Wakaba Ryokan

8/10

Excellent

06 Jun 2026

Franz

Liked: Large rooms

Did not like: Rigid dining schedule. Food, while plentiful and tasty, was served at a fast pace as the time available for dinner is limited.
Private onsen not worthwhile -- water very hot and space cramped. No after dinner option to socialize. Bar very limited and closes (hard close) at 9 pm.

Upon asking what people do in the evening we were told-- Onsen (bathe)! It is not everyone's preference to take a hot bath after dinner.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

09 Mar 2026

Zhiyi

Excellent customer service. Provides shuttle bus service on arrival and departure from the property. Also provides a free booking of a private Onsen room for every staying resident.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

10 Jan 2026

Millie

Wonderful experience all-round including the facilities, food and staff.

Leisure Family

8/10

Excellent

06 Oct 2025

Fook Seng

Excellent kaiseki dinner and great onsen. Especailly enjoyed the orivate family onsen.

Leisure Family_with_children

10/10

Exceptional

28 Sep 2025

Michael

Just what we were looking for...nice onsens, nice room, great meals and the village was beautiful!

10/10

Exceptional

20 May 2025

Alan

Very nice room overlooking the river, sound of frogs and water running all night. Beautiful. Interesting Japanese menu for breakfast and dinner, great to try something new. Staff was very kind and friendly. Everything was amazing and memorable.

Leisure Friends

10/10

Exceptional

30 Apr 2025

Joshua

This place is truly amazing. Food is shockingly good and the accommodations are first rate.

Leisure Friends

8/10

Excellent

12 Apr 2025

Liam

The place was great! The staff is friendly and helpful, even if you don't speak any Japanese they can help you, Google translate helps a lot too.

There are lots of little shops around the town to get trinkets, snacks, alcohol or

Friends_and_family Friends

10/10

Exceptional

02 Mar 2025

Jason

Very traditional Japanese building. The vibe isn't for everyone, but we love it. The dinner, staff and service are all excellent!

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

17 Feb 2025

Trinitii

The drive in the village to get to the Osen was super narrow, so make sure to drive carefully. Besides that, the staff was lovely, easy to talk to, and super friendly. Breakfast and dinner weren't bad. I was able to relax for a few days. Thankyou.

Leisure

10/10

Exceptional

15 Jan 2025

Kung

Staff are friendly and helpful. Have 2 private onsen.

Partner

4/10

Poor

30 Jul 2024

Hiroshi

前日山河に泊まったが、同じような値段で、部屋、風呂、料理において、わかばが劣っているのを強く感じた。

10/10

Exceptional

11 Jul 2024

Kevin

Relaxing place to unplug from everyday life.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

31 May 2024

Michael

Excellent onsen experience with magical outdoor onsen. Good food served in room

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

04 Apr 2024

Cynthia

Special, warm ryokan stay

We absolutely loved our stay. The setting was gorgeous. The onsens were so lovely. The food was great and the service was warm and friendly. We would highly recommend it. My only issue was that the bed and and pillow were both very hard.

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

28 Mar 2024

Winnie

The service of the staff is impeccable!! They greeted us cheerfully right from the moment we arrived. All the staff are very helpful and made us feel at home right away! The food was delicious and the portions were generous!! We strongly recommend this place!!

Leisure

10/10

Exceptional

08 Feb 2024

Jenny

Absolutely lovely ryokan in Kurokawa Onsen. It is located fairly centrally, right by the bus stop and a short walk to the main shopping area. We booked a room with a private onsen. It was beautiful, spacious, and immaculately clean. Meals were served in the room, and we were given a choice of the time we wanted to have them. The food was delicious and beautifully presented. The baths were lovely, with both an indoor and outdoor open air portion. They are tattoo friendly. The staff were all very kind and welcoming.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

04 Dec 2023

Calvin Chi-Kit

Great stay overall. Food was excellent and onsen was great. There’s private onsen available for reservation and it’s free. Staff were very courteous and helpful. There’s nothing around the ryokan so don’t expect to have a shopping street there.

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

12 Nov 2023

Verified traveler

Great stay in Kurokawa Onsen

We had a really enjoyable and pleasant stay. This onsen maintains a high level of professionalism while not losing any of its charm. The service was absolutely outstanding from the moment we arrived. The staff were attentive and lovely. The room was both charming and comfortable, while the food was one of the best we’ve had during our stay in Kyushu.
The only small minor complaint we had was the group of Korean ladies being loud and disruptive in the otherwise quiet and peaceful bath and surroundings, and using their feet to turn on the shower tap, but that shouldn’t take away from an otherwise amazing experience.

Friends_and_family Family

8/10

Excellent

23 Oct 2023

Chan

It’s a pity that the red leaves have’t turn yet.

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

19 Oct 2023

Fiona

Peace and serenity at its finest

Wonderful people, very relaxing place to stay. Very accommodating to vegetarians. Highly recommend.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

02 Mar 2023

Peng

Charming Onsen Village

Ryokan was in the charming onsen village but condition quite old. Dinner was served in room and food qualify was average. Location good.

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

27 Nov 2022

Cheng

Delightful!

10/10

Exceptional

01 Jul 2022

Satomi

Staff was very welcoming.

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

18 Dec 2019

Verified traveler

Very close to the bus station. Shuttle van available if needed. Nice indoor & outdoor onsen. Excellent dinner & breakfast.

Self

4/10

Poor

27 Nov 2019

Helen

Nothing much to talk about, very simple Japanese style, average facility and service,food was very disappointed, processed food etc

Leisure Friends

8/10

Excellent

07 Nov 2019

Verified traveler

The staff here made my stay extremely wonderful - they just went out of their way to make me feel welcomed and attend to my every request. Really appreciate that they try to communicate in English as well.

I stayed in Kiku room which had a private bath. The room was spotless, beautiful and bright with a view of a small garden, really roomy and well planned, and the private indoor bath was a nice little luxury.

The kaiseki meals are a mix of western and traditional japanese touches, with hits and misses that give an overall satisfactory experience. The basashi was fantastic, and when I asked for it again the next dinner they gave me a larger portion!

The onsen is shaded and above a tiny rapid, facing a large hotel across the bank. It’s a nice quick pre/post-meal soak but I’d recommend heading to the other more spectacular and secluded onsens on the outskirts. The free red bean soup served in reception area is super good.

The common areas in this ryokan are a tad small and nothing to rave about though.

Overall I had a very pleasing experience. Again, I felt truly touched by the staff who were so warm, sincere and helpful. They made me feel like I was the only guest there when the place was booked full. I feel this is a solid place to get an introduction to the ryokan/onsen experience. Thank you so much for the trip of a lifetime Ryokan Wakaba!

Leisure Self

10/10

Exceptional

30 Sep 2019

KaptainK

What a treat to stay here! Some staff spoke English and those that didn’t were very patient with us (we don’t speak any Japanese). The private bath was spacious and the main bath had a lovely outdoor area that we both enjoyed. Dinner and breakfast were outstanding. We wish we had stayed two nights instead of just one. We highly recommend.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

14 Sep 2019

WARREN

Japanese Hospitality

Was a good experience staying in Ryokan in an Onsen Town.

The private onsen and the dinner were excellent.

Good Japanese hospitality and never fail

Family

10/10

Exceptional

17 Jul 2019

Verified traveler

Superb dinner and breakfast with fantastic service. The room is well decorated in japanese style.

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

03 Jul 2019

Verified traveler

Excellent!!

Great place for hot spring, excellent service.

Family

10/10

Exceptional

31 May 2019

Verified traveler

Super Ryokan with Hot-spring, Good Dinner and Breakfast must try.

Friends_and_family Family_with_children

10/10

Exceptional

17 Apr 2019

Verified traveler

A dream within a dream

Fantastic!

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

02 Jan 2019

Verified traveler

Big room with private hot spring baths
Friendly & helpful staff
Good meal & good breakfast
A short distance walk in the opening area from my room to the public hot spring bath (it was very cold during my stay)

10/10

Exceptional

09 Dec 2018

christopher

My \"onsen village\" experience, deep into Kyushu

Wakaba Ryokan is located on the edge of very quaint village with numerous onsen concentrated in one area, where the peaceful sound of the river and steam rising up all around you. The Japanese breakfast was very good. Having been to Japan 14 times, I can say Wakaba Ryokan is reasonably priced and has exceptional service provided by a very warm staff, with several of them being able to communicate clearly, in English.

10/10

Exceptional

03 Dec 2018

Yi Ting

Lovely onsen ryokan - highly recommend

Absolutely worth the stay! Great hospitality, clean & tidy, delicious breakfast & dinner. There is a shared hot spring at the ryokan, and also 2 private hot tubs which you can reserve for free.
My room is 102 Yuri with a private hot tub. The room is very spacious and clean. The staff would prepare the futon beds for you while you have dinner, and put them away in the morning when you have breakfast. Most staff speak very good English and one lady who speaks Mandarin is very diligent and helpful.
The only one thing I would suggest is the staff may acquire more knowledge of Mt. Aso tourist information, as I was told by a staff that the crater area was closed for the day, but later I found it's closed on and off during the day depending on the changing levels of poisonous gas, so I decided to go there and managed to visit the crater areas twice (during my 1st visit there's an alarm to ask you to evacuate immediately but some time later it opened again). So for tourists who are flexible with their itinerary and especially those who are driving, you can check the Mt. Aso status online from time to time to decide if you should go there.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

10 Nov 2018

Kuoh

Great for overnight day!

8/10

Excellent

07 Nov 2018

Chris

Great presentation. We had a private bath to use any time. Otherwise you need to book a private, shared bath or use public bath. Lots of sea food to eat if you love that. Big rooms, unusual in Japan.
Loved it.

4/10

Poor

06 Nov 2018

Ben

Foods were terrible. It's not Ryokan food. I don't like to recommend this Ryokan to anybody.

10/10

Exceptional

16 Oct 2018

Edward

Lovely harbour view hot spring hotel

Excellent location by the seaside with harbour view room. Breakfast was good! Rooftop outdoor hot spring pool was excellent. Good value with excellent service!

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

20 Sep 2018

Dana

Lovely location with awesome onsen

We stayed for one night in this lovely Ryokan. Great onsen. The room was spacious and the entire place had real traditional vibe.
The meals were traditional and not all westerns will probably find them good, but the dinner was endless. Dishes just kept coming.

Other than their hair conditioner (it's super greasy) everything was perfect.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

10 Jun 2018

Pui Ming

Excellence service and dinning!

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

05 Jun 2018

Po Wa

The private area of onsen is little bit small.

Family

10/10

Exceptional

03 Jun 2018

SZU HSIEN

friendly staff

Family

10/10

Exceptional

22 May 2018

CHUNG LAP

Hidden gem

The hotel has a great onsen hot pool that is facing to a river. The hotel staff were nice. Also, the dinner was yummy.

Family

10/10

Exceptional

01 May 2018

Mae

Incredible experience and hospitality

I had my fair bit of onsen hotels and ryokans and Ryokan Wakaba is definitely a perfect choice for a special occasion. Its an old meet new ryokan with a personalized service. We had a room with a private onsen (room 100) in the annex building. Most rooms in the annex building is new and we can still smell the wonderful ‘wood’ scent in room and in the private onsen. The private onsen is very much newer and big enough for two pax to lie in comfortably. The room also comes with a small outdoor terrence for resting after onsen. The only catch is there is not much of a view in the room. The public outdoor onsen is wonderful, well covered with greeneries and sound of the stream nearby. Wakaba being a small hotel also mean less human traffic in the onsen. Wonderful meals and the best part - the young staffs’ hospitality makes you feel you are at home!

8/10

Excellent

24 Apr 2018

Verified traveler

Hotel in a small onsen town

Ryokan Wakaba is located in a small onsen town. The onsen inside the hotel is very small and basic but purchase a pass will allow you to try other onsens within walking distance. The dinner was good and staff were friendly and attentive.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

27 Jan 2018

Verified traveler

Great hotel and experience for couple getaway trip

The hotel is located within the Onsen area, so there are a lot of Onsen hotels nearby as well. The hotel is very traditional Japanese style. It has 2 private Onsen that you can book, and it was very good during our stay. The staffs at the hotel are very friendly and do speak a little bit of English. Dinner and Breakfast at the hotel are very tasty as well.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

25 Jan 2018

SIU bong

Good hotel with normal breakfast

It was difficult to find the hotel location.
but the hotel is clear and nice.
family onsen was wonderful.
but the breakfast was a bit disappointed. Set Japanese breakfast, not many variety. Not good at all.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

19 Dec 2017

Jessie

Nice hotel with good services

Staff were very friendly and the room was clean.Breakfast was yummy .Dinner was served in the hotel room and the food were very good.There was a private and public hot spring.

8/10

Excellent

07 Oct 2017

Verified traveler

Nice ryokan but not value for the money

It's kind of old and the premise is kind of small relatively. Very traditional style though if that's what you are seeking for. The private Onsen are nice. For the same price I think you can get a more decent ryokan with its own

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

29 Sep 2017

Verified traveler

Not a single complaint

Sublime ryokan. The staff were unbelievable and went above and beyond. The rooms were immaculate, the onsen was beautiful and not at all crowded. Fantastic

8/10

Excellent

30 Jun 2017

Verified traveler

A bit disappointed

We were warmly welcomed during arrival and dinner was good and yummy. Private onsen really small for a couple to fit in. During checked out, no staff helps us with our luggage and left us looking for our car without telling us the exact location where did they parked our car.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

19 Jun 2017

Benjamin

Truly Omotenashi!

\"Omotenashi\" is the theme for promoting tourism to Japan. It means sincere hospitality, and the warm and genuine spirit of welcoming service at Ryokan Wakaba perfectly represents what it is all about. The staff were super helpful at every opportunity. The baths, meals, and facilities were all wonderful. I plan to return.

10/10

Exceptional

15 Jun 2017

Kok Wei

Great experience and food

Family

8/10

Excellent

29 Apr 2017

Francisco

Central Japanese ryokan

Very nice staff and location, especially if you're doing onsen hoping. Private onsen also nice.
Staff quite friendly (but not so proficient with English which resulted in Us paying a breakFast that was miscommunicated as included).

10/10

Exceptional

24 Apr 2017

Ka Hin

Ryokan with excellent hospitality

Amazing! Very pleasant stay. Great service and friendly staff. Natural environment and relaxing onsen.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

21 Apr 2017

Verified traveler

very comfortable stay and staffs are very nice.

Very comfortable stay, special out of Tokyo.
People from the town are very friendly and beautiful.
We had a very good time.

10/10

Exceptional

29 Dec 2016

joyce

We stayed in the family room. 7 of us. Kurokawa is a small town so it's not a problem having a walk from the ryokan.

Family

10/10

Exceptional

02 Nov 2016

Verified traveler

Service was topnotch in Hotel Wakaba that started with valet parking. The room was clean and spacious with free wifi.
Dinner was kaiseki style of 12 courses served in the room - we had delicious beef which we self-seared and tried horse meat sashimi for the first time! Fresh and surprisingly delicious.
The hotel also provided a free booking of a private bath and Hotel Wakaba had 2 intimate and cosy indoor private baths to choose from.
Main bath had a lovely outdoor onsen that was sheltered.
Breakfast was served in the main banquet hall in kaiseki style and we got to dine with the other guests.

10/10

Exceptional

26 Aug 2016

Verified traveler

Good price

Friendly staff, quiet location
If taking bus to there, better to contact in advance for pickup fm bus stop

10/10

Exceptional

07 Jun 2026

YOKO

とても丁寧な接客でした。
また料理も美味しく最高の旅になりました！
今回は北海道からでしたが
もう少し近ければ定期的に訪れたい旅館です！

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

04 Jun 2026

Masaharu

若いスタッフが多かったですが、雰囲気が良く気持ち良く宿泊出来ました。また利用したい宿です！！　お部屋で頂く食事も凄く美味しかったです。

Family

10/10

Exceptional

27 May 2026

Jingyi

家族旅行，出發前有告知有長輩吃素食，感謝廚師長，讓同團長輩有很好的用餐體驗。

10/10

Exceptional

27 May 2026

Jingyi

服務親切，食物好吃，新館的房間一進去有股淡淡的香味、很喜歡。雖然沒有電梯，但一到飯店，服務人員很親切立刻幫忙拿行李，要離開的時候也會幫忙把行李拿下去。

女湯戶外湯泉很放鬆，離主要逛街的地方較遠一些，但鬧中取靜，早上晚上去散散步，路程很剛好，謝謝你們的照顧，家族旅遊大家都很滿意。

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

23 May 2026

kachun

客房十分整潔、職員十分之親切地解釋、服務態度一百分

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

02 May 2026

SHINAKO

落ち着いた旅館でした

10/10

Exceptional

07 Apr 2026

Jens

Great place with fantastic food

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

30 Mar 2026

Valérie

Très beau ryokan, bien situé dans le village pour explorer, et en même temps très calme, au bord de la rivière

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

14 Mar 2026

JUNGMIN

매우 좋았어요. 다시 가고 싶을 정도로!

Friends_and_family Family

8/10

Excellent

23 Feb 2026

maki

客室は清潔でした。
スタッフの方はみんなとても感じがよかったです。

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

03 Feb 2026

Shaoting

Nice staff and the comfortable and clean room.

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

19 Dec 2025

Virginie

Ryokan très agréable, personnel incroyable et serviable !! Lieu exceptionnel

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

13 Oct 2025

????

静かでゆっくりできる。
家族風呂もよい

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

02 Sep 2025

Verified traveler

スタッフさんたちの気遣いがあり、とても良い旅行の思い出ができました

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

13 Aug 2025

Wen Hui

兒童友善，一泊二食，有停車位，服務細心

我們是自駕，入口是很小條的路，招牌不是很明顯，勇敢開進去就是了。有少量停車位。從停車開始就可以感受到接待人員的熱情，幫忙停車、搬運行李。入住時還發給小朋友小玩具，大廳古色古香，一進去就聞到令人放鬆的香味。晚餐時會協助鋪床，還會送上一壺冰水，方便在泡澡後使用。晚餐是懷石料理，有依照我們的飲食習慣，不吃生食、不吃牛肉的予以客製化，十分感謝。除了公共浴池，還有二間家庭湯屋，可以從房間播電話預約，服務人員可以說英語。check out時才結帳，並交還車鑰匙，比較特別。不僅是大人餐食，兒童的餐食也是非常豐富，早餐有牛奶、咖啡、蘋果汁可以續加。菜單上可以看到手寫的訊息，真的很細心。

Friends_and_family Family

8/10

Excellent

06 Jul 2025

Verified traveler

Bad is not too hard. Dinner is average.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

10 Jun 2025

KENJI

離れの風呂付き客室に泊まりました。
部屋、お風呂とも広く、アメニティも大浴場と比べグレードが上がって良い物が装備されていました。
中居さんはまだ3ヶ月目と言う事で少し不慣れな感はありましが、一生懸命されておりました。
温泉宿と言えばお風呂と料理ですがどちらも大変満足しました。
ありがとうございました

Business_and_leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

05 May 2025

SHINOBU

スタッフさん、お料理、お部屋、お風呂すべて、さすが黒川ブランドでした。

10/10

Exceptional

28 Apr 2025

Yan Yung

非常舒服的溫泉之旅，一泊兩食非常滿意👍，環境清幽恬靜

Leisure Family_with_children

10/10

Exceptional

09 Apr 2025

Yumi

冬に車で行くには必ずチェーンかスタッドレスが必要な事をもう少しわかりやすく表示して欲しかったです。温泉、お料理とても良かったです。

Leisure Friends

10/10

Exceptional

09 Mar 2025

GYUIN

가족이든 연인이든 가장 무난한곳이듯.개인탕이용이 포함되어있고 메인거리는 아니지만 걸어서 멀지않고 그나마최신시설이라 할수있음.히터돌아가는 소리는 좀나지만 끌수있음 ㅋ

Friends_and_family Family

6/10

Pleasant

03 Feb 2025

MIDORI

1月真冬だった為　脱衣場、洗面所やトイレが大変寒かったのが残念(北海道の人間にとっては外は厳寒でも建物内は暖かいと思い込んでいました💦)
建物内は黒川♨️らしく風情のあるしつらえ　食事処のスタッフも親切でゆっくりと美味しい料理を堪能させて貰えました

Leisure Friends

10/10

Exceptional

28 Dec 2024

MAN YEE

溫泉酒店食物好

Leisure Family_with_children

10/10

Exceptional

16 Dec 2024

Yuk Yin

服務好好既温泉旅館

服務十分好
去到未泊好架車已經3-4staff出黎幫你睇位拎行李。Orientation, room tour......
酒店規模不大房間卻很大設備齊全乾淨整潔更不在話下
出門時會認得客人準備好鞋履。
房內有私家風呂也有大浴場極之舒服
用膳有個室，私隱度十足，更有酒等飲品可以追加

Partner

6/10

Pleasant

01 Oct 2024

Verified traveler

スタッフが最高に良い

足の悪い母と行きました。階段しかなくて困ったと思いましたが、介助もしていただけたし、スタッフは明るく優しく、母のためにテーブルに椅子を用意してくださいました。
大風呂の他に時間制予約で貸切温泉もあり、美人になれた気がします。
鳥の鳴き声が聞こえ、緑が豊かで落ち着きました。
何よりご飯がびっくりするほど美味しかったです。

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

23 Jul 2024

Samuel

Unique!

10/10

Exceptional

11 Jul 2024

michiko

風情のある宿で、木🌲苔、温泉♨️最高でした。
若いスタッフさん達のおもてなしがとても良かったです。言葉も堪能で、英語、中国語、素晴らしかったです。
料理も美味しい、勉強してますね。ネーミングも楽しかったです。

Leisure Friends