4-Star Hotels in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan

The hotel is quite far from the business district, about a 30-minute walk to the station. It's located on a hillside, and just walking up to it takes about ten minutes. Make sure to check the shuttle bus schedule in advance so you don't miss it. We booked a sea-view Japanese room and were assigned one right above the restaurant, which blocked more than half of the sea view. The view would probably be nice on a clear day though. When we checked in, a large portion of the queue was Chinese guests. This price point seems to have been driven up by Chinese tourists, and for 2000 yuan, this sea view is simply not worth it. The room size was decent, and breakfast was good and plentiful. They didn't provide Yukio Mishima cakes, only matcha cookies and chocolates. The yukata provided was really unattractive, like something a palace maid from a labor camp would wear. There were no skincare products, just bottled water.

The hotel was very clean, and the food was absolutely delicious. The hot springs were also wonderful, probably because it was a weekday and not crowded. I highly recommend getting the dinner plan. For breakfast, we were able to have it in our room, which allowed for a very relaxed start to the day. As other reviewers mentioned, the坂道 (steep hill) up to the hotel was quite something. We went by car, and at one point, we encountered another car coming down in a curving tunnel. Since uphill traffic has priority, the other car had to back up the hill to let us pass. After arriving, we enjoyed walking to the shopping street in front of the station, but on the way back to the hotel, we took a taxi from the station. Even the taxi driver radioed ahead to another taxi waiting at the top of the hill to hold their position before starting the ascent. It would be great if there were traffic lights at the top and bottom. There aren't many cars coming and going, so we just hoped there wouldn't be any oncoming traffic on our way back.

It was the rainy season, so we couldn't see Mount Fuji, but the hotel is very new, and the room is quite spacious for Japan, with a separate wet and dry area in the bathroom. It's located behind the outlet mall; if you're coming from Tokyo by bus, you'll need to walk through the outlet and take an elevator up. It's super convenient if you're driving as it connects directly to the parking lot. Check-out is a bit early at 10 AM, and the private onsen needs to be booked and paid for separately.

The hotel's location is excellent. However, I was woken up at 6 AM the next morning by a fire alarm. It turned out to be a false alarm announced over the intercom. The hotel didn't offer any apology or compensation. The announcement was only in Japanese and Korean, which is really inadequate. How can such a large hotel lack multilingual staff? This is also the first time I've stayed at a hot spring hotel where I had to make my own bed – completely unexpected.

The seafood sashimi was a little small, but the meal was satisfactory. The stairs from the parking lot to the front room were tight for me with bad knees.

The facilities are a bit old, but that's typical for Japanese-style hotels. The ocean view was absolutely stunning! The food was delicious and thoughtfully prepared. When we reported a leak in our bathroom, they immediately upgraded us to a larger room, which was excellent service. There were many foreign guests at the hotel, probably because the Western food suited their taste.

The location is incredibly convenient; the hotel is directly connected to the high-speed rail and bus stations on the ground floor. The breakfast was delicious, and the restaurant had a great view. Plus, there's a free rooftop onsen, which was a pleasant surprise! Although the room was small, it was very clean and the facilities were new. The hotel staff were patient and friendly, providing excellent service. Overall, I was very satisfied!

This stay offered the quintessential, meticulous Japanese service. The front desk staff were incredibly friendly and proactively helped with our luggage. We also enjoyed exquisite welcome desserts and matcha while checking in. The room had a fantastic open view, with a blend of lush greenery and ocean vistas. We even got to witness a sliver of sunrise in the morning (though it was cloudy on the day of our stay, so we only saw a peek). The ryokan provides an 'in-room dining' (heyashoku) service, where staff thoughtfully arrange and deliver incredibly elaborate breakfast and dinner spreads right to your room – a true feast for the senses. Of course, the most perfect experience of this trip was undoubtedly the private open-air onsen attached to our room. Soaking in the hot spring while gazing at the unbeatable ocean view was pure bliss! Although the ryokan also has two public open-air baths, the scenery there was comparatively unremarkable, and there were quite a few insects around dusk, so we only stayed for a short dip. Overall, the private in-room onsen experience was impeccable.

Excellent hotel. Beautiful, clean, traditional. The onsen was beautiful with a view of their garden. The water was heated perfectly with immaculately clean water. All amenities were offered when you stepped out into the changing room, ear buds, lotion, hair perfume, shampoo and conditioner. As you exit to your room there are two massage chairs to enjoy. The room we stayed in was perfect, It had a view of the bay, a big balcony, and three separate rooms. I was traveling with my son and this afforded me a private room to change my clothes and be separated while we slept. Freshly pressed kimonos were provided for the Onsen or/and to attend breakfast in. Now I'll talk about the highlight.! The breakfast buffet and dinner were included in the very reasonable price. The breakfast was extensive with fish, eggs,yogurt, homemade delicious jams, salads, fresh fruit, natto, sausages, rolls, bread, pastries, a coffee machine with choice of lattes, cappuccino, etc, a juice machine, fresh milk from famous Tanna dairy, and more! It was amazing! Dinner was also delicious, changing every night with selections such as broiled fish set, fried chicken set, steak set, all were seasoned well and perfectly cooked. All came with soup, rice, main entree and dessert. The staff were welcoming, kind and caring, friendly. The manager even sent me a special note about a piece of art I was curious about. Highly, highly recommend this Ryokan. I never wanted to leave. It's just outside of Atami, in the hills, beautiful location. Go, relax, nurture yourself, I did 😊🥰

The hotel offers a free shuttle bus service to and from Izu Kogen. Shuttles to the station depart hourly starting at 9:30 AM, and pickups from the station start at 2:30 PM, also hourly. No reservations are needed, so just show up a bit early to catch it. The hotel's location is decent. It's not right on the beachfront, but it's situated on higher ground, offering views of the distant mountains and sea. However, visibility might be poor on cloudy days. The private indoor onsen is fantastic. They also provide free self-service washing machines and dryers, which is a huge plus for travelers needing to do laundry – super convenient! The breakfast buffet is pretty standard and doesn't change much. They start ushering guests out promptly at 9:30 AM. We had two different dinners; one was delicious, the other was just okay. In the afternoon, there are complimentary snacks, drinks, and even ice-cold beer, which was light, refreshing, and really hit the spot. Overall, it's a good accommodation option in the Izu Kogen area. BTW, if you have some extra time while waiting for your train at Izu Kogen Station, there's a Teddy Bear Factory nearby worth checking out, with lots of adorable bears. During our stay, there was also a Totoro exhibition with a workshop where you could make your own Totoro!