THE YUKAWA Ichijoh Branch
A · 8.1 / 10anchor a leg
An eleven-suite modern ryokan opened in September 2025 in a forested valley on the Yukawa River outside Shiroishi, the flagship of the Ichijo family, twenty generations of innkeepers since 1428, with a private open-air onsen bath and a fully private dining room for every party. KI-NRT gives the kitchen the edge over its venerable neighbor Michinokuan, and the top suite ranks among the nicest modern ryokan rooms of his many stays; the one drawback is that it costs noticeably more than Michinokuan for comparable rooms.
Scores
Food 4.5 / 5
Dinner leans on Miyagi itself: sea urchin in the shell and conger eel from the Sanriku coast, Zao wagyu and nodagamo duck from local farms, and Zao's Tsuyahime rice, which KI-NRT says rivals Niigata's famous varieties. His favourites were a horsehair-crab clear soup and conger eel with foie gras and balsamic sansho, which worked surprisingly well. Nothing is avant-garde, but every dish was well prepared, and he gives it the edge over Michinokuan.
Bath 4 / 5
Every one of the eleven suites has its own open-air onsen bath on the balcony looking onto the Yukawa River, fed by Yukawa Onsen, a source newly drilled along the riverbank whose minerals are similar to the famed Kamasaki Onsen next door, which supplies the family's Yunishi Ichijo. Two private baths can be reserved free of charge; they are a bit larger and even closer to the river than the suite bath, but KI-NRT would not call them a must-do.
Service 4 / 5
KI-NRT and his party were wonderfully looked after by a caring and friendly staff, especially Mr. Shigeta, their dinner server and bartender, and Ms. Hamada, who speaks good English after a homestay in California. They were the only guests in the house that night, so he could not see the service under a full house, though he imagines it would remain exemplary, and the three Rakuten guests so far mark service a full 5.0.
Room 4.5 / 5
All eleven accommodations are suites with their own open-air hot-spring bath. KI-NRT took the River View Yukawa Suite, the top category at 90 m², elegantly appointed with a balcony of lounge chairs beside the onsen bath, and calls it easily one of the nicest rooms of the many modern ryokans he has stayed at. Nine are standalone villa suites, and he found the 80 m² River View Villa Suite excellent too, with vaulted ceilings, closer to the river.
Place 4 / 5
The Yukawa is a modern retreat tucked into a valley of lush forest with the Yukawa River flowing directly in front, and the view from the suite balcony is mesmerizing; the Zao range, with its Okama crater and late-winter snow monsters, is just north. Shiroishi itself does not have a ton to offer and is usually a stop on a Tohoku road trip, with Michinokuan less than a kilometre away. The architecture is strikingly contemporary.
Getting there
- Tokyo — 2h15, 0 transfers. Tōhoku Shinkansen 'Yamabiko' Tokyo→Shiroishi-Zaō (~1h50; the fast 'Hayabusa' does NOT stop there), then the inn's free shuttle (~15–20 min).
- Kanazawa — 4h25, 1 transfer. Hokuriku Shinkansen Kanazawa→Ōmiya (~2h01), cross to a Shiroishi-Zaō-calling 'Yamabiko' (~12–13/day, roughly hourly; Ōmiya→Shiroishi-Zaō ~1h23) + inn shuttle (~18 min). One change at Ōmiya — the 4.4h prices the wait for the select Yamabiko; off-peak an added Fukushima/Sendai change can beat waiting (→2 changes).
- Sendai — 0h35, 0 transfers. Reverse of: Inn shuttle to Shiroishi-Zaō (~15 min), Tōhoku Shinkansen 'Yamabiko'→Sendai (~13 min).