.Kinosaki Onsen, the town, was celebrating it's 1300th year as an onsen town in 2025! The other guests were Japanese, but our host, Odie, spoke perfect English and explained everything very well.
.Our group had 2 rooms. Both rooms were large traditional Japanese rooms (toilet/sink area, but no bath/shower in the room--onsen town!). VERY clean and stylish with a nice view of the main river street. Kotatsu sunken seating area, and a separate dining table area with floor chairs with backs. There were no children at the time of our stay, but families are welcome.
.There are only 8 rooms in Ichidaya Inn. There were some elderly guests (it's a multi-story walk-up with no elevator; pack light, be ready for stairs). Ichidaya has 2 private Onsen which families can use together. We didn't have schedule difficulties with so few rooms using the baths. We stayed for 2 nights/3 days during our 2 weeks in Japan. It was the highlight of our trip! It was in early April, and the cherry blossoms just happened to be in full bloom!
.Ichidaya yukata and jackets are worn inside the Ryokan and throughout the town. Several fancy women's yukata/obi/bows were no additional charge.
. The Ryokan meals were worth every penny. It was far more food than we could eat! Delicious and beautifully presented. Meals were very different our two nights; both fantastic! They accommodated shellfish/pork avoidance. Advance notice required.
Ichidaya is near train tracks, but trains didn't disturb night sleep.
