"We arrived at the hotel 15 minutes early, and the staff were very helpful, allowing us to check in immediately without waiting until 3 pm. The hotel has parking available for free, which is great!"

"Dit was mijn eerste reis naar het Oga-schiereiland in Akita, en ik koos ervoor om twee nachten in Bettei Tsubaki te verblijven. De binnenkant van het hotel, de kamers en de badkamers waren onberispelijk schoon, en al het personeel bij de receptie en in het restaurant had geweldige klantenservice, dus ik had een zeer comfortabele reis. Al het eten was heerlijk en het diner was een buffet met rijst, misosoep, enz., dus ik was blij dat ik zonder aarzeling extra vullingen kon krijgen. Het ontbijt was ook een buffet en ik was zeer tevreden met de variëteit van items en de overvloed aan lokale ingrediënten. Hartelijk dank aan al het personeel van Bettei Tsubaki voor uw indrukken. Ik zou zeker graag weer blijven."

"The hospitality was excellent, and I'm so glad I stayed here! The rooms are clean and the breakfast is delicious."

"Het personeel dat voor verblijf en ontbijt zorgt is erg goed. Ik probeerde de bar te gebruiken op de avond, maar toen ik me zat, praatte ik met de lokale mensen en het maakte me teleurgesteld dat ik het niets zou schelen. Helaas, alleen een groep, ik ben niet druk, dus ik ga zo'n antwoord opnemen. Het was niet de sfeer waar ik kon bestellen, dus ik gaf op en ging naar huis, maar er was geen stem. Zelfs als je de hoogste kamer gebruikt, kunt u dit antwoord krijgen. Ik denk niet dat dit een hotel is dat goedkoop is."

"I came to Oga City specifically to see Namahage (the Japanese demon), and stayed at a hotel near Funagoeshi Station, two stops away from Oga Station. The hotel itself faces the river, and it's about a 20-minute walk from Funagoeshi Station. There were Namahage keychains and figurines everywhere around the reception area, and a small corner of a souvenir shop next door. The Namahage keychains were even cheaper than at the Namahage Museum. Before leaving, I bought a blue Namahage station keychain to complete my set with the red one I bought at the museum. The receptionist was incredibly friendly and welcoming. There was free coffee and juice available next to the reception until 7:30 PM. There was also free, unlimited ice cream at the exit of the public bath on the first floor, which you could take to your room. The room was quite clean, the table was long enough to put things on, and the window had a river view. It rained in the evening, and the flags fluttering outside were very loud, so I could hear them from inside the room. Thankfully, the wind stopped at night, and I slept very well. The meal included two meals. The 2-hour timed dinner was a BBQ set meal where you grill your own meat. A large platter included fish, shrimp, conch, pork, chicken, and beef. While the presentation was a bit messy, the portion was enough for one person. Rice and miso soup were complimentary and self-service, along with a 90-minute buffet of soft drinks. Breakfast was also a buffet, mainly consisting of various sausages, meatballs, and tamagoyaki (Japanese rolled omelets). Drinks included milk and coffee; although the selection was limited, it was still filling. After leaving the hotel, a 20-minute walk across the bridge led to a giant Namahage (demon) statue. There was a platform in front of the statue where you could hold your phone. A very satisfying trip to this off-the-beaten-path attraction!"

"Het is een heel typisch Japans warmwaterbronhotel, oud maar comfortabel. De luchthaventransferservice, de warmwaterbronnen, het ontbijt en het diner waren allemaal perfect. We liepen langs de bergweg naar de kust. Het landschap was zo mooi dat het niet in woorden kan worden beschreven. Wat vooral geweldig was, was dat de tante die aan het eten was, zag dat we de papieren handdoeken onder de borden leuk vonden en heel bedachtzaam nieuwe voor ons rolde. Het was zo hartverwarmend ondanks de taalbarrière. Het was de beste ervaring van deze reis . Het is jammer dat ik haar naam niet weet. Ik hoop dat ik haar kan bedanken. Ik zal in de zomer opnieuw gaan als ik de kans heb!"

"This was my first time staying at this hotel during a trip to Oga Onsenkyo. It felt like a good old-fashioned hot spring hotel, with the hot spring water being just right and the staff all very friendly. I had to cancel dinner due to personal reasons, but the breakfast was very filling and delicious."

"De faciliteiten zijn schoon en moe. Ik kan comfortabel leven. De sauna is goed, maar het is niet gemakkelijk om op de andere verdieping te wassen met een stoom. Het ontbijt is heerlijk, het personeel is erg vriendelijk, ik kan comfortabel weg!"

"Teisui is one of the most polarizing properties we've experienced in Japan. On the one hand, the fact that anything even remotely approaching luxury in the Oga Peninsula of Akita Prefecture should be applauded. The views from the rooms are breathtaking. The hazel-colored onsen bath is soothing. Finally, the story behind the perserverance of the Okami (proprietress) is reason enough to root for the ryokan's success. On the other hand, service is uneven, the food is merely "good" and some of the rooms are not ones we'd ever choose to stay in. Net-net: If we were simply staying here as purely a ryokan experience and did not have intimate interactions with the Okami-san, this likely would have been one of the more underwhelming properties that we will have experienced. First, some background about Teisui that we gleaned from our lengthy conversations with the Okami, Emiko Hirabayashi: Teisui was established in 1992, under a different name, as a midrange boutique hotel. As a result of Oga's remoteness and Japan's economic crash, the owners closed up shop shortly thereafter. It wasn't until 2014 that Emiko's husband, who is based in Tokyo and owns various businesses, decided to purchase and revitalize the property at the urging of a business partner. After attempts by three different GMs to turn the fledgling hotel into a profitable enterprise, he was about to give up when, in 2017 his wife Emiko decided to take on the challenge. She was all set to give up when she learned of the declining onsen quantity from a nearby source that she was reliant upon, and the double whammy of COVID all but made it such that Teisui's future as an ongoing business concern was in major doubt. Her husband's encouragement, however, prompted Emiko to make a bold last stand and double down on Teisui. First, she spent almost a million dollars to dig for an onsen source on site - she hit the jackpot; it was not only viable for bathing, the onsen was also of the rare, brown-ish variety. Second, between 2022 and 2024 she spent $5 million to refresh the building's exterior to a more modern appearance and refurbish the lobby, lounge and all guest rooms. While Teisui still is not operationally in the black, Emiko told us it's getting close, and through continued (good) work of mouth and a bit more guests, she has hopes that it can break even within the next few years. All along, Emiko's goal has been to establish Teisui as a beacon of hope for the locals that strive to increase Oga's stature as a tourist destination, and eventually hand it off to someone who shares the same vision. She does intend to return to Tokyo someday, but not until she finishes what she started. Emiko is also involved in various community projects and organizations, including the protection of the local flora and fauna, and hopes to start a cattle ranch on the peninsula as well. As far as Teisui goes, she hopes to further train the staff members into full-fledged "omotenashi" experts (she admits they're n"