I Looked Into Oyado Taketori Monogatari

While I was researching the Chichibu/Nagatoro area, I ended up going off track from campsites again. This time I looked into "Oyado Taketori Monogatari."

As an indoor type who's weak to the phrase "all-inclusive," this was an inn that stopped me in my tracks the moment I found it.

The Short Version

There's free pickup from the station, so it seemed like a place I could get to even without driving. Having three private baths available for free is also appealing.
Rakuten Mobile's signal came back with a good "AA" rating on the official tool.

I've summarized the details below.

What Kind of Place Is Oyado Taketori Monogatari?

This inn is located in Arakawa Uwadano, Chichibu City, Saitama Prefecture, and apparently its official name is something like "The Place Where the Old Man and Old Woman Live: Oyado Taketori Monogatari." It seems to be an inn limited to guests of middle school age and up (elementary school age and younger not permitted).
Check-in is from 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM, and check-out is at 11:00 AM. It's apparently closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, with phone reception from 9:00 AM to 10:00 PM. To keep the place quiet, it seems they ask that the same group not book multiple rooms.

For access, it's about an 11-12 minute walk from Urayamaguchi Station on the Chichibu Railway, and the route from Seibu-Chichibu Station seems to involve walking about 5 minutes to Ohanabatake Station, then transferring to the Chichibu Railway. The free pickup from the station isn't really a reservation system so much as a same-day contact system, and apparently they'll pick you up not just from Urayamaguchi Station but also from Kagemori Station, one stop earlier. Since the Chichibu Railway apparently only runs 0-2 trains per hour, checking the timetable in advance seems like a good idea. For someone like me who doesn't drive, this alone puts it firmly in the running.

The room rate for one night with two meals (per adult) runs from about 26,500 to 61,000 yen (varying by room type, plan, and season), and it seems to be an all-inclusive style. Reservations are apparently possible not just through the official website but also through Jalan, Rakuten Travel, and Ikyu.com.

Komorin

With it being within walking distance of the station, plus free pickup on top of that, I felt like this could work even for someone like me who has a license but doesn't drive.

Checking Out the Facilities That Catch an Indoor Type's Eye

There are 7 guest rooms total (6 in the main building plus 1 detached villa called "Kaguya Villa," 100 square meters), and every room apparently comes equipped with a TV, safe, humidifier, washlet toilet, and hair dryer. Some rooms also have massage chairs, aroma rooms, and twin beds. The rooms in the main building have names like Takehime, Nayotake, Kuretake, Gekka, Kangetsu, and Seigetsu, and they seem to be Japanese-style rooms designed around the theme of the Tale of the Bamboo Cutter and bamboo itself. That said, the main building rooms don't have their own bath (shower), so the style seems to be using the private baths instead.

The detached villa "Kaguya" is limited to one group per day, built across one above-ground floor and one basement floor, and apparently comes with its own jacuzzi bath and a small open-air bath (though this one isn't a hot spring). The sink is apparently a custom piece made by a glass workshop in Nagatoro, which gives an impression of attention to detail down to the smallest parts.

There are three private baths total: "Kiten no Yu," "Wasui no Yu," and "Chikuei no Yu," all of which are apparently free, require no reservation, and can be used as many times as you like during your stay. The water types are apparently metaboric acid springs and the Ogano Onsen Dairyuji source, among others. Each one seems to have a different atmosphere—"Kiten no Yu" is surrounded by a bamboo grove, with light coming in through a skylight in the morning and lighting up at night; "Wasui no Yu" is a cozy, smaller bath where the contrast between the autumn leaves and bamboo is a highlight; and "Chikuei no Yu" is the largest of the three, a rock bath where even the open-air section is a hot spring. All the tubs apparently have special showerheads that produce fine bubbles, and the baths are available from 3:00 PM to midnight, and again from 6:00 AM to 10:00 AM the next morning.

Since Chichibu has no coastline, the meals apparently avoid using seafood as a policy. All the salt and sugar used are unrefined and naturally derived, and even the miso and dressings are apparently handmade. The proprietor's smoked dishes, perfected over more than thirty years, and the traditional walnut tofu are introduced as signature dishes, and breakfast is apparently called "Princess's Playhouse Breakfast," featuring 10 kinds of handmade side dishes, rice cooked in a clay pot, and a soup.

Drinks during meals aren't all-you-can-drink but are instead served glass by glass. Dinner apparently comes with local Chichibu sake (like Chichibu Nishiki and Bukou Masamune) and fresh wine from Usagida Winery. Coffee and cocoa are apparently handmade rather than from an automatic machine, and between 3:30 and 5:30 PM after check-in, special drinks like a "jewel lemonade" are available at the in-house cafe.
The all-inclusive package apparently covers dinner and breakfast plus over 30 kinds of drinks including draft beer, craft beer, and local whisky, along with corn gelato and smoked snacks, so it sounds like the kind of place where you could relax all day in your loungewear.

At the guests-only bar "Nonbe Oyaji's Bar," you can apparently enjoy domestic and international whiskies including the local Chichibu whisky Ichiro's Malt, as well as cocktails made with seasonal fruit. It's open from 7:00 PM to midnight (last order 11:30 PM), with a 1,000 yen cover charge that isn't included in the room rate. It can apparently get crowded, so letting them know in advance if you'd like to use it seems like a good idea. There's also a kimono rental and dressing service for exploring the city (reservation required in advance, women only, limited to one group of up to two people per day).

Wi-Fi: Available throughout the building (free wireless LAN)
Private baths: 3 total, free, no reservation needed, unlimited use (available 3:00 PM–midnight, 6:00 AM–10:00 AM the next morning)
Meals: Creative kaiseki cuisine centered on local Chichibu ingredients (using only unrefined natural salt and sugar; miso and dressings also handmade)
Guests-only bar "Nonbe Oyaji's Bar": 7:00 PM–midnight, 1,000 yen cover charge (not included in room rate, reservation recommended), lounge and gift shop available
Kimono rental and dressing: reservation required in advance, women only, limited to one group of up to two people per day
Parking: Free, 7 spaces for standard cars

With Wi-Fi available throughout the building, it seemed like a reassuring environment for anyone who wants to relax comfortably in their room.

Rakuten Mobile Signal Conditions

When I checked this facility's address using the official "My Area Network Simulation" tool, the overall rating came back as "AA." That's one of the better ratings I've seen among the places I've looked into so far.

With Wi-Fi also available throughout the building, this seemed like an inn where you could relax comfortably in terms of both signal and connectivity.

Komorin

With good signal and Wi-Fi available throughout, there seems to be very little to worry about when it comes to connectivity. I felt like I could focus on hopping between the private baths without any worries.

I use Rakuten Mobile myself day to day, and checking signal like this has become a bit of a habit for me. If you haven't tried it yet, it might be worth checking out the official site when you're thinking about signing up.

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Nearby Spots Worth Visiting While You're at It

Hashidate Limestone Cave (Urayamaguchi Cave) (3-5 minutes by car)
Chichibu Shrine (10-15 minutes by car)
Hitsujiyama Park (Shibazakura Hill) (15 minutes by car)
Misotsuchi Icicles (25-30 minutes by car)
Chichibu soba (around Urayamaguchi Station)
Asami Reizo (natural shaved ice) (Nagatoro/Chichibu area)
Osawa Grape Farm (also serves as a landmark for the inn, just a short drive away)

There seem to be Chichibu soba shops around Urayamaguchi Station, so it might be nice to stop by before checking in or on your way home the next day. Osawa Grape Farm, which serves as a landmark near the inn's entrance, also seemed easy to stop by if you're driving.

Wrapping Up

Putting it all together again, Oyado Taketori Monogatari struck me as an inn you can reach on foot from the station or via free pickup, with private baths and an all-inclusive package, where you could thoroughly relax in your room. As a detour from researching campsites, it turned out to be a place I found quite intriguing.

Rakuten Mobile's signal also came back with a good "AA" rating on the official tool, which left an impression as a candidate with little to worry about in terms of connectivity.

Having looked into all this, Rakuten Mobile does provide an official tool for checking signal, so if you're considering signing up, it might be worth taking a look.

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