Inside Yunoshimakan: A Historic Ryokan in Gero
I ate so much for breakfast that I stepped outside to take a walk and look around the ryokan. Ah! To be exact, I passed through the souvenir shop inside the ryokan first. I was in such a rush when checking in yesterday that I didn't get a good look at the main gate, but the entrance is quite antique and elegant.
Inside the ryokan, there is a museum showcasing its history. It's not massive—more like a hallway exhibition—but because of its long history, the quantity and quality of the items are extraordinary. In particular, there's an exhibit that really shows the prestige of Yunoshimakan: the tableware used by the Emperor of Japan during his visit. Hearing that the Emperor visited both Yunoshimakan and Suimeikan (the ryokan we are heading to today) made me realize just how great of a place I picked.
Looking at it, I thought, "Why exhibit something the Emperor only used once rather than his everyday items?" But then I remembered how back home, we make a huge fuss, hold ceremonies, and put on a whole show to advertise whenever a president—who changes every five years and isn't even a king—visits a place. That made me understand it immediately. I guess you could say we still have a bit of a subject mindset, even in a democratic country.
This is the souvenir shop on the first floor. Most of the items are local specialties. It seems like a win-win for the large ryokans to promote local products using the town's hot spring reputation. In particular, the beef here is considered one of the top three in Japan. Even the chef proudly mentioned how famous and delicious this local beef is—it's truly the pride of the region. I actually tried it yesterday, and the taste was absolutely incredible. (Though with all that marbling, it's definitely going to make me gain weight...)
There is a separate cafe, but this is the official lobby where guests can wait and chat. I don't know who the owner is, but they seem to put a lot of effort into maintaining a very traditional and rustic feel. Personally, I really loved that vintage atmosphere.
The walking trail takes about 15 minutes to complete. Since it's still the season for thin ice, the paths leading further out were all blocked off, so I just walked around the building. The garden is so beautifully landscaped that it felt more like taking a stroll around a garden than hiking a mountain trail.
I went back inside the building and checked out the coffee shop, which wasn't open yet, and found a statue of Hayashi Razan. He's the one who proclaimed, "Gero's hot springs are the best!" and helped create the Gero Onsen we know today.
There's a foot bath where you can leisurely soak your feet while enjoying the outside scenery. Since it's an open-air foot bath, there's some debris like sand and fallen leaves in the water, but the temperature and the view make it the perfect spot to doze off. There was no one else around, so it felt like I had rented the whole place to myself. It would have been so nice to have a cup of coffee here. I wish they had at least put a vending machine nearby.
I came back to the room to get ready to move to Suimeikan.
Perhaps because it's a slightly nicer room, there are decorations on the walls, and the space is large enough for up to four people to use comfortably without any issues.
Since it's a ryokan, the bathroom is the most important facility. I specifically chose this room because I was curious about the open-air bath, but it wasn't anything spectacular. I wanted to try bathing with the windows open, but it was way too cold for that. The price difference isn't huge, but I don't think there's any compelling reason to specifically choose a room with an open-air bath.
