The perfect first time ryokan and onsen experience

Myself and my wife visited the Kashiwaya Ryokan in September 2016. This was our first visit to a ryokan and an onsen, and as my wife follows a vegan diet I wanted to find a place that catered to us. After some searching online it quickly became clear that Kashiwaya Ryokan is the place to go if you want a ryokan and onsen experience as a vegan.

We booked one of the rooms with a private bath on the balcony, but did also use the bigger baths you could reserve. I could not have imagined a better first ryokan and onsen experience. The Shima Onsen area rests within a valley between great green mountains, and sitting in the bath on our balcony soaking in the hot water and the beautiful surroundings is one of the memories I cherish the most out of all my trips to Japan.

I hope to one day be able to visit the Kashiwaya Ryokan again with my wife.