Iwate Yakehashiri Ikoinomura Iwate

As someone who speaks little to no Japanese, I was a little concerned when my company placed me a Ryokan out in the country. My concerns turned out to have no basis. Several of the staff spoke enough English to accommodate me. The service at Ikoinomura is outstanding. Dining staff were very attentive and always courteous, and they always recognized me. The front desk staff treated me like a special guest, even when the lobby was quite busy. They have a courtesy shuttle that gave me a lift to and from work every day, which was thankfully only 5 minutes away by car. The food was quite good, and I thought there was a good variety. My room was a mixed Japanese/Western room, and it was very spacious. In America, I would call it a suite, as it actually had several rooms. I was very comfortable in the Western bed. I think next time I will try the Japanese futon out. The bath in my room was far better than any bath I have experienced before. It is deep and the water gets very hot, so that I could enjoy a sauna in my room. So any time I didn't feel like walking across the hotel to the hot springs, I could still enjoy a nice bath. Fair warning to fellow travelers though: the heated air system is turned off every night at 23:30 and turns back on at 06:00 for energy savings. I wasn't prepared for that the first night and it came as a surprise. However, the bedding is quite thick, so it is not difficult to stay warm in bed. The natural hot springs are excellent. Plenty of seated shower stalls for cleaning up, two large hot spring baths (one with air jets and one without), and a cold bath. I have never felt so rejuvenated. The location and grounds are also beautiful, so I think this is a good destination any time of year. The Obuke station of the IGR rail line is about 15 minutes away by car, so even a taxi ride would be inexpensive if the hotel shuttle is not available.