Villa Garden Ishinoya (a member of the TKP-resort group) is located in one of my favourite prefectures, Shizuoka, an easy train ride from Tokyo. It’s located along the Izu Peninsula side of Shizuoka. It’s a wonderful alternative to an onsen ryokan stay in Hakone (and less expensive) whilst still being easily accessible to include in one’s intinerary for those travelling the Golden Route of Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto.

Set in the surroundings of a beautiful Japanese garden, it is one of the prettiest Ryokans I’ve stayed at. They appear to be more well known compared to others I’ve stayed at before, so there are more overseas tourists staying.

There are staff available to communicate in English & Chinese, they are also more open to tailoring food to certain allergies. However as we have none, we had no need. If you aren’t driving, they offer a complimentary transfer service to and from the station.

The size of each villa room is very spacious and capable of fitting large groups & families, beautifully designed in a traditional Japanese way with modern elements. I found that the price of this Ryokan was reasonable for two people. Around 21,000JPY per person per night (at the time of our stay) including two meals.

MY PERSONAL THOUGHTS

FOOD:

When we stay at Ryokans, the food & onsen are of equal importance to hubby and I. We stayed here two nights to celebrate my birthday and honestly, the first night we were disappointed with the kaiseki experience. It was a mix of modern & traditional presentation which didn’t seem to flow well.

Ultimately, there wasn’t enough food for us… hubby was definitely not full and my stomach was just pleasant. It wasn’t a feast for the eyes or stomach.

The first breakfast, was more of a traditional Japanese style which was nice but again portion & quantity wise, it wasn’t that epic feast we are used too.

Our second dinner however was much more satisfying (remember my tip about staying more than one night? The 2nd night is always more impressive, because people rarely stay more than one night). The presentation was more on point with lovely Japanese patterned dishes, and then to our surprise out came two delicious red snappers for us to eat… one each! We were at first shocked because normally a whole fish is something you have to order on top of your usual dinner, but to have not one, but two of them included in our dinner was very impressive!

The quality of our second meal was also much higher, with Ise-Ebi (Japan’s version of mini lobster), the delicious snappers and also eel being served.

We left very full! Breakfast the next day was of a similar style to the first day, a traditional Japanese breakfast but with more premium ingredients.

Meals are served in the restaurants, not the room. It’s a nice touch, that each eating area is separated and enclosed by Japanese folding walls, which provide a nice touch of intimacy and privacy.

NOTE: I would also like to point out, that hubby and I are quite big eaters… especially hubby. So perhaps the quantity & quantity is fine for others with normal appetites. Please understand these are my/our experiences and as such are rated to my/our personal tastes, feelings and wants.

ONSEN

I honestly fell in love with this private onsen on our terrace. A delightfully large, hinoki cypress square bath. It’s quite possibly the largest private onsen bath I’ve had to myself. The bath is deep, wide and can easily fit three adults, or 2 adults and 2 children. It’s complimentary to the size of our room which is available to sleep 4 people.

Aesthetically the clear vinyl “curtains'“ to obviously protect from the elements and bugs, were a bit of a let down but I understand why they are there. It was a bit frustrating as we were right next door to a visiting overseas family with children, who loved to scream and jump into their onsen bath like a pool, so as we were wishing for a relaxing, zen couple nights away - it did really wreck the ambiance of our stay. Luck of the draw, and just bad luck we had that experience with those types of guests.

Perhaps not the best choice if you want a guaranteed romantic, quiet Ryokan experience, but I think the size of the onsens, the villa rooms etc are excellent for a larger group and for family groups.

ROOM AMBIANCE

The rooms are beautifully spacious, and tastefully designed. Perhaps one of the larger Ryokan rooms I’ve had the pleasure of staying in. Really loved how well they combined the beautiful Sukiya traditions, with modernity. However because it is made in the traditional style, be aware the Villa rooms are grouped together, so if you do leave a sliding door cracked open to the private onsen, you can probably hear your neighbours as we did.

VENUE AMBIANCE

Surrounding a picturesque Japanese garden, the setting of Villa Garden Ishinoya is undoubtedly very pretty. Meandering through the gardens to reach dinner, having a mini soak in the foot bath creates a relaxing atmosphere. It’s beautifully and tastefully done, and I can imagine how pretty it would be during Spring & Autumn.

SURROUNDING AREA

Villa Garden Ishinoya is located on the slightly busier side of Izu Nagaoka station. That being said, it’s still a country town. There’s a local grocery store, a pretty local park, and some local businesses. We greatly enjoyed having the Tofu/Yuba soft cream from the local Tofu shop. It was interesting as well to see the making process. However if you wish to have more active things to do, it may not be the place. If you would enjoy just talking slow walks, exploring the countryside and enjoying the Ryokan itself - then it’s a lovely option. Nonetheless you can still use it as a base to go explore other parts of Shizuoka if you hire a car or head back to the station.

VILLA GARDEN ISHINOYA FACTS (at time of stay)

• COST: starting from ~21,000JPY per person per night

• MEALS INCLUDED: Japanese or Western Breakfast (choose Japanese!) & Dinner

• CHECK IN/CHECK OUT TIME: 1500 / 1000

• PAYMENT: cash & credit card accepted

• ROOMS: 22 rooms/villas available (not all have private onsen bath)

• ENGLISH SPEAKING STAFF AVAILABLE

• WEBSITE: https://www.tkp-resort.net/ishinoya/

• IG: @ishinoya_official