Shionoka No Yuyado Hamamurasaki

I wanted to take a brief break at an onsen and booked this ryokan in Shirako Town, probably the only onsen in Chiba Prefecture. The pandemic has not quite subsided yet, with some saying that we're entering the 8th wave. However the government eased border restrictions as well as started a nationwide travel subsidy campaign in mid-October, 2022. Most tourist destinations are packed with travelers to take advantage of the campaign. This ryokan also seemed quite busy although it was on a week day. We arrived shortly before 3pm to check in as early as possible. The ryokan was well organized and it didn't take us long to go up to our room, and take an early onsen bath in the public bath on the ground floor. Luckily I had the entire bath to myself. We had asked for an early dinner from 6pm. Dinner was served in a large tatami room. The dining tables were set with a reasonable distance of each other. The appetizers had already been laid out. The local fish sashimi on a boat followed. The sashimi was excellent. One reason I booked this ryokan was because the ryokan boasts of its fisherman dishes, and I certainly wasn't let down. In addition there was a whole abalone per person cooked on the table, and sweet broiled sardines which Chiba is famous of. Our room was very spacious and I had a comfortable night's sleep. Breakfast was also served in another large tatami room. Compared with the dinner, this was average at most. It's not that far from the beach. I rate the ryokan as very good mainly because of the quality of the dinner. The ryokan offers many plans some without dinner. If you are staying here I would definitely recommend you include dinner in the plan.