Located in the center of the Izu Peninsula, Shirakabeso is a Traditional Ryokan and it has a special architectural design with broad tiled roofs, white plaster walls, and black pillars and beams. Each of the 29 guest rooms at Shirakabeso has a different shape and style, and each is named after an Izu folk tale. Shirakabeso boasts 2 very special baths. One bath is carved from a 53 ton rock, and another is carved out of a 1,200 year old rosewood tree trunk. There are other outdoor and indoor baths as well at Shirakabeso. All baths are open 24 hours a day. Seafood and wild boar hot-pot are served for dinner, and guests can enjoy fresh "wasabi" (Japanese horseradish) picked from the nearby streams. Check-in time is after 14:30 and check-out time is before 10:30am. Parking is available. If you request a reservation at Shirakabeso, please use a VISA or MasterCard - this ryokan does not deal with American Express. Thank you.

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Ryokan Reviews:

• August 2019

  Month of Visit: August

  Country Of Reviewer:

  Atmosphere Rating - 5

  Food Rating - 5

  Staff Rating - 5

  Location Rating - 5

  Room Rating - 5

  An onsen ryokan in August; madness, I thought. Not so. Photos can't do justice to the location of this ryokan. I arrived by car from Mishima and took my time on the narrow mountain roads, visiting sights along the way. Coming by bus should be a last resort in my opinion. Smiling staff were there when I arrived and the maze-like layout made for an interesting first evening. I never felt neglected. Little English really means the most basic of basics will be understood, so do have a translation app ready if you do not speak Japanese. I stayed in what I believe was one of the smaller rooms (comparatively). It was well cleaned, clothes(yukata), towels and both hot (in a kettle) and cold water (in a thermos) were ready for me. The thing to note is that "no non-smoking rooms" means the AC *will* blast you with cigarette smells if you use it. I preferred leaving the windows open instead. Make note of the bath schedule, as the outside baths are gender specific and you can use the other only during certain times. For me it was well worth waking up early to soak in the wooden bath. Not everyone will enjoy hot on top of hot, but both I and the people I shared baths with had big smiles of satisfaction despite the clammy August weather. Meals seemed to depend on rooms or locals ordered additional dishes off a menu (which I did not inquire about). The courses were more than enough with well prepared dishes and different every time. They pride themselves on their wasabi, so be ready for staff forcefully grinding it for you and making you try everything with it. : ) A problem for visitors who go sight-seeing far from the Ryokan will be that dinner started quite early at around 18:00. They did let me join an hour in when I ran late and told them ahead of time. Breakfast in turn was late at around 08:00 and, again, on my last day they let me start a little earlier so I could catch my train.

• Ultimate relaxation

  Kristina

  Date of Review: January, 2020

  Month of Visit: January

  Country Of Reviewer:

  Atmosphere Rating - 5

  Food Rating - 4

  Staff Rating - 5

  Location Rating - 5

  Room Rating - 5

  I thoroughly enjoyed my stay. The outdoor wood and stone bath was perfect in the crisp winter air. It was a Sunday so potentially quieter than normal, however I was mostly the only person in the onsen. The food was delicious but very Japanese, a lot of abalone so some might find this challenging. Overall, very peaceful rejuvenating escape. I highly recommend it for a weekend away from Tokyo or as part of your travels around Japan