Higashiyama Onsen Mukaitaki — Attraction in Aizuwakamatsu

This truly is a diamond amongst the hidden gems of Japan.

My partner and I stayed here from July 15th to 19th - quite a long stay for an onsen resort, but it was well worth it, because it was a truly magical experience.

The staff are very welcoming, and seem truly happy (even excited) to accommodate us, despite our foreign nature. The staff had mixed levels of English, but we were always able to come to an understanding, albeit with the occasional assistance of google translate. They were also happy to listen to us ramble in our own very bad Japanese.

The food was excellent, and the property was just stunning. The beatiful wood, stone and compacted earth building was beyond belief, and the gardens were a sight to behold. The gardens also boast fireflies, though only a few.

The baths were all amazing, and our room "Take" (Or "Bamboo") had a private onsen as well. We found the "Saru" hotspring to be the most favourable. Note that there are no shared mixed bathing facilities here, only gender segregated, however if your room does not have a dedicated private Onsen, there are some single use onsen that you can use as a mixed group. These Onsen have locking doors, and are provided on a first-come-first-serve basis.

In terms of location, It's a little bit out of the way, we hired a car from Koriyama station and drove, but this gave us access to other things to see in the area.

Unfortunately, for those with mobility issues, I would have to recommend against this place, as there are stairs everywhere and no alternatives. I have mild ankle and knee problems, and those alone made some trips in and out a bit difficult, but I knew what to expect, and was willing to work past this inconvenience.

For everybody else, if you get the chance to visit this place, I cannot recommend it enough. I've spent a total of 3 months in Japan, staying at multiple Onsen in Honshu and Kyushu, and this one is the best by...

A rustic ryokan that has existed since the Edo era. You can feel its history the moment you stepped into the ryokan. It's no wonder the ryokan is registered as a national tangible cultural property.

I've managed to book the room with the garden view, and even though the sakura season is past its peak, the view of the sole sakura tree in the garden is sublime. Night time, its no night views of Ginzan Onsen, but there is a rustic charm in the views of the lit up traditional ryokan aesthetic.

Rooms aside, the dinner taps heavily into the region's seasonal cuisine, with their signature dish being a traditional fish cuisine of the Aizu city, cooked in traditional methods (the portion for the dish is enormous). If you have never tried basashi before and is game to try it, Mukaitaki is a great place to do so. Breakfast is great as well. No complains on the meals, absolutely delicious.

Service wise, there are plenty of communication from them from the bookings to the day of arrival. You can feel the great deal of effort from their side in terms of customer service. And they speak great English as well, making the journey and the stay a breeze.

All in all, incredibly impressed. Easily the best onsen ryokan out of the ones I stayed at across multiple trips. This is an easy recommendation, provided you are willing to travel to...

The best ryokan experience ever! 😊

It was such a treat spending my birthday here, felt so spoilt and relaxed. They were waiting outside for us when we arrived and showed us around the place and the garden was so peace and beautiful.

The food we had was amazing and the service was impeccable! I used the private onsen and you can add cold water if it’s too hot. Everything felt clean even though this ryokan had been around a long time. We walked around the gardens in our robes after a soak in the onsen and it was just perfect.

I took off my jewellery for the onsen and it got wet so I stupidly left it wrapped up in a tissue on a side table so it looked like trash. After leaving the onsen for a few hours I panicked when I realised I had left my jewellery behind and emailed them. They had thrown the tissue out and had to go through the trash and look for it. They found it and had it delivered to my next hotel and I had it back the following day! They even called the hotel to make sure they knew it was coming. I am so grateful and thankful for their amazing service and how kind they all were. Can’t wait to go back...