Hiranoya

The baths were gorgeous and the first day was pretty great but for some reason their buffet claimed to be worth $66 per person for a small selection. No matter how much you eat it isn't worth the price. Their English booklet was out of date and mentioned a ramen bar that we waited around for, for dinner. When I asked them about it they acted like I was making it up but showing them the book they said they hadn't had that in a while. It was supposed to start at 8 so most restaurants were closed by the time we found out it wasn't there and they just told us to walk to the convenience store. Wouldn't even call us a taxi when we asked them too. It's great if you want to have the traditional Japanese experience but we felt unwanted.

The hotel offers a free shuttle from the nearby Mikawa-Miya train station up until 4pm, but because I arrived ay 6pm, I walked it. It's half an hour and a little uphill, but I enjoyed it - the view and town are very nice to look at. The staff at the hotel were extremely helpful and fully fluent in English. Check-in was super smooth (I had pre-booked), I just gave them my passport and that was it. I received a map of the building and the concierge circled all the important spots on the map (my room, dining room, breakfast room, where to find the baths). I was given dinner in a private room, fully accommodated to my dietary preference (vegetarian). It was so beautiful, so many individual dishes to try from. The broth was so tasty and I got to try so many traditional Japanese dishes for the first time. It was also a lot of food! I saw another comment stating only udon and ramen are available but that was by no means the case. The day I arrived, the cave bath was reserved for women and the open air bath and grand public bath for men. So after dinner, I had a bath in the cave bath. I felt a bit shy as I'd never bathed naked in front of strangers, but it was very quiet and empty, which made me feel more relaxed. The next morning the baths were switched so I tried the open air and grand baths and especially the open air bath was so beautiful. Breakfast was buffet style, with lots of types of eggs to choose from, tea coffee, juices, bread, and lots of vegetables and meats. The view from the breakfast room was also lovely across Mikawa Bay. The room was beautiful, I slept on a Futon but had western beds available too. They also provided a tea service to have tea in the room, and the Japanese style was enchanting, as well as a yukata with sash and tabi socks. When I checked out, I was given a free ride back to Mikawa-Miya Station. It was a wonderful experience and the staff was extremely kind and helpful when I spoke to them.