Sekizenkan Reviews

I came here to explore Spirited Away and it was really amazing. Both the hot springs and Red Bridge are amazing and worth checking in!

Lovely hotel in a quiet little town. We stayed at the Sanso building, in the Corner Room Japanese Western Special Room (Moegiichi). The room was impeccable, with a private bath, a king sized bad, a deck and a small garden framed by pine and maple trees. Everyone was unfailingly polite, as per Japanese standards. If you have more than 2 in the room, the futon gets laid out while you are away at dinner. Top stars to the futon, they use high quality Tempur mattresses that are so wonderful to sleep on. Food was lovely and painstakingly plated. If you are a Miyazaki fan, it’s easy to see inspirations dotted around the hotel and the town. I came in December and many shops in town were not open, they looked shuttered for good. There are a few food options but not extensive. A few parts of the hotel were dated; mainly the red carpets linking the various buildings. They looked like a deep cleaning or a change was in order.

Interesting onsen with several baths and lots of character. We stayed in the middle building in a traditional room, which was nicely decorated and comfortable. The Roman style baths were an unusual experience, although I preferred the outdoor bath in the modern building on the whole. Food was great in the evening, although I’m not sure how you’d manage with no Japanese. I’m not a massive fan of Japanese traditional breakfast, but that also was well done and presented. There are a few issues with the buildings - a mouldy corridor carpet between the new hotel and the middle building wasn’t great and accompanied by an obvious smell of damp. However, the character of the properties (and the red bridge outside!) makes this easy to overlook. On the whole I’d say it wasn’t my favourite onsen ever, but is well worth a visit for its unique features.

We have visited Sekizenkan several times and have always been attracted by the history, the lovely baths, the food and the lovely staff who are always so kind and considerate. My wife decided to surprise me for my birthday by booking the best room in the hotel - "mori". A beautiful room with it's own outside onsen bath looking out to the 300 year old pine trees that act like a curtain to provide privacy. We were lucky enough to have some snow to complete the picture perfect scene. Everything was perfect until we tried to use the shower and I managed to scald myself a little because the water seemed to suddenly get really hot without warning. We wanted to use the overhead shower but found that it had not been fitted properly and was just loose from the wall (please see photos). What a disappointment to what should have been a fantastic birthday surprise. Even more disappointing when you consider the cost which is double during the New Year holidays. My wife did complain to the manager and also reminded him a similar complaint had been made by another customer only a few months earlier but nothing had been done to fix the problem. We received a simple apology but little else. I just hope no young children use this room as there is a potential for someone to get injured using a defective shower that could cause someone to get scalded with hot water. I really hope the management take some maintenance action and show more consideration to customers who pay 5 star rates for a room in Sekizenkan. All our previous experiences have been excellent but this time deeply disappointed.

I stayed at ``Mochizuki no San'' on the top floor of Kashotei. Sekizenkan is famous for the appearance of the main building and the Genroku hot springs, but Kashotei is also a luxury inn that cannot be underestimated. I was especially pleasantly surprised by the deliciousness of the in-room meals, which exceeded my expectations. The price was over 100,000 yen for 2 people per night, but considering the size of the room, the view, and the meal, I thought it was a good value. If I had to say, I think an area for improvement is that we were not served tea while we waited for about 10 minutes due to multiple check-ins (we were finally served tea and sweets after we were moved from the waiting area to the check-in counter). . I give it 4 stars after deducting this point.

I stayed at a mountain lodge. From the main building, we took a maze of hallways, stairs, and elevators to check out at the front desk of Kashotei. My mother, who is elderly and healthy, was able to climb the stairs, but I think it would be good if this information was mentioned on the website. Maybe if I had told them I couldn't go up, they would have given me a ride to the front desk. Arriving at your room while getting lost is like a game and it's fun. The room is retro from the Showa era, but it's not a problem because the workmanship is beautiful, it's barrier-free, and the plumbing has been beautifully renovated. Is it just when you are using the washroom in another room? I was surprised to hear that the water pipes in the bathroom were making a gurgling noise. There will be no gushing. It was a matsutake course dinner. The plum and kelp soup that came first was surprisingly sweet. I was told that the grilled matsutake mushrooms would be served with ponzu sauce, but the salt and sudachi were delicious, so I ate them with the salt and sudachi that came with the tempura. The Joshu beef with sashimi was not made by young people, so I felt it was a bit boring. I want to grill it on a wire rack to remove the oil. I was told to grill it on an iron plate and use butter, which was a bit too much. Wouldn't it be better to bake this in the kitchen and have it served to you? There was a lot of food overall, and I think it was delicious, but there were some things that bothered me. I asked for coffee for breakfast the next morning, but was it too weak? It was a very weak coffee. The staff are all very nice and seem to be well trained.

It seems that it is said to be the image model of Spirited Away. It is a bridge over the river in front of Sekizenkan. The red bridge in front of the inn is called Keiunkyo. I think this Keiun Bridge is the closest to the image.

When I read the reviews here, there were quite a few opinions from people who stayed that said it was enough for a day trip, so I decided to try it out for a day trip first. In conclusion, ``a day trip is enough.'' I didn't stay there, so I don't know about the food... Below is detailed information for day use. [Genroku no Yu] Only ``Genroku no Yu'' can be used for day trips. Speaking of Sekizenkan, it's a famous bath, so I think it's a good idea to have a bath here. Some reviews here said that it was very old and full of mold, but it looks like it has been recently renovated. There were no peeling tiles, and the walls and ceiling had been repainted. It looks like it has been renovated cleanly while maintaining the original form of the Important Cultural Property. [Spring quality] The water is colorless and transparent, flowing directly from the source, and is of high quality. The temperature is appropriate. [Shower & Karan] As rumored, there is only one place. Shampoo and body soap are kept there. [Sauna] If you are a first-time user, you may not notice it, but there is a small arch-shaped sliding door on the wall in the back left of the bathroom (←In the case of the women's bath...I think the men's bath is in the back right?). There were two sauna rooms with a capacity of 1 person. It's very cramped and not suitable for people who are claustrophobic. [Locker] It is located in a very difficult to find location. Pass by Genroku no Yu, enter the newly built post-bath rest area, and find it next to the vending machine at the back. However, unless you have luggage that you don't want to expose to steam, you don't have to use a locker. The changing room and bathroom are integrated, so you can keep an eye on your belongings even while taking a bath. [Toilet] This is also in a difficult place. At the back of the newly built rest area where the vending machines are, turn left and go further back. The toilets are clean. [Free Rest Area] A new ``after-bath area'' was built at the back of ``Genroku no Yu.'' There is a drink vending machine in the back. The toilet is further back. Although it is not very large, it is a comfortable resting place with an air conditioner. We took a rest here until we caught the bus home. [Recommended times] It may have been a coincidence, but it was empty on weekdays in September from 13:00 to 14:00. In fact, I was the only one in the room. The overnight guests had not yet checked in, and the day-trippers may not have been there since it was around lunchtime. It might be a hidden time. Even though it was a weekday, there were quite a few tourists outside. [Cost performance] To be honest, the cost performance is low. As mentioned in the reviews here, 1500 yen (cheap inn towel and toothbrush) for just one Genroku no Yu is certainly expensive. Well, let's think of it as donating 1,000 yen to protect a ``nationally important cultural property.'' Well, aside from the inn towels, it's a mystery that a toothbrush is included. You don't need it, right? is. Just make it cheaper. I didn't want it to become luggage, so I brushed my teeth and threw it away (lol). By the way, the towels are brand new normal hotel towels, so they are a bit difficult to wipe off. If you want to wipe yourself thoroughly, it's best to use rental bath towels (for a fee) or bring your own absorbent towels. In terms of cost performance, I would not recommend it to people who are not interested in ``Spirited Away'' or ``Important Cultural Properties''. For such people, we recommend the public baths (located along the river, separated by men and women), which are free to enter. [Advantageous usage] If you are planning to eat lunch at Sekizenkan, it is better to use the attached restaurant first. The meal and day trip bath set costs 2,000 to 2,400 yen (prices vary depending on the meal you choose). In my case, the meat udon and hot spring set was 2,000 yen, so the hot spring fee was 300 yen off. The udon was delicious. [Souvenir information] I heard that the hot spring manju from "Fugetsudo" is the most delicious, so I bought it here. The store is located about 3 minutes walk from Sekizenkan. You can choose between grained bean paste and koshian. It was definitely delicious. [A day trip? Are you staying overnight? ] I was satisfied enough even as a day trip. I think it's okay to stay in a high-grade room, but I'm not sure if it's worth the price... I am concerned about the information that the reasonably priced rooms smell like mold. There are hot spring inns along the river. The food at the restaurant tasted good, so I think the food at the hotel would be good as well.

The design of the hot springs is reminiscent of Europe.It seems like the hot springs that were the inspiration for Spirited Away.The building has a history and a nice atmosphere.

At the reception desk in the main building, you will receive a floor plan of the building and move to the front desk on your own to check in. I made a reservation for a private room meal, but it was a lounge meal, so I told them that I reserved a private room meal. The yen coins are under the mat and the cleaning is not perfect. There was an explanation of yudofu at breakfast, but only condiments were provided and yudofu was not served. It was disappointing that the poor quality of the staff was conspicuous throughout. The location and building are quaint and it is a good hot spring to spend a leisurely time. We recommend accommodation other than Sekizenkan.

My older sister, who lives overseas, returned to Japan for the first time in several years, so I took my parents and visited with the whole family. Even though I made a reservation a long time ago, the three rooms were separated into 2nd and 3rd floors, and the dining area was also separated. I was told that it was due to the number of people, but I was not convinced. In the end, small children eat on their laps, so they do not need additional chairs. is ready. Even so, I was told to eat breakfast separately because the tray was too big, so I decided to eat separately. It was a rainy day, so I couldn't even take a walk outside. One thing I want to say out loud is that I parked my car on the gravel road past the main building, and the next morning, when I was loading my luggage and trying to pick up my elderly parents, a garbage truck pulled in from the back. , I'm doing a collision with "All right all right", and at the end of the day, "Are you going out? Are you not going out yet? If you're not going out, I'd like to bring the car over here." I hurriedly put my parents in the car without an umbrella in the rain. This may have nothing to do with the hotel, but is it possible to adjust the garbage collection time so that it does not coincide with the check-out time? It was a trip with a very bad aftertaste as I was angry and disappointed.

The other day, I went to a day trip hot spring in Gunma with my senior at work. At first, I was thinking of going to a hot spring somewhere, but I wondered if the ryokan where my senior was the model for the Studio Ghibli movie Spirited Away was nearby. So I hurriedly searched for the address and the name of the inn and arrived safely in the hinterlands of Gunma. It looks just like the ryokan in the movie, and it feels like I've traveled back in time to the world of Ghibli movies. As a Ghibli fan, I'm very satisfied with the hot springs at the ryokan. This time, I visited during lunch time, but in the evening, the inn and the bridge are supposed to be lit up, creating a fantastic color, and I think it looks even more beautiful.

Four adults stayed for one night in a Japanese-Western special room (with a semi-open-air bath) at Sekizenkan Sanso Five-Star Taisho Modern. However, when I entered the room and looked around, the ceiling of the tatami room in front of the bedroom was full of mold. I immediately contacted the front desk, but the person in charge arrived after more than 20 minutes. I left saying that I would check it, and when I came again, I insisted that it was not mold. Anyone can see it as mold. Even though I told them I have allergies, they insisted that there was no equivalent room. When I go to sleep, I will leave a standard room, so please move there. Clearly speaking from above. I came to enjoy the hot spring in my room, but the repeated room movements made my elderly mother's bad knees worse. I don't know why I came to the hot spring. As for the food, it was either cold or hard and I couldn't eat it. You can't get this room or food at this price. Even when I checked out on the way home, the person in charge who came to the room was at the front desk, but he was on the phone and didn't know. Not a word I'm sorry. The trip I was looking forward to was really ruined. What kind of employee education does the president and manager of Sekizenkan do? Also, are you checking the room properly? I doubt it. Possibly because the management changed, the service has become the worst.

The historic buildings and the baths full of Taisho romance are wonderful! In the evening, I took an open-air bath at Kashotei, but the water temperature was low, and many dead leaves and branches were mixed in the bath, so I could not stay long. On the morning of the next day, dead leaves and branches had been removed from the bathtub, probably because it had been cleaned. Dinner was disappointing. No seafood, right?! Start with a dish that was mistaken for the room next door. The person in charge of the room had a nice smile and good attitude, but I didn't understand Japanese. Probably from some Asian country. Most of the effort is put into producing menus other than cooking. You can immediately see that most of the dishes are just catered food served on the table, and most of them are not made in the kitchen. No soy sauce meringue needed, no tuna sashimi needed. The roast beef was hard like rubber. Shima should serve mountain delicacies and river delicacies. In May, it would be nice to have at least one seasonal bamboo shoot dish. I want you to compete on the main road without being eccentric, being aware of the season. No extra bowl needed. Children's Dinner: All dishes are cold except for the fire-grilled diced steak. Mostly frozen food. Kids won't eat this. I still prefer retort curry. It's good to keep it in the refrigerator, but I'd like you to at least warm it up in the microwave before serving it. Dessert: After an hour of waiting, a catered dessert. You should be able to serve fruit normally. Breakfast: Sweet white miso-based miso soup was delicious. Children's Breakfast: The mayonnaise that came with the scrambled eggs and sausages was funny because it turned yellow. I wish it came out of the tube before serving. I can tell that it was a dish that was made last night and left in the refrigerator. As of May 2022, Sekizenkan is understaffed. During my stay, I found that there were not enough cooks and caterers in particular. I think it will be difficult in terms of management due to the impact of the corona wreck, but I would like you to go back to the beginning and do your best.