Tatsuta Ryokan

We traveled as a couple throughout Kyushu in October 2023. Tatsuya ryokan was the best accommodation we experienced in the whole of Kyushu! We booked the largest room on the top floor which has recently been renovated. It was stunning! We had an enormous main room with new tatami mats. The room had a large twin bed set up, and the individual beds were extremely comfortable and bigger than most twin bed set ups in Japan. The outstanding feature of the room however, was the balcony onsen bathtub which was absolutely gorgeous. The wrap around balcony had views of the trees and bamboo grove outside the full length sliding glass doors, with distant views of the misty mountains away in the distance. The room also featured a separate large bathroom, shower and toilet. As well as the bathtub the ryokan has separate private & public baths. Another stand out feature was the kawadoko riverside dining which is a unique feature of Tatsuyo. We dined kaiseki style on exquisite food right next to the river. They provided warm kotatsu to keep warm as it was very cool in the evenings. The staff were all super friendly and helpfeul. The ryokan has several staff members who speak very good English, so there are no language barriers, even in a remote location like this.

Outstanding, reasonably priced ryokan far away from the beaten track. It takes some effort to get here (Shinkansen, local train to shuzenji and a 30 min bus ride) but it’s well worth the effort. Google maps will have all the train and bus schedules you need. They have four private onsens and a public bath. It wasn’t crowded when I came so I had the facilities pretty much to myself. Great base to explore the Kawazu Seven Waterfalls and the trailhead to get there (18.5 km one way - google odoriko trail) starts right outside the hotel.

Wonderful hotel with great Japanese Style Hot Springs. BreakFast was wonderful with great river side view. Only cons is that the building itself is a bit old. Overall service was wonderful.