Tobaya Ryokan
Tobaya Ryokan descritpion
Centred around a peaceful Japanese garden, Tobaya Ryokan offers traditional rooms with air conditioning, an LCD TV and shared baths. It is a 20-minute walk from Hikone Castle and provides free parking.
The Japanese-style rooms at Ryokan Tobaya feature futon bedding on a tatami (woven-straw) floor. Facilities for making green tea are included, and bathrooms and toilets are shared. Rooms have a traditional decor with shoji paper screens and floor cushions.
The inn is 0.7 miles from JR Hikone Train Station and 1.2 miles from Lake Biwa.
Japanese cuisine is available for breakfast for an additional fee, and should be requested in advance.
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Facilities of Tobaya Ryokan
Outdoors ：Grounds
Pets ：Pets are not allowed.
Internet ：No internet access available.
Parking ：Free!Free public parking is available on site (reservation is not needed).
Services ：Laundry
General ：Heating | Air Conditioning
Languages Spoken ：Japanese | English
Reviews for Tobaya Ryokan
Review 1：Bathing expirience could be a problem if you are adicted to personal comfort. They've got one coomon bath with showers that could be used individually, but sometimes you have to wait.
Review 2：Very nice place to stay if you're looking for an authentic Japanese expirience. Hosts are extreemly helpful and nice. Place is quite close to Hikone station and castle, taxi is 7-10$, but almost every time we've got a lift from our hosts. Very nice of them.
Review 3：english a little confusing, but hey that's japan !!!.
Review 4：everything, they bent over backwards to ensure everything was fine,and everyone was happy. great location, and got dropped off at the station.
Review 5：The pillows are terrible. They are filled with rice or something. It's like sleeping on a giant hackie sack. I assume they are traditional. Bring your own.
Review 6：This place was great overall. They had a great breakfast, they gave me a free beer and free tea. The owner even drive us to the train station for free when we checked out! The bathrooms were nice and they have a mineral bath that was very relaxing. The rooms are very nice and traditional.
Review 7：The night i was there it was a little cold. But in the morning I saw the air conditioning :)
Review 8：I arrived one day later and they did not want me to pay for the day I couldnt come. I loved the shower room with a Jacuzzi in it, it was very relaxing. When were very kind and took me to the rail way station with their car. When I wanted to see the Castle, they offered me to give a ride.
Review 9：While I loved using the bath and never had to wait to use it, there is only one. I imagine that this can get inconvenient if the ryokan is busy. It is also about a 15 minute walk from the train station which is not bad, but it is not terribly easy to find given that there are no English signs.
Review 10：I loved this ryokan! The owners could not have been nicer, the place felt totally safe, and the place was kept clean at all times. A huge bonus for this ryokan is that you can come and go as you please - many other places lock up at a certain time, effectively making it a curfew.
Review 11：Like many more traditional Japanese places, did not cater well for vegetarianism — if you are vegetarian, ask *very* clearly for no meat, no fish, and no dashi (fish broth used in most soups).
Review 12：Simple traditional ryokan style; good bedroom room, shower/bath, etc; wireless Internet, with good signal strength and reasonable connection speed.
Review 13：A traditional family-owned and managed Japanese inn. Nothing fancy but everything authentic. Lovely people showing a lot of goodwill to communicate in broken English (and understand broken Japanese!). Hospitable and helpful.
Review 14：The owner of this ryokan is second to none. Amazingly attentive and helpful. His English is great. I'd go back to Hikone just to stay at his ryokan.
Review 15：You can use his bicycle to visit the city and he can pick you up at the station and drop you out as well. Loved the bath, really big and confortable.
Review 16：Wonderful Japanese breakfasts, friendly and helpful proprietor (thoughhe had very little English). Quiet neighborhood at night, nice localrestaurants. Short walk to castle and beautiful river-front walk.Unexpected modern tv and WiFi.
Review 17：Nothing.
Review 18：Wonderful Bathroom! Lots of space. Quiet.
Review 19：Very nice location in a traditional Ryokan with friendly staff
Review 20：The service is very good.
Review 21：Nothing
Review 22：A family atmosphere where they balance taking care you, while still giving you your own space.
Review 23：little far from the station with heavy loads staff speaks english little
Review 24：large room good location to browse hikone
Review 25：Top notch service
Review 26：Comfortable room, owner is very friendly and welcoming
Review 27：Be sure to ask for a room on the first floor. The ones on the second floor are definitely sub-par. The typical room is smallish, but adequate. This is a traditional ryokan, so sliding doors onto hallways are paper-lined and do not latch. If non-existent security bothers you, stay in a hotel.
Review 28：We were 2 sixty-plus-year-old women touring on a JR pass. We reserved online. The owner and his mother spoke little English and I only bad Japanese. Through a series of misunderstandings, my companion and I ended up with a triple-size room, (the one pictured on the website). It was spacious, attractively decorated, with a view of 2 small interior gardens through sliding doors at either end. AND we only had to pay the price of a single room. The building is historic--read very old-- the halls a bit of a maze and narrow, but as always in Japan, squeaky clean. The owner was super helpful: when we expressed a desire to see the castle, he offered to drive us there (and did), then (since we are both tall) borrowed a bigger car to take us to the train station the next day (!). To cap it all, as we prepared to board the train my companion discovered she had left her ipad and charger in the room, and just as she exited the station to take a taxi back, up roared the owner in his little car, ipad in hand. Amazing. Beakfast was good (Japanese only) and reasonably priced. There was only one bath, but it was a nice size, and we never had to wait to use it.
Review 29：- The location is a bit far from most tourist attractions.- There is only one large bathroom (Japanese style) (though, lots of toilets).
Review 30：- The hotel staff is very friendly and helpful even though he could not speak English very well. He offered to take me to the station to put my stuff in the coin locker and drop me off at the castle.- They let me borrow a bicycle.
Review 31：Location is somewhat difficult if you have to walk, it is rather far situated from the station, but they will come and bring you wherever you want!
Review 32：Very warm welcome, nice atmosphere, not at all about money. Nice ryokan, very clean (bath)rooms. Free shuttle without asking to wherever you want - probably also from if you ask, made me get my boat on time. Correct price/quality. Warm hearted people.
Review 33：Great place to stay. The owner was very welcoming and accommodating. He let me check in early and drove me to my conference.
Review 34：Staff was super friendly and helpful
Review 35：Big (for the Japanese standards) and comfortable room, very kind owner, possibility to rent a bike for free.
Review 36：smoking in the dining room
Review 37：the food & freedom to come & go
The Fine Print
Guests with a tattoo may not be permitted to enter public bathing areas and other public facilities.