Kinseikan Seseragi

I visited for the first time, hoping to enjoy the snowy scenery. The entrance was modest, but there was an irori hearth in the lobby, where we enjoyed delicious konnyaku balls. The staff welcomed us warmly and without pretense, and my elderly mother was able to stay with us with peace of mind. The service, room, bath, and food all exceeded our expectations, and our whole family was very satisfied. We feel we have found a wonderful inn. The only thing I feel could be improved was the explanation of the dishes. I would have liked to hear more about the delicious local ingredients.

We stayed for four nights during the coldest month of February. The rooms, onsen (hot spring), meals, and service were all incredibly thoughtful and aesthetically pleasing. Most of the hotel staff didn't speak much English, but they all tried their best to assist us using Google Translate or simple English. The onsen was a major highlight, with separate baths for men and women, open-air baths, and private family baths. I took my 8-year-old daughter to experience them all; they were all very clean and comfortable. All the necessary toiletries were provided in the bathhouse. Especially on snowy days, wearing the hotel's provided rain boots, walking along the outdoor path through the thick snow to the open-air bathhouse, soaking in the hot spring while watching the snow fall was a truly unique and unforgettable experience. We ate so much for breakfast and dinner every day (the portions were so large that it was a little overwhelming). I was already very full after eating about 60% of my usual portion at each meal. In the afternoon, desserts were available in the refrigerator, and for late-night snacks, there was tofu skin sushi. The lobby had cotton candy, popsicles, and breakfast coffee. In short, you'll never go hungry at Kinsho-kan; we had four dinners and none were the same. What impressed me most was the hotel's attention to tableware aesthetics. The tea sets in the rooms changed daily, and the tableware on the dining table was exquisitely diverse and pleasing to the eye. (Thanks to the staff!) If you want to go out and explore besides staying at the hotel, transportation isn't convenient. The hotel only provides a shuttle bus to the nearest floating station (a 5-minute drive) at specific times, but the service from the station is infrequent. So, on our second day, we decided to rent a car to go to Jomo Kogen Station. Having a car at Kinsho-kan was incredibly convenient; the staff helped with parking and even cleared snow for us before we went out. The roads near the hotel are watered during the snow season, making driving safe. Some high-end onsen ryokans don't accept children, but Kinsho-kan is very child-friendly. There are snow toys for children at the entrance, and the meals are made with extra variety for children, which made them very happy. The only inconvenience during our stay was that, perhaps due to the heavy snow, the Wi-Fi was unavailable for three consecutive days. We also couldn't get a cell phone signal in the room; we could only connect to the internet after leaving the hotel and going to the parking lot. Upon departure, the hotel owner gave us grape gummies as a token of apology for the inconvenience caused by the Wi-Fi outage.

The service is worth the price, the food is delicious, and the large public bath, Seseragi no Yu (mixed outdoor bath), Sakurahime no Yu (family bath), and the baths attached to the rooms are all filled with hot spring water that will leave …