Went to Fujiyoshi on the recommendations of secret-japan...the review was right on the money.
This onsen/ryokan is a five star experience. We have a one year old son and the staff
was very accomadating to our needs. The room was really a suite...it had 3 tatami rooms,
toilet/sink room, enclosed deck overlooking the pacific ocean and a small rotenburo in the enclosed deck area. Having a rotenburo in your room is the ultimate onsen experience.
I am not going to repeat the original review of the onsen website (
link)... there are many baths
here and some have great views of the ocean. This onsen has the most baths we have ever seen at a ryokan onsen.
The meals were some of the best I've had at an onsen/ryokan.
The dinner we ordered was the standard dinner (the premium dinner has lobster fresh from an indoor pool at the onsen and some other dishes...after seeing the huge lobsters in the pool, I regret not getting the premium dinner).
Some of the highlights: Sashimi consisted of Kinmedai (golden eye snapper, one of my favorite sashimi) from Izu, o-toro meguro, ika, local shellfish selection, scallops, tako, and a couple of more selections. Soup was Kinmedai with seaweed, grilled fish was needle nose fish. There were various plates of local vegatables, and small dishes. Even the quality of the rice was very high and cooked to perfect Japanese standards, which I am finding is a dying art. I am not a big fan of traditional Japanese breakfast, but the Fujiyoshi breakfast emphasizes seafood...since I'm a big fan of seafood, this place gets 5 stars for the breakfast. It was perfect!
Off-season is the time I like to go to onsens. There was one other couple at the onsen and my family...that was it. Having the onsen to yourself is the best way to relax...you don't have to deal with crowds (can't relax if you think your still in Tokyo or Osaka), and you can fully enjoy the onsen experience without pressure.
Also, since there is a global recession, they cut us a deal on the price, they usually charge extra for the meal to be delivered to your room and for the rotenburo in your room as well...both of these extras were free (4000 yen).
Overall, we were very happy with the experience! We are recommending to family and friends!
Web page of the Fujiyoshi (藤よし) ryokan :
www.fujiyoshi.com (in Japanese) and
www.fujiyoshi.com/en (in English)
Access : Access to Fujiyoshi can be done by car, or by train followed with a 10-15 minutes taxi ride.
The map on the official web site, at
www.fujiyoshi.com/access.html indicated that access it possible from 2 train stations :
伊東駅 (higashi izu) - taxi 15 minutes
川奈駅 (kawana) - taxi 10 minutes
However, searching the address on googlemap shows that the train station of futo (富戸) is closer. Apparently, the ryokan can organize a pick-up at that station is advance reservation is made. (※富戸駅より送迎有り(要予約))