Inside an Authentic Samurai Residence in Japan | Yanagawa Ryokan Ohana

Inside an Authentic Samurai Residence in Japan | Yanagawa Ryokan Ohana

The city of Yanagawa, Fukuoka Prefecture, once developed as a castle town We’ll be staying at a historic mansion that was home to a samurai family for generations In this “Water City,” with canals running throughout, time flows beautifully Join us on a journey through Japan’s rich culture and history Enjoy the experience until the very end Hello! We’ve arrived at Hakata Station, the largest terminal station in Kyushu It’s spring Today, we’ll be staying at a historic mansion where samurais and their families once lived Our destination is Yanagawa, ‘the town of water.’ We’ll transfer from Hakata Station to Tenjin Station, then switch to the Tenjin Omuta Line It takes about an hour from Hakata Station You can take the same route from Fukuoka Airport, and there are taxis from Saga International Airport In fact, it’s pretty easy to access As we get closer to Yanagawa, the landscape gradually becomes more peaceful And we’ve safely arrived at Yanagawa Station This city prospered as the castle town of Yanagawa Castle during the Edo period (1603-1868) It’s also famous for eel! The term ‘water town’ comes from the canals running through the city Just a few minutes’ walk from the station, you can see the iconic ‘river punting’ scenery Such a wonderful and soothing view We want to take a boat ride, but first.. I’m getting hungry We’ve arrived at Tachibana Udon, just an 8-minute walk from the station The old-fashioned atmosphere is nice Look so goooood The specialty is “Niku-Burdock ten-Udon.” Wow, gooooood! It’s spring You can take a boat to the inn where we’ll be staying tonight There are various tourist boat companies and courses I recommend the Yanagawa Kanko Kaihatsu from the “Shogetsu Punting Station” near Mihashira Shrine The final stop on this course, “Ohana,” is where we’ll be staying today The boat trip starts! It’s 4km long and takes about 60 minutes Oh no, I forgot to take motion sickness medicine Since we’re going slowly, I think it will be fine River punting is fun with the boatman’s entertaining commentary and skilled pole handling He moves the boat with a single pole >> Boatman: Today, we’ll pass through 11 bridges >> Boatman: This bridge is the biggest Yanagawa is close to the sea and was once a humid wetland The canals were originally built to improve drainage Yanagawa Castle was built during the Sengoku period By that time, the canals also helped defend the castle, spreading like a web Unfortunately, Yanagawa Castle itself was destroyed in a fire in 1872🏯 There are many visitors from Taiwan When heavy rain is forecast, they pre-drain the moat water to the sea So surprisingly, there are very few disasters The spring boat ride is really refreshing . It’s so soothing We’re moving slowly, so honestly, it’s probably faster to go by land But it’s faster than the walking speed of a crow Here’s a particularly low bridge! We have to lower our heads as much as possible to avoid hitting them 👏✨👏✨ It’s a green tunnel! A floating shop has appeared Wow, it’s actually floating The boat ride operates year-round You don’t need a reservation, but it’s a good idea to book in advance for easier planning The 60-minute boat ride is almost over It went by quicker than I expected And here we are at “Ohana.” Off you go, next group! Enjoy the boat ride! KONNICHIWA Both guests and non-guests enter Ohana through this gate, the final destination This was a mansion of the Tachibana family, lords of Yanagawa in the Edo period, now an inn It is still run by the descendants of the Tachibana family There are facilities like a Japanese garden and museum, open to non-guests The samurai, Tachibana Muneshige, entered Yanagawa Castle about 400 years ago From the 5th generation onward, his descendants lived here After the samurai era, the Tachibana family became counts, and in 1910, the mansion was renovated In 1950, the 16th generation began operating it as a ryokan It was recently renovated in January 2025, with a more modern interior than expected Check-in starts at 3 PM This juice is from Tachibana farm mandarins It’s so delicious, I could bathe in it Let’s head to our room The guest rooms are located on the 2nd to 4th floors Our room is on the 4th floor Kuro-matsu, for 2 persons, 2 meals included: starting from 166,400 yen (1,157.73 USD / € 1,015.26) You slip off your shoes at the entrance before going in >> Staff: This room offers a great view >> Staff: You can enjoy views of the Japanese garden and cultural heritage buildings >> Staff: The bed is positioned so you can enjoy the view when you wake up >> Staff: The refrigerator is here >> Staff: The drinks inside are free for you to enjoy >> Staff: This is the living room >> Staff: You can enjoy views of the garden and the roof of the cultural heritage buildings >> Staff: You can also watch information about Ohana on the TV >> Staff: Here is the bath >> Staff: This bath is made using Hinoki cypress wood >> Staff: Please relax and enjoy your time Thank you for the tour Let’s enjoy some free drinks from the fridge Cheers with Yanagawa Coffee Milk and Count Ale The craft beer has a citrusy taste These are the famous sweets from Yanagawa, Koshiyama Mochi Soft and chewy, with a white bean paste filling The entire grounds of Ohana are cultural heritage sites Normally, there is an entrance fee, but guests can visit for free Alright, let’s go check it out Right after getting off the elevator, we’re at a private restaurant This is the room once used by Count Tachibana and his family It’s exciting to think about eating in the rooms of the lord and the princess There are several buildings on the property, all connected by corridors It’s beautiful The Ise Jingu and Izumo Taisha Shrines’ subsidiary shrines are here General tours of the building are available until 4:00 PM After that, it’s a special time reserved for overnight guests Here’s the 100 tatami mat grand hall Beyond the grand hall, there’s a beautiful pine garden, Shoto-en It’s a Japanese garden designed to be enjoyed from the tatami room You can also look down on the grand hall and Shoto-en from above It’s amazing to think this was once someone’s home 👋 Let’s head to the Western-style building tonight The bath in our room isn’t a hot spring But it has a lovely scent of wood Here’s the washbasin It’s stocked with basic amenities Everything is eco-friendly, with paper packaging and bamboo Here’s an organic skincare set The closet looks like this And there was a yukata on the bed Time for the bath The shampoo and other products were organic, and they smelled good I’m getting hungry We’re having dinner at the private restaurant Our dinner venue is the room once used by the wife of the 15th head of the family It’s a table seat with a view of the garden Tonight’s menu As usual, I ordered some local sake >> Staff: This is the appetizer >> Staff: We use locally grown vegetables from Yanagawa >> Staff: And seafood from the Ariake Sea for our dishes The first bite is a sushi made with sea bream Fried sea anemone, which I’m trying for the first time The Tachibana family owns a farm, using some of their own produce This is very luxurious Here comes the sashimi Flounder, squid, and tuna The tuna is so tender It melts in your mouth and tastes amazing The warm dishes are served hot, and the cold ones, cold >> Staff: Here’s the soup >> Staff: Yanagawa is a water town, so the bowl is designed to resemble ripples in the water Clams from the Ariake Sea >> Staff: This is grilled eel from Miyazaki, one of the highest quality eels >> Staff: We have salt and wasabi for you here >> Staff: This salt is a high-quality salt from Shimabara, a place with trade connections to Yanagawa Do you eat eel in your country? In Japan, it’s one of the most beloved high-end dishes Mmm Awesome It’s light, and it goes perfectly with sake It’s not over yet Next, we have somen It’s warm With green onions and orange peel sprinkled on top, it’s refreshing >> Staff: Here’s the main dish, roast Fukuoka wagyu and roasted duck >> Staff: The wagyu is topped with deep-fried cherry leaves >> Staff: Please eat the meat with the leaves >> Staff: It has a refreshing taste The meat is so tender you can pick it up with chopsticks I didn’t know you could eat cherry leaves The orange sauce For the final dish, we have Yanagawa’s famous steamed eel bowl Looks so delicious! And here’s the liver soup Unlike regular eel rice bowls, the eel and rice are steamed together So the eel is super fluffy The rice is also soaked with the eel’s delicious flavor and aroma It’s incredibly delicious and piping hot Honestly, I thought the bowl at the end would be too heavy But it was so good I easily finished it Finally, dessert My mouth was hot from the eel, so the ice cream felt like a lifesaver The mandarin ice cream Thank you for the meal! From 7 PM to 11 PM, free drinks are available Now, I think I’ll have another drink My husband is having Amaou strawberry vinegar cider You can bring drinks into the cultural heritage areas or your room So, let’s drink in the tatami hall This basket has such a romantic vibe It feels like we are a lord or princess The garden looks stunning at night We were lucky to have it all to ourselves Now, let’s head to the Western-style building, which we couldn’t explore earlier Guests can freely explore the cultural heritage areas until 11:00 PM In those days, upper-class homes were large, with both Western and Japanese buildings That’s why there’s a Western-style building at the Tachibana residence It was a symbol of wealth back in the day With such a big house, cleaning must have been a challenge I wonder how many servants they had The Western-style building used to function as both the entrance and reception area But now it’s a wedding venue? The 16th head of the Tachibana family, Ayako and Kazuo, created the ryokan “Ohana.” The Western-style building at night honestly has a bit of a horror vibe It feels like being in a movie set or a game The ‘Sagemon’ Yanagawa local decorations are on display So cute It’s amazing that the Tachibana family preserved this building until today Listening to the herons’ calls… Goodnight Good morning! Wow, it’s raining We reserved a boat breakfast, but had to cancel But the atmosphere of the inn in the rain is also elegant and moving You can still ride the boat without breakfast, but the rain was too strong, so we skipped it If the boat breakfast is rained out.. the bento will be served in a private restaurant instead Tofu is added to the regular boat breakfast It might actually be a lucky change Let’s first warm up our stomachs with some Japanese dashi A wooden box with the Tachibana family crest It’s a two-tier bento The tofu is ready! The secret to its creaminess? They use sparkling water to make it Seaweed from the Ariake Sea Pickled celery It has that classic traditional Japanese flavor, and it’s delicious The weather is unbelievably bad Even in this weather, the boat ride is still popular If you’ve been healed by this video, please like and comment! See you next time🐰🐰

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💻Yanagawa Ryokan Ohana
Website: https://ohana.co.jp/en/
*This video was filmed with the hotel’s permission.

🗒 How to book
Agoda: https://px.a8.net/svt/ejp?a8mat=3TLBA5+BIDQL6+4X1W+BW0YB&a8ejpredirect=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.agoda.com%2Fohana%2Fhotel%2Fall%2Fyanagawa-jp.html
Trip.com: https://www.trip.com/t/5zWcb56kYP2
Expedia: https://expedia.com/affiliate/4hUgDKH
Hotels.com: https://www.hotels.com/affiliate/yE5EFiP
Official: https://ohana.co.jp/en/plan/

🚃🚶‍♀️How to Get There
From Nishitetsu Yanagawa Station, it takes about 70 minutes by boat and 10 minutes by taxi.
MAP: https://maps.app.goo.gl/H8nTUJT3XmJocpfr9

💰 Price
Kuro-matsu, for 2 persons, 2 meals included: starting from 166,400 yen (1,157.73 USD / € 1,015.26).
*The standard room price for 2 persons with 2 meals: from 77,400 yen.
*Prices may vary depending on the season and room type.

🚃 JAPAN RAIL PASS is an economical and convenient way to travel throughout Japan by rail!!
https://click.jrpass.com/aff_c?offer_id=19&aff_id=1038

⌛️ Timestamps
0:00 Opening
0:42 How to Get to Yanagawa
2:07 Yanagawa Sightseeing
3:25 Yanagawa River Cruising (Yanagawa Kanko Kaihatsu)
9:09 What is the Tachibana Family Residence in Yanagawa?
10:16 Check-in & Tour
11:16 Room Tour
12:53 Free Drinks
13:38 Exploring the Cultural Heritage Site
15:20 Grand Hall & Shoto-en Garden
16:52 Room Bath
18:00 Dinner
24:39 Free Drinks in the Garden at Night
25:53 Western-style Building
28:00 Good Morning
28:43 Breakfast
30:58 What Happens to the Boat Ride on a Rainy Day?

#立花宗茂 #samurai #japan #japantravel #asmr #cc_for_subtitle

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・Titles, descriptions, and subtitles are provided by automatic translation and may contain inaccuracies.
・The prices in the video are based on the exchange rate at the time of editing.
・Prices may vary with the season.
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