Yoyokaku
B · 7.9 / 10right inn, right place
A 19-room inn in Karatsu, Saga, formed in 1893, with museum-grade Meiji-era architecture, a magnificent old-pine garden, a Karatsu pottery gallery and excellent in-room kaiseki from the local catch, at prices near the very bottom of the high-end range. The retired chairman lives on site and will happily host guests for hours in good English. KI-NRT calls it one of his most authentic ryokan stays ever, and Michaeljinnyc pronounced it sublime. The one drawback is that there is no onsen anywhere on site.
Scores
Food 4.5 / 5
Dinner is kaiseki from the waters around Saga, served in your own room. KI-NRT called it excellent: okoze came as sashimi and battered and deep-fried, and there was ikejime grouper ara-ni, the fatty meat around the bones, simmered. It was not the best kaiseki he has ever had, though local delicacies are part of the appeal of rural Japan. Breakfast was creative too, with a firm, dashi-infused tofu the highlight.
Bath 1.5 / 5
There is no onsen anywhere at Yoyokaku, and the tub in the room and even the communal bath run ordinary heated water. KI-NRT calls that a bit of a downer, and says an onsen would be especially welcome for a stay in the colder months.
Service 4.5 / 5
The retired chairman, Akihito Okouchi, still lives on site and hosted KI-NRT for several hours with tea and sweets, then walked him through the property explaining its craftsmanship and history in good English. Ask to meet him, because he loves interacting with guests. The okami, his daughter-in-law, is a former English teacher and fluent, and KI-NRT found the staff throughout charming, elegant and sophisticated.
Room 4 / 5
Tonbo (room 211) is a ground-floor corner room with an awesome view of the garden, tatami with a low table and zabuton cushions and no sofa, chairs or beds, and the futons go down after dinner in the room's second section, so the table stays put. KI-NRT found none of the usual old-inn compromises (creaky floors, thin insulation, slow internet), and the WiFi was lightning fast. The bathroom has a single sink and a plain, non-onsen tub.
Place 4.5 / 5
Yoyokaku was formed in 1893, and each step down its wooden corridors made KI-NRT feel he was slipping back to the Meiji era. The magnificent garden is dominated by old matsu pines, which give the inn its sense of place, and the ground-floor rooms open onto it. A small gallery shows Karatsu-yaki pottery by local artisans. It is a few blocks from the sea (you can sometimes hear the waves) and from Karatsu Castle, which is not visible from the inn.
Getting there
- Fukuoka — 1h15, 0 transfers. Fukuoka City Subway Kūkō Line through-running onto the JR Chikuhi Line, Hakata→Karatsu (~75 min, no change on through services; the subway segment isn't JR-Pass-covered), then a short taxi to Yoyokaku. By car ~55 km / ~1h via the Nishi-Kyushu Expwy free sections — lowland, winter-trivial.
- Kagoshima — 3h25, 1 transfer. Reverse of: Chikuhi-line through-train Karatsu→Hakata (~1h25, ~every 30 min), then 'Sakura'→Kagoshima-Chūō (~1h35; 'Mizuho' 1h16).
- Nagasaki — 3h, 2 transfers. Reverse of: Chikuhi through-train→Hakata (~1h25), 'Relay Kamome'→Takeo-Onsen + 'Kamome'→Nagasaki (~1.4h). (The Matsuura-railway coastal route is lovely and ~6h — a day out, not a transfer.)
- Kumamoto — 2h35, 1 transfer. Reverse of: Chikuhi through-train→Hakata (~1h20), 'Sakura'/'Mizuho'→Kumamoto (~38 min).
- Kanazawa — 5h, 3 transfers. Airport bus Kanazawa→Komatsu + KMQ→Fukuoka (~1h40) into Hakata, then the subway/JR Chikuhi through-service Hakata→Karatsu (~75 min). ~5h door-to-door.
Sources
FlyerTalk review #1 · FlyerTalk review by Michaeljinnyc #265 · TripAdvisor 5★ (July 2022) · Ikyu 4.78 / 5 · #127 · #262 · #305 · #534 · #654 (thread mentions)