Hiryu No Yado

I stayed here because I wanted to be the first to submit a review in English... =) Anyways, I stayed here because the other reason was to visit the Bridge of Dreams, which is about a half mile walk from here. Like my previous hotel, its heyday was during the "bubble" years. The facilities are clean (spotless) and didn't feel as old as other ryokan-hotels I have visited during my travels. I base my guess due to the multiple banquet rooms that are closed off and used as storage. They used to host corporate retreats during those boom times. Please note that I think this place is considered as a guesthouse ("yado"). My room was as expected: clean, dust-free, and old. I don't think I asked for an accessible room, but the futon on a rollable, raised platform was interesting. It made getting up and lying down much easier and still provided a firm base. (I like sleeping on the floor.) The arrangement was perfect for me. The bathing area and toilet was separate from the sink. The tub and toilet were in their own little spaces next to the door; however, the sink was in the veranda. I guess it was important to be able to see the mountainside view while brushing your teeth. The sink's fixtures need modernization, but I doubt there are spare funds to make that improvement. In any case, people generally use the public baths. Why fix something that isn't broken? The food was good, but wasn't "wow"-inducing. I liked that the service was prompt. No English was spoken. No one really tried to put full sentences together, but I'm okay with that. They can deal with my "Japanese" and I'm away from other western tourists. This is really off the beaten path. ;) The surrounding town's economy is based on tourists visiting the Bridge of Dreams. As such, it's mainly day-trippers. There are a couple of cute cafes and souvenir shops. The town shuts down at around 5:00pm and wakes up at 10:00 or 11:00am. There's no nightlife; however, I found an old-fashioned ******** parlor in the morning. It might be open, but probably not. I highly recommend driving here. There is a bus from Senzu Station, but it's infrequent.