Staying at Japan’s Onsen Ryokan with an Amazing Snow Open Air Bath | Rankeiso Nigata

This time I stayed at Echigo Nagano Onsen Rankeiso in Sanjo City, Niigata Prefecture which I have introduced before.
Last timeI went there in early summer, and this time I went to Rankeiso in winter when it was covered with snow.

Accommodation fee for 23,000 yen ($152) per night with 2 meals

嵐渓荘 Rankeiso
https://www.rankei.com/

[Chapter List]

00:00 Opening
00:50 Yahiko Shrine
04:31 Arrival at Rankeiso
05:54 Check-in
07:39 Room Tour
11:12 Main Bath
12:39 Lounge
15:52 Private bath
18:15 Dinner
19:27 Dinner
21:52 Breakfast
23:45 Check out & Ending

#Japan #Onsen #Ryokan

Hello, everyone! This time, we’re going to “Rankei-so” in Sanjo City, Niigata. I’ve introduced “Rankei-so” in a video last May, but this time I will introduce “Rankei-so” in winter! Before going to the hot springs, let’s visit “Yahiko Shrine”! Today is Saturday, so there are many cars parked.

There are places to eat around the shrine, so we’ll go there later. We have arrived. The precincts cover about 13 hectares, surrounded by old cedar and keyaki trees that are 400-500 years old. “Yahiko Shrine” has a history of over 2,400 years and is said to bring good fortune in matchmaking.

It takes about 4 minutes to walk to the main hall. I hadn’t been to the first shrine visit of the year yet, so I’m glad I could come. Many people are lining up. At most shrines, you do two bows, two claps, and one bow,

But at Yahiko Shrine, you do two bows, four claps, and one bow. It’s not known why it’s four claps, but it’s said to be a manner of worship passed down by generations of priests to show more respect to the deity. More and more people are arriving.

I’ll try drawing my first fortune slip of the year! It costs 100 yen ($0.66). I’ve decided on this one. I’m curious about what is written on my first fortune slip of the year… Slight luck… haha But the content wasn’t bad! We’ve come to the shopping street.

Here, you can buy souvenirs or have a quick meal. We’ve decided to go to a shop called “Sugiyama.” We bought an oden set. After receiving the oden, choose any seat you like. There is charcoal under the table, and it’s very warm. The ingredients for the oden are fish cake, daikon, egg, and konnyaku.

It warms up the body. Now, we’re heading to the hot spring! The snow is getting heavier. We can see the sign for Rankei-so. We’ve arrived after passing through this tunnel! We’ll walk a bit to the main entrance. Rankei-so is a member of Japan Association of Secluded Hot Spring Inns.

The atmosphere is completely different from when I last visited in May. Snow is also piled up on the cherry trees. Snow is piled up to a considerable height in the inn’s garden. Let’s go inside. Founded in 1927, it’s an inn with nearly a 100-year history.

There’s a very large garden, but it’s inaccessible in winter due to snow. At check-in, you can reserve a private bath. There are two types of private baths, “Stone Bath” and “Deep Bath,” and you can reserve either one in 30-minute increments. We are being shown to our room.

This time we are staying in the “Ryokufu-kan,” a wooden main building. The large communal bath is located ahead. We’ve arrived on the second floor. The room we’re staying in today doesn’t have a toilet or washbasin. We’ll use the toilet and washbasin located in the corridor. We’re staying in a room named “Chigusa.”

From the room, you can view the garden covered in snow. Carp are swimming. I wonder if it doesn’t freeze? Let’s take a look inside the room. The room is a registered tangible cultural property, relocated from an early Showa era ryokan building. It consists of two rooms, an 8-tatami and a 6-tatami room.

A futon is laid out in the 6-tatami room. Outside, staff were shoveling snow. The building seen on the side is the “Keiryu-kan,” a new wing. Let me show you inside the room! There’s a TV. Wi-Fi and a QR code for checking private bath reservations.

A book introducing hot springs registered with the Association to Preserve Hidden Hot Springs. “Yumoto Fuboukaku.”I introduced in a previous video. Deodorant spray. Travel diary. You can freely write down your travel memories. It seems flying squirrels run around in the attic sometimes. They say it’s not dangerous. Telephone. Tissues. Mirror.

Welcome sweets, manju (Japanese confection). The guide to the bath seen at check-in. A pot filled with hot water and A set of tea ceremony utensils. There’s an electric carpet under the table, so it’s very warm. Table and chairs. Refrigerator. Drinks are available for a fee.

On top of the refrigerator, there are glasses and a bottle opener. Lastly, the closet. Inside, there are yukatas, towels, and toothbrushes. Now, I’ll change into a yukata and go to the bath! We go to the large communal bath by elevator.

When you get off on the first floor, the large bath is immediately to the right. The women’s bath is on the right, and the men’s bath is on the left. Let’s go in! The spring quality is “Sodium – Chloride Cold Mineral Spring,” effective for cuts, burns, chilblains, and neuralgia.

There’s also an open-air bath, so let’s go there. Uh… it’s cold… The open-air bath is made of rocks. Surrounded by a snowy landscape. It’s cold, so I’m going into the bath! It’s warm… The scenery is wonderful. Rankei-so’s spring emerges at a temperature of 16.5°C, a cold mineral spring, but it’s nicely warmed up.

Next, we’re heading to the private bath! We had a reservation for 16:30. This is the lounge. There’s a fireplace. It’s very warm. There are records placed here. You can listen to your favorite record here. You need permission from the staff to use it. Next to it, there’s a bar.

In the center of the lounge, there’s a postbox called “Future Post.” If you write a letter and put it in the postbox, it will be delivered to the specified address 12 years later. It might be nice to write to someone important or to your future self.

Next to the postbox, you can drink tea. It’s roasted tea made using the hot spring water. Let’s have a sip. It’s warm. It has a salty taste and is delicious. It tastes like it’s good for the body. It’s time for our reserved private bath. We receive a 30-minute timer and a key.

Now, we can use the private bath for 30 minutes. Purchased a sake set (1,500 yen/$9.9) that you can drink in the bath. The private bath can be accessed from the second floor of the main building.

To the right is the private bath, and to the left is the room we are staying in today. We proceed along the wooden corridor. There’s a big door, so we enter. The bath is ahead. You can see the main building. In summer, the windows here are open. It smells nicely of wood.

The private bath we’re entering is “Stone Bath.” We unlock it and enter. Opening the door reveals a shower space. The bath is divided into an indoor bath and an outdoor bath. Going outside, there is an outdoor bath made of rocks. It’s warm… You can view the snow-covered garden.

You can see the main building, and they can see us too, haha. Let’s drink some sake. There is 1.5 go (Japanese unit of volume) of sake. Here’s to the snowy scenery. It’s fantastic. 30 minutes have passed, so it’s time to go back.

I have a little sake left, so I’ll drink it in the lounge. There was exactly one glass left. The lounge has a nice atmosphere. There are lots of books in the lounge. It’s nice to relax and read a book here. It’s time for dinner. We’ll eat in the room next door.

Appetizers are prepared. Let’s start with the aperitif. It’s a liquor made from wild grasses. It’s delicious. Carp sashimi. We eat it with vinegar miso. There’s no fishy smell, and the texture is great and delicious. I ordered a sake called Igarashi. It’s smooth and easy to drink. Grilled salted char. It’s tender and delicious.

Yuba (tofu skin) hot pot. The clam broth is delicious and permeates well. It goes well with the sake. Beef stone grill. You grill the beef on a hot stone. The stone is very hot, so the meat grills well. Eat it dipped in a special sauce.

It’s tender, with a perfect balance of fat, and delicious. Pumpkin gratin. Delicious! You can eat the whole pumpkin. Finally, salmon rice, soup, and pickles. Every dish was very delicious, and the amount of food was just right; I was very satisfied. I have returned to my room.

I’m thinking of going to bed early today. Good night. Good morning. We will have breakfast in the same room as yesterday. The morning menu is also luxurious. Porridge made with hot spring water. Miso soup. Yudofu (boiled tofu). It’s cold, so I’m happy to have many warm dishes.

After breakfast, we will prepare to leave. It’s time to check out. Fun times pass by in the blink of an eye. This time, since I collected 10 stamps from hidden hot springs, one night’s stay was free. The cost for one person’s stay this time was 23,000 yen ($152).

That’s all for now! Did you enjoy it? Let’s meet again on the next journey. Thank you for watching.