"Pros: Fantastic experience I believe we were the only westerners there during our 2 night stay The service from the staff was the best we have ever experienced Everyone from the porter, front desk, kitchen and wait staff were fantastic The level of English was quite basic but this did not hinder our enjoyment at all The onsens really are as big and beautiful as the pictures suggest Westerners should not be afraid of the experience, they have a helpful guide on their website. Please be aware that guests with tattoos are not allowed in the public onsens (this applies for the majority of onsens but some places do cater for tattooed guests) The full Ryokan meal service was incredible So many flavours with the highest quality seasonal ingredients, all presented beautifully on incredible crockery We stayed in a Japanese style room in the east building which allowed us to enjoy a private room experience. Please check with the hotel if they will be able to accommodate this for you, it is worth it in my opinion A special thank you to the kitchen staff who were so delightful We had a travel mishap and phoned ahead to let them know we would be 30 minutes late (we were already booked on the last available time slot). They were very kind in accommodating us and did not rush us through our meal Excellent value for money, we were so satisfied with the experience Fantastic stay, we were sad to leave and we would love to return on our next trip to Japan" ~Adam