Kajikaso ryokan

It was a relaxing 3N stay (2nd Dec 2024). Location: We took a 28min bus ride from the JR Yonezawa bus stop. Note there is no space on the bus for suitcases or carry on cabin bags. The short 210m walk to the ryokan is unsheltered when you alight from the bus stop. Thankfully the weather was good when we arrived by bus. Its about 9.9km (20 mins) if you choose to take a taxi which we took when we checked out. Check In: 3pm Out 10am. The Front desk staff and Ms Satou were pleasant and made us feel very at home and welcome. Although they could not communicate in english, they used the translation app to communicate with us and it was all efficiently done. Public baths - bring the towels from the room: 1) They have only one outdoor public bath with an indoor bath. But the times favour the men if you want to enjoy the outdoor view in the day. Men: 08:10am-20:00pm Women: 20:10pm-8am 2) There is another indoor public bath. Women: 08:10am-20:00pm Men: 20:10pm-8am 3) The private reservable bath is spacious and the water was very hot. Room We chose the room with an attached bath. The natural onsen water in the bath makes the skin so smooth and soft - the temperature of the water can be adjusted. There were some natural white minerals floating called “yuka” in the water. It was most convenient to have an attached natural onsen bath in the room. More than adequate amenities in the room and additional items can be taken from the baskets on the near the lobby. The beds were very comfortable and the spacious room with a little sitting area overlooking the pond, was perfect for two of us. Meals: Our meals were served on the 2F of the dining area. Kaiseki Dinner was delicious. They took the trouble to print out the menu in english which was most thoughtful. The vietnamese girl serving was hardworking. She tried her best to explain the dishes in Japanese which we only understood with some guesswork. We requested for Gyudon for breakfast and it was delicious especially when we placed the onsen egg on top. The little accompanying condiments were rather interesting. The japanese lady serving breakfast the 1st 2 mornings was wonderful & pleasant. Free coffee at the lobby lounge 07:30am-09:30am. General We like the decor of the ryokan as it was very typically “japanese” and not the modernised look which many establishments tend to have these days. Cozy and atmospheric with lots of wood. They have maintained the inside well even if it has some “older’ sections which adds to the authentic japanese ryokan experience. It was sometimes cold at the corridors tho. We did not have issues with the steps but those with knee problems need to take note. Kajikaso met all our expectations for a truly authentic ryokan experience which we always look forward to whenever we visit Japan. Ms Satou & 2 of the Front desk staff bade us farewell upon departure by taxi. Thank you to all the hardworking staff. It was a most enjoyable and comfortable stay.

Lovely spacious room with some delightful retro-touches and a wonderful onsen hot spring bath. The service was excellent and the welcome very friendly. The interior of the public areas is also very pleasant with atmospheric arty lighting fixtures. Although they didn't seem well acquainted with vegan and vegetarian requirements they made great improvements with the multi-dish breakfast (which looks beautiful) on the second day (in terms of being appropriate for vegetarians). Even though I didn't order an evening meal, they left freshly made onigiri rice balls in my room to snack on in. One star withheld for lack of vegan meal service🙏

My two night stay at this hotel, with regular dips in their delightful hot spring bath, significantly diminished the knee pain I am experiencing from a torn meniscus. Equally important, the hotel was very comfortable, with airy, spacious rooms. In addition to the welcome sweet provided in the room, an onigiri rice ball was served in the evening upon my return to the hotel (due to other social commitments, I did not have dinner at the hotel). The Japanese-style breakfast was served in private dining suites off the hotel lobby, with separate coffee service available after breakfast.||||The only negative I could report was that getting on the wifi in the evenings was difficult. They need a bigger "pipe".

Our family enjoyed our overnight stay in the Kajikasou Hotel!! |Every staff member had おもてなし (Omotenashi) as soon as we arrived at the entrance. ||Our room was very big and beautiful!! It provided a massage chair which my daughter said she enjoyed it! |For dinner our meal started out with pear aperitif from pear from yamagata prefecture, yonezawa beef shabu shabu, seafood, and a variety of vegetables. Our plates were filled with delicious food. For little kids a special meal were provided, with fried shrimp, salisbury steak and fried chicken. ||Water in the onsen also known as a hot spring, contains pure mineral and is flowed directly from the earth. The onsen was very good for our skin that made it very smooth. The outside view of the onsen (rotenburo) was splendid since we could see the view of the snowscape!! We also tried the private family bath, which all of our family member can bathe in! ||This ryokan is enjoyable throughout the 4 seasons. Ski areas surround the hotel, also a lot of cultural houses. There is a lot of places to sight see, so it is also perfect to have a small walk around the hotel. One of the enjoyable moment outside was the onsen tamago which is egg that is boiled in onsen water! Thank you so much for the wonderful time!

My mother and I stayed at Kajikaso and we had a very relaxing stay. ||We made a prior reservation for the shuttle bus from Yonezawa station to Kajikaso. The bus stopped just outside the exit of the station and had the name of the ryokan written on it. ||Kajikaso is located around 20 mins outside of Yonezawa and the building itself is charming. We were welcomed warmly by the staff and briefed about meal times and available facilities. The staff speak only limited English but we got on fine with the help of their translation device. ||||We booked a room with a private onsen bath. It was beautifully appointed and the beds were comfortable. The wide window overlooks a small pond with mountainous backdrop. ||Just a small comment, there is a smell of sulphur permeating the room from the onsen water. It didn't bother us, but those with smell sensitivity might find it bothersome. ||||We chose the stay package that came with 2 main course per pax and we got to try Yonezawa beef sukiyaki, shabu shabu and steak. It was truly a feast and delicious.

My two kids and I just had a fun weekend away in Yamagata. After a lovely drive through the mountains we arrived at Kajikaso. It is a wonderful family run hot-spring hotel in the middle of Onogawa Hot-spring town. The owner Mr Sato-san is fluent English speaking with a friendly and warm personality. ||The Ryokan (hotel) is beautifully decorated in traditional Japanese style, which is juxtaposed with all the high tech modern comforts of AC in the room, a luxury massage chair, Wifi and all other mod cons.||The 100% pure mineral hot springs were both inside and outside. Women and men have there separate natural onsens to relax in. There is also a private onsen that can be reserved.||The food was presented in the artistic traditional way, with the center piece being the famous Yonozawa beef. Melt in your mouth deliciousness.||Kajikaso service and features are high grade and the extra details really make your stay. My daughter was able to choose which colour and style Yukata (kimono) she could wear. Te breakfast tables had privacy curtains, the staff gave you directions and a guide to explore the rest of the onsen town.||In the 1200 year old onsen town, we were able to eat onsen-tamago and enjoy the winter scenery that included a ski hill as well.||We will be going back for the fire-fly festival in June and probably for the cherry blossom season as well.

I had the pleasure of visiting Kajikaso Ryokan during January. I was immediately impressed with the welcoming staff of the Ryokan. We were greeted by the friendly staff, who seated us in the lobby while they sorted out our checking in process. While the staff didn't speak much English, they were welcoming and friendly. The owner Sato-san does speak English and if you get the opportunity to meet him, he can share with you some interesting facts and history of the town. ||||Our room was very spacious and had a wonderful view from the 3rd floor. We all enjoyed the massage chair. I noticed that there wasn't the traditional tatami smell as I've experienced at other Ryoken. The room was clean and nicely decorated.||||The onsen itself was wonderfully relaxing. I especially liked the outdoor section. I visited late at night. I enjoyed the outdoor waterfall, surrounded by snow. The air temperature was below zero, which made it a unique experience. As with other onsens, there was not a strong sulphur smell...which was pleasant!||||The town of Onogawa itself is very charming, and I recommend a stroll into town. The Ryokan can lend you a warm coat and rubber boots if necessary. Again, the people are very welcoming and friendly. I also highly recommend trying the "onsen tamago" (eggs cooked in onsen water). Delicious!||||We were treated to a traditional Japanese meal of 'shabu-shabu', featuring Yonezawa beef. The quality and presentation of the different courses was impressive to say the least. ||||Overall, if you are looking for a relaxing, peaceful, high quality Japanese Ryokan experience, I highly recommend Kajikaso. You will not be disappointed!

Stayed with family including 4 years old. Our room has no bath tab and shower. It would be difficult with younger baby but we enjoyed the Onsen. Onsen and room was clean and fairly new for Onogawa Onsen (sorry). They provided private room for dinner. We enjoyed all the foods and tried original Sake which was super😋 Half private room for breakfast. Breakfast was buffet style, they have bread as well. Gyudon was good too! Salty Natto is also there! (Don’t put soy sauce it already very salty!) Shuttle bus to Yonezawa station starts from 10:30. We had reservations at 11:00 with Soba making and Painting-hawk, so we did not use the service.. However, we all enjoyed the stay and had lovely time. Thank you!