名泉鍵湯奧津莊旅館(Okutsusou)

位於奧津溫泉的註冊有形文化財產旅館。雖然是小旅館，但溫泉和食物都不錯。房間臨河，水聲舒緩。室內浴池有歷史悠久的鑰匙浴池和立浴池，男女輪流，另外兩個包租浴池如果空著的話可以自由使用。香木湯和立湯是從腳下湧出的珍貴溫泉。浴室的氣氛也很棒。晚餐後，我們在旅館對面的休息區休息室度過了一段愉快的時光，那裡有免費的清酒、葡萄酒和咖啡等飲料。早餐後可以使用就更好了。房間比較老式，但也不乏。宗方志子也住在那裡，建築內有版畫，營造出一種平靜的氛圍，帶有民間藝術的感覺。奧津溫泉是一個安靜且非常好的溫泉。

山奥なので雪が心配だったけど無事辿り着けました。 建物の趣とおもてなし良かったです。 湯の底の石の配置も面白かったです。

総合評価として大変良い温泉、の一言に尽きる。 接客でマイナスのコメントが見られたが、私の体験した範囲では全**のようなことはなく、名湯にふさわしいおもてなしであった。お風呂のメンテナンスは手間がかかるだろうけれども、スタッフの皆さんの一生懸命が伝わってありがたく堪能した。泊った部屋は「和モダン」であったが、明るいうちに着いたので登録有形文化財の建物はたっぷり堪能できた。平日だったためか、貸切湯も含め全部の湯を独り占めで夕方、深夜、朝早く、チェックアウト前と何度も堪能できた。川底から湧いているという「立湯」、ステンドグラスの美しい「泉の湯」の２つは本当に唯一無二の存在だと感じた。お料理はそれぞれよく考えられていて、量も適量でありがたくいただいた。 必ずまた来たい。

Through extensive research, mainly via Japanese review sites, blogs and articles, I learned that OkutsuSo is - among luxury Onsen (hot springs) Ryokan enthusiasts - among the highest rated properties in all of Japan, particularly as a result of its food and Onsen quality. Being that it would not be much of a detour during our Western Japan road trip, we decided to visit this renowned ryokan located in the Okutsu Onsen area of Okayama Prefecture. For what it's worth, the three most famous Onsen areas in Okayama are Yunogo Onsen, Yubara Onsen and Okutsu Onsen. Having now visited two of the three (Yunogo being the other), they are not as "developed," crowded or action-filled as places like Kinosaki Onsen or Kusatsu Onsen. The three towns in Okayama are far sleepier, which is a plus or minus, depending on what you liked. Given that our main purpose was to find out if OkutsuSo was worthy of "destination ryokan" status, our decision to visit the area was an easy one.... and we came away somewhat confused (as to what the fuss is about) and disappointed. OkutsuSo is located in the heart of Okutsu town and is set along the banks of the Yoshii River. It's a convenient location, but the drawback is in its lack of any semblance of property grounds. No gardens, no pond, nothing. While there are certainly top ryokans that forgo such visual splendor, they generally overcome such a shortcoming by making it up via great food, service, Onsen and rooms. In OkutsuSo's case, it did not deliver in many of those aspects. It's a small, family-owned ryokan that was established in 1927, and the main building (and interior layout and decor) is well preserved in its original form. This is definitely a "traditional" ryokan in the truest sense, which will please guests looking for an authentic Japan experience. It's also very small and intimate - just 8 rooms call OkutsuSo home, with 2 of them being "Hanare" detached Villa-style structures, offering a bit more privacy (including from noise) and space. We stayed in one of the Hanare rooms - ours was named "Seikantei", which is described by the ryokan as a "detached cabin special room with outdoor open-air onsen bath." It had a separate bedroom and living room as well as an Onsen bath on its deck - some rooms don't have Onsens and many only have one main room that is used as both a living room and (by rolling out Futons at night) the bedroom. The room was reasonably spacious, although some of the drawbacks at similar old properties are evident here. This includes the lack of a shower in the room (which is weird, since that means people would jump into the in-room Onsen without cleaning up first, which a is very un-Japanese thing to do), just one sink, and the semi-hallway that runs between the living room and the deck, as well as the entrance foyer, get very cold at night in the winter. The bedroom and living rooms benefit from heaters, but not the hallways that connect the rooms to the bathroom, entrance, toilet as well as t

温泉に惹かれて予約をしました。泊まったのは離れの聴泉亭。川沿いのお部屋で水の流れる音が心地よく、大きな樹が二本どっしりとお部屋に寄り添っていて雰囲気のあるお部屋でした。 温泉は期待通りで、宿泊客が少なかったこともあり、大浴場（男女入れ替え　８時・２０時）、お部屋の露天風呂、貸切風呂２つに入り温泉三昧。お料理は地のものを使われていて伝統的なお料理もあり、ユニークで美味しかったです。 接客についてマイナスなコメントを読んでいましたが、私たちのお部屋を担当して下さった方はとてもプロフェッショナルなお仕事をされる方でした。知識も豊富で、距離感も言うことなし。夕食をお部屋食、朝食を個室にしたことで宿泊料は２名で９万円台と高くなりましたが、ここでしか味わえない温泉とお料理を堪能できたので満足です。

The staff are very friendly and fluent in English. There is high quality environment and meals. The onsens are spectacular. Rooms are spacious. Near to Okutsu which is famous for red leaves. Highly recommend it to everyone!