax by the sea for two days. We wanted a typical hotel and we were recommended for this hotel. We got a strong smell of coal in the elevator. The rooms on the ninth floor promised sea views - which we could only see with our toes over the next hotel. The rooms were old and inhabited. The walls and floors were covered with stains throughout the hotel. We left this hotel in flight.

Underground accommodation

We stayed here for three nights as a city reprieve so we could get some sun and relaxation.  The hotel has 2 big public onsen but you cant go in them with togs on, so for us this was an issue as we were not prepared to do this.  The beach was heaven though which made up for it.  This hotel is not right on the beach front, but rather one back.  It is dated, and be prepared for the 150 yen per person per night tax to use the onsen in the hotel even if you don’t.  The hotel is really well located as is right by the bus stop to go to the Toretore market.  We took a taxi from Shirahama Station to this hotel for about 1800 yen which was comparable to the bus (340 yen per person) and much more convenient for 4 of us with our suitcases.  We had a large family room which was Japanese style, one big room with tatami mats and the ladies come and make up your beds every night at about 6pm.  We didn’t eat in the hotel as didnt buy the package, but instead went out for dinner, and did our own breakfast and lunch from the supermarket below Daiso which was really close.  If I chose a hotel in this area again I would go for the big one right opposite our on the hillside called Shirahama Key Terrace.  We wandered up there and had a lovely beer sitting outside in the shade looking back on to our beach and this hotel was far superior and very styled.  The only issue would be the access to the beach but it looked like they had a free shuttle down to Shirahama Beach anyway which would sort this.

Dated hotel but adequate

the reviews on this onsen are mixed, with several exceptionally poor.  i'm wondering whether those harsh reviewers knew what they were getting into?  this is not the four seasons or mandarin oriental - it's a traditional, local small town onsen.  if you're into that, you'll enjoy this place; if you're expecting more, you will be grouchy the entire time.  as for me, it did take me a few trips to a local onsen property like this to learn how it all worked and what to expect, and this one proved to be a special few days for my wife and daughter and myself.  it's in a small town with the major attraction of adventure world, which is the reason we came.  upon entering, you feel like you're going into the 1970s - everything is a bit aged but with character and fairly clean.  the staff are exceptionally polite and helpful.  the rooms do have a bit of the stuffy and dusty feel, but they are quite clean, traditional.  our room did not have a good view but we didn't care.  we were there to rest after adventure world and take in an onsen.  we were comfortable in the room when we were there, and it had a nice traditional japanese bed laid out in the evenings.  if you're over 6' tall, watch your head - the door tops are short.  as for the onsen, again - nothing spectacular but fairly clean and comfortable.  as for the breakfast and dinner buffets, i had low expectations but actually enjoyed both.  it's a buffet so yes, it's not always piping hot but the food variety is good, the quality is decent and it's so nice to not have to stroll aimlessly outside in a small town you don't know looking for a restaurant.  yes it's a short walk from the beach, which is super nice touch.  i'll never go back, simply because there is no reason, but if you're going to adventure world and you're into traditional onsens, this is a good choice.

Comfy, traditional, aging but well managed onsen

Let's begin with the positives: Our room was fine. The view was crap, but the room itself was clean and the futons were comfortable. The areas of the hotel that have been recently refurbished were similarly nice. The lobby, hallways, restaurant, and sitting areas were modern and tasteful. Most of the hotel is undergoing a major renovation right now, so hopefully this atmosphere will spread to the rest of the place. The fact that it's located across the street from a major bus stop makes getting there really convenient, and it's a 3 minute walk to the famous white sand beach. It gets a two star rating from me because without the issues listed below, Musashi would be an enjoyable hotel.

However...

There were some very problematic issues that we encountered at Musashi.

Some of the staff is Japanese, and they were all very kind and helpful. The young waiter in the lobby cafe was exceptionally nice and clearly took pride in his job. Even the old ladies cleaning the rooms in the morning were chatty and welcoming. Some of the front desk staff was helpful as well. The rest of the staff were not easy to talk to, as neither English nor Japanese was their first language. They seemed very uncertain when we asked questions about even simple things, and they maintained a deer in headlights look throughout conversations. It was very, very odd. When your staff can't answer how to make a reservation for dinner in the hotel restaurant, you have a problem. These workers were clearly hired for their language ability to help non-Japanese Asian guests, but they were very unable to assist anyone else.

While the food at the buffet dinner was decent, the restaurant was very poorly managed. Many of the dishes were cold, and it seemed that the staff had a hard time getting the food out at a decent pace. The huge crowds of tour groups fighting over the food was no help either. The hotel markets itself heavily to tour groups, and they need to find a way to stagger their dining times to relieve congestion at the buffet. It was madness, with people elbowing and pushing to get to the food. 

Finally, the public bath. It's all salt water, so some people might find that off-putting, but I quite liked it actually. Several pools are available, and it's not the worst hotel bath layout I've seen. The problem here was not the bath itself, but the guests. Some of the non-Japanese guests who make up a good portion of this hotel's clientele simply do not know how to use a public bath in Japan due to lack of experience. I witnessed men soaping up and bathing in the soaking pool, scrubbing their armpits with towels that they were dipping in the shared water, dunking their hair in the pool, and entering the water without first bathing. Not to mention children running about, a guy washing his glasses in the pool, and groups of men shouting and yelling. Best of all, I watched as a man walked in, sat down at the shower stall next to me, URINATED ON THE FLOOR, and then stepped into the bath without washing or even turning on the water, all while holding a shouted conversation with the guy next to him (I'm not sure if he was peeing as well, but he certainly didn't shower). Frankly, it was disgusting and against any sense of common decency. All four members of my group witnessed this sort of rude behavior in both genders' baths. There are signs posted in English regarding not putting towels in the bathwater, but I think they need to consider expanding these posters into other languages and going into further detail.

I didn't even go into the soaking pool after that and it kind of killed the rest of the stay for my party. We booked this place based on the positive reviews that mentioned the baths, so it was rather disappointing. I spoke with the front desk about what I witnessed the first evening, and again when I checked out. They apologized and said they do their best to educate the non-Japanese guests on how to behave in the bath, but I guess they need to try harder. It would have been nice to get our dinner bill refunded upon checkout or at least a discount, but I understand that that sort of thing isn't usually done here and I didn't want to push the limits. Looking back , I should have pushed it further. I think a free dinner in exchange for being forced to watch a man pee in front of me would have been fair.

Musashi makes a huge effort on it's website to attract foreign guests with discounts and packaged deals. However, they should realize that this new clientele cheapens the overall experience for other guests and ruins an otherwise nice hotel. There is NO WAY I would ever stay here again or put a single toe into that public bath.

Problematic

We stayed in a tatami room which is spacious and clean. It is conveniently located as well - there is a bus stop right outside the hotel, and is just 3 minutes walk to the beach. The communal hot spring is free, but you may pay extra to have a private onsen. Buffet dinner and breakfast with a variety of choices. A cozy hotel.

Comfortable and spacious hotel at excellent location

We visit the place for one-night in mid-March 2017. The hotel is well located - right next to a bus stop and a 24-hour supermarket. You can visit other main attractions from there on foot or by bus.

The hotel is overall old, but with decent service from staff. There are 3 onsen choices to go to, plus a chargeable private onsen rental choice. The onsen experience is overall good - especially for the private one.

The main reason why I gave this average review was the food quality. We had a buffet style dinner and breakfast, and it was probably one of the worst dining experience during my whole trip. Most of the items served were not even hot, and the quality is like fast food chain's offer.

This hotel is ideal for visitors travelling with budget. But do not include any meals as you can easily find better food in Shirahama.

Well located hotel, decent onsen experience but bad food

The hotel isn't very new but if you're coming from Shirahama it's a good solution. I picked the cheapest Japanese room and they gave us a huge room with very new tatami and super-equipped. We took advantage of the private unsens that is the only solution for a straight couple to bathe together! The common bathrooms are still beautiful (and free). Breakfast leaves a little to be desired for Western tastes.

Japanese chamber and Onsen private!

We spent three nights in Musashi in a separate Ryokan room with a separate area with tatami mates. The room was in the older part of the hotel and had a partial view of the beach. It was large but clean but well occupied. The art chair and the rest of the inventory had the morbid charm of the 70s - not adequate for the asking price. Breakfast is served as a buffet, and whoever arrives before 8:30 has to wait 15 minutes. The staff is very friendly and helpful. I left my iPhone in the taxi and the great support of the reception (which speaks a little or even English) I didn't have it back after 4 hours. The great beach is just a few steps away and you can also get a nice meal in the hotel, but if you don't get a few days in the area, it's okay for me to go to the beach, but if you don't get a few days in the area, and you don't even have a nice meal in the hotel.

Kisyu Shirahama Onsen Musashi

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