Hazu Gassho
D · 5.5 / 10the evidence warns
A five-room Meiji-era ryokan in the forest near Nagoya, its thatched-roof buildings recalling Shirakawa-go, but the shared, thin-walled building undermines the seclusion: a note in the room admitted the "authentic" construction has little sound-deadening, and KI-NRT heard the neighbors talking and the guests overhead walking about. Food was good, if unmemorable, and his in-room bath ran too cold to bother heating, while dining in a shared hall was the other letdown. He would explore other options before returning.
Scores
Food 3.5 / 5
The food is good and appropriate, built on seasonal local produce plus local beef, duck and river fish, which KI-NRT says gave them an education in the area's traditional ingredients, and ayu (sweetfish) lightly salted and grilled to perfection. Nothing was unique or mind-blowing, but he was satisfied with the quality of the meals. Dinner is served in an open dining area and not in your room, which he found inexcusable for a five-room property.
Bath 2 / 5
There is no onsen here: neither of the two communal baths is hot-spring water, and the alternative is a courtesy shuttle to an onsen facility nearby, which KI-NRT finds pointless when he would expect every room in a small high-end ryokan to have its own spring. Two of the five rooms have an open-air hinoki tub, his among them, but at 5°C in December the water was not warm enough and he did not bother topping it up, so he used the communal bath.
Service
Nobody in the thread has written about the service here.
Room 2.5 / 5
All five rooms share one two-storey building with little sound insulation, so KI-NRT heard the neighbors talking next door and the guests above walking in their room, and a note in the room asks guests to keep the noise down at night. His 50m² suite was reasonably comfortable, with a tatami room where the futons go out during dinner and a second room with a large kotatsu. With five rooms on a large footprint, he argues each should be detached.
Place 4 / 5
Hazu Gassho sits in a secluded spot surrounded by forest, with a tranquil river flowing behind the ryokan, and the thatched roof of the Meiji-era main building, which gives the place its name, reminded KI-NRT of the farmhouses at Shirakawa-go. Inside, the furnishings and the structure itself are charming in an old-country-home way and take you back a century or more. It is one of very few luxury properties within an hour of Nagoya.
Getting there
- Nagoya — ~1h25, 1 transfer (estimated). JR to Toyohashi ~30 min, then ~50 min by car to Yuya Onsen.
- Toyohashi — ~0h50, 0 transfers (estimated). ~50 min by car from Toyohashi Stn to Yuya Onsen.