Two Final Nights in Fukushima: A Stay at Ryokan Tagato-Aizu

Our final two nights in Fukushima were spent at a unique and modern ryokan called Tagato-Aizu. This traditional Japanese inn offered a glimpse into authentic Japanese life, complete with modern amenities and high-tech features.

While the price tag of 8,314 yen (approximately $75 USD) per night with breakfast included may seem steep for this type of accommodation, we felt it was worth the experience. Prices may fluctuate depending on the season, so be sure to check booking platforms like Agoda for the most up-to-date rates.

The ryokan's convenient location, just 2 kilometers from Aizu-Wakamatsu Station, makes it a popular choice for travelers. It's also close to many of Aizu's top attractions. During our stay, we even encountered several fellow bloggers who had coincidentally chosen the same accommodation.

Let's delve deeper into our experience at Ryokan Tagato-Aizu and explore its unique features.

We had a car for the last two days, so we parked it at the ryokan. There is parking available on both sides of the 料理旅館 田事 (tagoto-aizu).

If you are coming directly from Aizu Station, you can take a taxi to the ryokan.

On the second night, after returning the car, we walked back to the ryokan in the dark. 555

On the way back from the ryokan, the owner kindly drove us to the train station.

料理旅館 田事 (tagoto-aizu) is a large, 2-story wooden ryokan in the Japanese style.

When we first walked through the inner door of 料理旅館 田事 (tagoto-aizu), we were surprised to see that the door was wide open.

The wooden door was an automatic sliding door, and we had arrived at dusk. We thought we had encountered a ghost.

Upon entering, the left side is the check-in area where you can receive your room key. Stairs lead up to the guest rooms, while the lower floor houses the bathrooms, dining room, seminar room, and lounge of the Tagoto-Aizu Ryokan. It's worth noting that every space in this ryokan is efficiently utilized. Upon entering, you will be provided with traditional indoor slippers to change into. The lower floor houses the breakfast room.

The Traditional Charm of Tagato-Aizu: A Culinary Journey

The breakfast room at Tagato-Aizu offers both indoor and outdoor seating, with the latter providing a charming view of the surrounding landscape. Despite the traditional Japanese design, the room is equipped with modern amenities such as heaters, ensuring a comfortable dining experience. While the fireplace adds to the rustic ambiance, it serves primarily as a decorative element.

Beyond the breakfast room lies a cozy living area, perfect for relaxation and socializing. The adjacent bathroom and spacious dining hall, designed for larger gatherings, further enhance the functionality of the space. While photos of these areas were not captured, they are prominently featured on the official website and Facebook page of Tagato-Aizu.

It's important to note that Tagato-Aizu primarily focuses on its culinary offerings, with the accommodations serving as a complementary aspect of the experience. This emphasis on food is evident in the extensive documentation and promotion of the restaurant on various platforms.

A Charming Corner in the Ryokan: Beautiful in Any Light

This charming little corner within the ryokan is beautiful no matter when you capture it in the light.

Beyond Check-In: A Modern Ryokan Experience

After checking in and receiving your key, turn left to find the ryokan's conference and seminar rooms. These spaces are available for rent, making this ryokan more than just a traditional inn. It's a modern ryokan experience.

At first, we didn't realize this was a conference room. While we were taking pictures of the dining room, an employee or someone who was taking care of the ryokan at that time saw us and invited us to take pictures of this conference room as well.

They spoke in Japanese, and we responded with sign language. We understood each other in one go!

We're still on the ground floor, but now let's take a look at the bathroom. This is what the bathroom in a ryokan looks like.

The bathing area consists of communal and private bathing spaces. Bathing is done in a seated position, and a hot spring bath is available. Please note that this is not an open-air onsen like others, but rather a more private bathing area.

If you wish to enjoy the hot spring bath privately while bathing communally, partitions (black wooden panels) are available to create a private space within the bath. Alternatively, separate shower rooms are available for those who prefer individual bathing. These shower rooms are located nearby.

Still deciding which bathroom to use. Hehe.

Heading up to the second floor, where our rooms are located.

The decor is almost entirely wood. The owner was kind enough to carry our 30 kg bags to our rooms. My arms would have fallen off if I had tried to lift them myself. Haha.

The room key is still a doorknob. Let's open it and see inside.

Inside the private room, there is a sliding paper door that opens to another layer, which is the bedroom area.

Now it looks a bit more like a real ryokan.

The bed is incredibly soft, ensuring a comfortable night's sleep.

The room is equipped with a heater, a safe, a refrigerator, and bathrobes.

A traditional Japanese floor table is provided, where we set up our computer and worked on photos with great enjoyment.

The room was equipped with traditional snacks and chewing gum. There was also an ashtray in the room.

We weren't sure if smoking was allowed in the room, but the presence of an ashtray made us wonder.

However, the room we stayed in had no lingering cigarette smell.

The modern high-tech features of the new ryokan, 料理旅館 田事 (tagoto-aizu), include beds instead of traditional tatami mats.

This room is likely the most expensive in the ryokan, as it has a bed and a private bathroom, offering greater convenience.

The room we stayed in, on the second floor, shared a bathroom and sink with other guests, with separate facilities for men and women.

Conveniently, the bathroom was located right outside our room.

We then cut to the breakfast room at the 料理旅館 田事 (tagoto-aizu).

When we checked in, the staff asked us what time we would like to have breakfast. We told them 8:00 AM.

See you in the dining room.

The breakfast room was bustling with friends joining us for a meal.

At first, I was worried if I could eat authentic Japanese food. Let's see how it goes. 555

However, if you ask me to name each dish, I honestly have no idea.

The dining room offers a set menu of Japanese-style dishes, with a choice of rice options.

We chose Japanese sesame rice, which is a sesame-sprinkled rice dish served with various Japanese dishes.

It was absolutely delicious!

Whether it's day 1 or 2, we'll definitely choose sesame rice again. It's really good!

The menu changes daily, and there are eggs available, which is great.

Other dishes are also available, but not everything.

This dish looks like an ice cream bar, but it's not ice cream. It's miso.

It's fermented from Japanese rice or barley, soybeans, and salt and fungus kōjikin (Japanese: 麹菌).

It's delicious, and I ate it all at that time. Hehe.

On the second day, I also had sesame rice with Japanese boiled eggs. It was very delicious.

If the meals are in a set like this, if we want to pay separately from the accommodation fee, the set price is 1800-2000 yen.

During the stay, there is also a little time to relax at the cooking inn Tagoto-Aizu.

Take a souvenir photo with the yukata.

No, our outfit is just a good bathrobe. 555

But why am I so round in this? ><

This yukata is a must-have for any Japanese outfit. I didn't bring it from Thailand, and I thought I wouldn't use it.

Plus, the bag is very tight, but I was wrong. I should have worn a robe over it.

Let the younger ones wear yukatas and post them on social media.

Thank you for watching.

Rinsa yoyolive