Ichinoyu Honkan

What a grungy sad looking place but oh what a wonderful experience. With our own onsen bath, tatami mat floor, no shoes allowed and wonderful food experience we really enjoyed our stay here. The food service was generous. Staff were lovely and despite the stairs our bags arrived in our rooms.

A rustic hotel with old world charm, this hotel will suit those who would like the experience. Please come knowing what to expect. This hotel began in 1630 and many parts of it are from an era before our time. Breakfast & dinner were more than sufficient and the staff were always earnest. I had a room with a private onsen set in a rock garden. It was lovely, and had the river view as a great bonus. There is something about soaking in a hot spring while gazing at maple leaves and hearing the rush of the river.

Ichinoyu is an inn in the historic Tonosawa Hot Springs. The ryokan has such a long history that it is even depicted in the ukiyoe prints displayed in the hallway leading to the bathhouse. The building and the rooms are both old. The wooden frames of the windows and the water features are retro, probably made in the Taisho and Showa eras. However, the rooms are located along the river and have a tasteful atmosphere. The rooms are well cleaned. The hot spring is an indoor bath only. There are no showers, so you have to use a hand tub to draw hot water from the source and wash your body. The quality of the hot spring water is gentle and very nice as you soak in it while listening to the sound of the river. There are no toilets in the rooms, and you have to use the shared toilets on each floor. You can get amenities from the front desk by yourself. The bedding is also pulled out by the guests themselves. The main meals are sashimi, shabu-shabu, and boiled fish. The food was delicious. After finishing the meal, they let the children play with a machine, which is very child-friendly. this inn is good for people who can sleep with the sound of the river and enjoy the old facilities with a sense of the past. 歴史ある塔ノ沢温泉の宿、一の湯。 浴場に至る廊下に掲げられた浮世絵にも描かれるほど、歴史のある旅館だ。 建物も部屋も歴史があるといえばそれまでだが、とにかく古い。大正、昭和の作りだろう、窓の木枠や水回りにレトロを感じる。だが部屋が川沿いで風情がある。掃除は行き届いている。温泉は内湯のみ。シャワーがなく手桶で源泉のお湯を汲んで身体を洗う。川の音を聞きながらつかる温泉のお湯の質は優しくすごくいいも思う。 部屋にトイレ無し、各階の共用トイレを使う。アメニティもフロントから自分で取っていくスタイル。お布団も自分でひくシステムだ。 ご飯はお刺身としゃぶしゃぶ、魚の煮付けがメイン。普通に美味しかった。食べ終わったら子供用にガチャガチャを回させてくれ、子連れにも優しい。 川の音も気にせず寝れる人。古い設備も昔を感じながら楽しめる人。過度のサービスよりコスパを優先する人にはおすすめできる宿でした。

An amazing ryokan for great value - it was overwhelming initially trying to find a ryokan because Hakone is filled with them, and they were all so expensive (especially if you want a private open-air bath). We stayed in the Ume room (couldn’t choose ahead of time) and loved it. This location was incredible for a reasonable price - especially as the delicious dinner & breakfast were included. We love eating and food, and the food here was so good - definitely good if you are open to trying local foods, and not sticking with your continental breakfast. So glad we were recommended this place by a friend, because it ended up a highlight of the trip! It was a little further away from the standard Hakone loop attractions, but we preferred being beside the beautiful river than being closer to the other areas. The top of the cable car is easily accessible by bus, and it is near the rail station (although the rail was a little slow for our liking, but do what works for you!)

Not what we expected. The rooms were very tired and our friends had a bathroom where the tiles were falling off. The futons were comfortable as they had double layers. The dinners were good and interesting. The breakfast very Japanese and it would have been nice if they offered at least a piece of toast for those that cannot eat a massive breakfast of rice and fish. All in all I would not recommend this place and on my next visit would not stay here.

This hotel has been a consistently running Ryokan for over 380 years, keeping that in mind when checking in and setting expectations around a 380 year old hotel is important. I think many of the people who rated and reviewed this hotel poorly have not stayed in traditional ryokans and/or are used to primarily western hotels with modern amenities and Western food. Yes, you will probably have a tatami room (wicker flooring) with traditional futon bed which...god forbid you have to rollout and setup yourself. It takes five minutes. The bed was comfortable, I'm not a small guy and weigh over 210lbs but slept comfortably. You can add extra padding by lying all the extra bedding and mats provided under the futon if you need to. The room I booked had a private bath which overlooked the river and it was amazing. The shower was and indoor/outdoor with open air window and a door connecting to the bath area. I loved it. When you check in they will give you an option to wear the Yakuta and you will have to remove shoes. Do it, it's great. The food is traditional Japanese style and it's amazing. Dinner each night for us was some various of shabu shabu (hot pot) always supplemented with a fresh grilled at table item (abalone, scallop). Lots of vegetables and a multi course kaiseki plate with a lot of interesting items. Be adventurous, this isn't your neighborhood sushi joint but the food is next level fresh and amazing. We opted in for the sashimi and poached sea bream one night and it was great. Pro-tip for 1,100 yen you can drink all you want for an hour and fifteen minutes. We took full advantage of this and everyone was feeling good by the time dinner was over. Breakfast was always a grilled fish of some sort with rice, a miso The onsens onsite are also traditional onsens. They are full nude and rotate them between the sexes daily. Many members of my party tried them and loved them. They do not permit tattoos which for me was a bit of a bummer but I booked a room with a private bath and river view so no hard feelings there. Later in the evening though when it's dead you can probably sneak in if you're covered in ink. There is a massage service in-room which I enjoyed, it's a shiatsu style though which is percussive. Not a traditional western massage but it still knocked me out. Give it a try. There's an old man who does it and he sometimes will go room to room to ask about massage if he's not busy. It's well worth it. The hotel itself is clearly old but has been kept up with wood work and care, that having been said it's on a river and has onsens which means constant moisture. Outside areas will have light moss or mold here and there. It is what it is and is unavoidable given the location. It's a stunning hotel ryokan and river side rooms have amazing views. The hotel staff is attentive but like many things in Japan, you have to ask for what you want. Needs aren't necessarily anticipated. Flag down servers at dinner if you want something and ask

Private outdoor hot spring is small but neat. Good food with all-you-can-drink at dinner. Great cost performance. But it should have explained better the swap of women's bath time with men's in the morning. Change the signage at least. But overall, satisfactory.