Kashiwaya Ryokan - 吾妻郡

We visited kashiwaya and the staff were all very courteous and friendly. After we took the bus from the train station, we were greeted and given pantoffeln to replace our shoes and taken into our room. Although we don't know much Japanese, the employees were very helpful and knew enough English to help us. they have public gender-based onsen, 3 private onsen that they can use if not already in use, and a few rooms with private onsen (we were in one of these came). the vegan dinner and breakfast they have provided was excellent. we also enjoyed walking in the city center to explore and eat the popular local cuisine: yakimanju and onsen manju! recommend to try this during your stay

It is not easy to find an onsen ryokan, the vegan cat, so when I came over kashiwaya I was above the moon. the whole experience here from the arrival to the departure was magical. in the did, even before the arrival, only through the beautiful landscape from tokio to gunma prefecture was great; such an adventurous! we received local sweets and kombucha at the arrival. the contrast between the subtle sweetness and salty drink was delightful. later I discovered the same sweets we were served were available in the city for sale. we went a bath in the baths before dinner that we decided to have 6.30 clock (in our room). the baths were beautiful and although we are tattooed on a large scale, this was not a problem as there were three private baths (and we had attached our own bathroom to our room). after a good snuck, we conjured in our yukata and moved into our room, only in time to start the hard. the multicourse festival was simply incredible. there were so many different colors and textures and aromas. our menu came with English language descriptions of each dish. the food is served seasonal and most of the ingredients are only a stone's throw away from the place / building. from the many directed that we tried, I especially enjoyed the stuffed daikon radishes, the creamy silk sesame tofu, the grilled aubergine and the hotpot. there were so many different small salads, shorts and some delicious (huge) marinaded bohnen. for dessert was a fresh fruit salad. it looks as if the many tiny portions were not filled, but that is completely misleading, as we were both filled at the end of it, and we are in the quite big eater. the service of all employees was up and beyond, we really felt like vips. for our breakfast next day we got the possibility of a Japanese or western breakfast. we chose Japanese because we enjoy traditional Japanese breakfasts with natto, miso, etc. it was again a large and varied breakfast. very traditional, very tasty. this was one of the culinary experiences that I could highly recommend to anyone who goes to japan. it was the highlight of our journey. we will return absolutely in another season to taste the delicious seasonal offers of autumn. a thing to note: if they are not a particularly adventurous eater and through textures that are unfamiliar (or if they do not like mushrooms), this may not be for them.

This is a great onsen for vegans or people with food allergies. it is also tattoo friendly! there are 3 private outdoor swimming pools and a public indoor swimming pool. I went to kashiwaya with several guests each time. they were able to swirl and drip allergies without problems and offer vegan meals. the kaiseki dinner is wonderful and it is a tonne eating. I also recommend to try the shima onsen that they can buy for 1500 yen. the private bathrooms are great as they can enjoy them with their whole group. my only complaining is that the breakfast served is not completely after my taste. the western breakfast included a vegan pumpkin soup that was delicious, but the main part of it was just sauteed mushrooms that I did not have a fan of. I would have preferred it. the Japanese breakfast looked like it had more variety, but it was also a lot of mushrooms. on the way back to tokio I found that there was a local organic bakery that were sold at the nakanojo station and I picked up some vegan manjuu boobs! the train can be somewhat confusing, but there is the possibility to take the express kusatsu train which takes two hours from ueno to nakanojo, but it does not run very often so check the timetable. the somewhat shorter option, but with a transfer, takes the shinkansen to takasaki, then change to a local train to nakanojo station. from the station nakanojo take them bus

This is a fantastic spot to immerse yourself in the onsen ryokan experience. The vegan menu offered a traditional Japanese selection, featuring an abundance of mushrooms and konjac. It may not be to everyone's taste, but it was enjoyable to sample something different!

I wish more restaurants in rural areas of Japan were as vegan-friendly as this place. It can be hard to find food options, but this restaurant offers such an amazing experience. Thanks to this place, I was able to visit the Shima Onsen area and have an authentic Ryokan experience.