Okutsuso
D · 5.2 / 10the evidence warns
An eight-room 1927 ryokan on the Yoshii River in Okutsu Onsen, prized by Japanese connoisseurs for its water and food. On KI-NRT's stay he was the only guest, with a green, short-staffed team, and dinner was the real letdown (the house specialty, a steamed-yam custard, was incredibly bland), though he found the indoor baths very nice. He closes calling it "still a pretty good place", just not one that beat out other top ryokans for a return visit.
Scores
Food 2.5 / 5
Dinner was the lowlight of KI-NRT's stay. The ingredients were largely local and the plates had a spring theme (hinasushi for Girls' Day), but none of it was memorable, and the house specialty joyomushi, a mountain-yam custard steamed at the hot-spring source, was incredibly bland. He calls the meal decent, and says decent does not cut it in Japan, and wonders whether the kitchen had turned over, since they were the only guests.
Bath 3 / 5
The water is free-flowing and sourced nearby, supposedly among the best in Japan, though KI-NRT could not tell the difference. Two indoor gender-separated baths, Kagiyu and Tachiyu, are lined with large rocks from the Yoshii River for a rough, natural feel, which he found very nice, and two more can be rented free, and only Kawa-no-yu is semi-open-air, its river view blocked by railings. The indoor baths feel cramped with two others in them.
Service 2.5 / 5
Service was warm and welcoming but lacked the polish KI-NRT has had at other ryokans. Of the three staff they mainly dealt with, one was a trainee, one an intern and the veteran had been there about a year, with no knowledge of the ryokan's history or the area. The okami was nowhere to be found, and the waka-okami (the future proprietress) seemed indifferent and not particularly engaging. He suspects COVID cost the inn its experienced staff.
Room 3 / 5
Seikantei, one of two detached Hanare villas among the eight rooms, is a cabin with a separate bedroom and living room and an onsen bath on its deck, reasonably spacious, with a bit more privacy and space than the main-building rooms. As at other old properties there is no shower, so guests would get into the onsen unwashed, only one sink, and the hallway to the deck gets very cold on winter nights, as only the bedroom and living room are heated.
Place 3 / 5
Okutsuso is a small family-owned ryokan founded in 1927 in the heart of Okutsu town, on the banks of the Yoshii River, and the main building and its interior are well preserved, traditional and charming. The footprint is very small and there are no grounds at all, no garden and no pond. Okutsu is one of Okayama's three famous onsen towns and far sleepier than Kinosaki or Kusatsu, which KI-NRT says is a plus or a minus depending on taste.
Getting there
- Okayama — ~1h30, 0 transfers (estimated). ~1.5 hr by car from Okayama to Okutsu Onsen.
- Hiroshima — ~2h20, 1 transfer (estimated). Hiroshima to Okayama ~40 min Shinkansen, then ~1.5 hr by car to Okutsu.