Arima Hot Spring Ryokan Kotori — Hotel in Kobe

A very different experience. In this hotel, we got to experience a more authentic Japanese accommodation and stay. With meals included, we had the whole package. They worked together with their sister hotel just up the hill to provide the elements of your stay. This whole place is not overly suitable for the mobility impaired. The town itself is on a hill, and the hotels have various levels and steps. There may be a lift to access higher floors, but there are other smaller steps around and at reception.|Annoyingly, I didn’t take really any photos of the room… just the food! You can see my priorities 😊 ||The Room|We hadn’t realised that our room didn’t come with a private bathroom. The advertisement did say, I just didn’t see it. Tant pis. The room was large, with a table and chairs towards the door and a double bed. There was a wash basin with fancy lotions and potions around the side for us to use. Japanese-style Kimono loungewear was provided along with traditional shoes. We wore these around the hotel and to go to the sister hotel, for dinner and the Onsen.||The Food|Breakfast was in our hotel, whilst dinner was in the sister hotel. We booked dinner in for 18:00, as per our itinerary and it took a lot longer than we anticipated. There were several courses, and we didn’t know what we were doing. Unfortunately, the staff didn’t have too much English, and they didn’t really understand that we didn’t understand what to do.||Dinner|We were brought in the first instance a platter of all sorts, and meat in a wee pan over a candle stove. The “Encounter Plate” included grilled octopus with asparagus, some kinds of chips as thin as crisps, a seafood soup (which was amazing), among others.|Japanese Black Beef was served DIY in a grill pan along with bean sprouts and this was very nice, especially in the soy sauce. We managed just fine and followed the charades by the kind server to turn off the candle underneath.||Next, was the seafood course. They brought out long vegetables with garnishes and raw seafood inside. The whole thing was laid on a bed of crushed ice. So cool… literally! Not my partner’s favourite, despite loving sushi. Slight confusion ensued because the whole dish was seemingly edible, including the vegetable it was served in. Although when I started to gnaw into said vegetable, a server hurried over to take it from me saying ‘No’… Oh well!||A seasonal dish of deep-fried young sweetfish followed, paired with Maruju Toganoo stew sauce. Not really much too them, but nice nonetheless.|It’s not over: then we had the noodles. An empty metal pan was brought and we were meant to cook everything ourselves. Understanding the timings and instructions wasn’t easy, and in the end the pan started to burn as we had taken all the food out but no one had told us how to turn it off or when. Thankfully, a girl ran over once she realised and turned it off.||The last two elements were red miso soup, which I don’t recall enjoying too much, and then a brown sugar pudding and fruit. I was pretty full by this point, and well aware we were going into more Onsen after dinner. Honestly, I don’t remember the dessert, and I didn’t make notes. But I’m sure you’ve got enough about the dinner to be going along with. Now onto breakfast.||Breakfast|We really should have guessed that breakfast also wouldn’t be a simple affair, if last night’s dinner was anything to go on. We were greeted with a large platter of all sorts. In all honesty, not something that I was particularly eager to have before 9am… but it was all about the experience.||There was a kind of tofu soup on a wee fire. I didn’t like it, and we weren’t clear whether we were meant to just have the solid stuff, or the liquid too. We desperately tried to look around at other guests to see what they were doing, but in vain. The carrot juice (?) was alright: a bit sweet for me and certainly not ideal for the morning in terms of texture.|The omelette was nice, can’t go wrong with omelette. Then there was a soup (pretty good), bowl of rice, cooked salmon and some kind of salads. There was also a vinegary kind of ball which we had sampled atop Mount Fuji, and would rather never do again. ||The Common Areas|Everything was clean enough. Our hotel was decorated a little bit like a living room in a house, with some ornaments and decorations on side units etc. The vending machine for drinks was out of service, although there is one up the hill on the right. We were charged a bathing tax upon check-out. It’s essential that you do not wear your own shoes any further than the entrance door. They offer you wooden traditional shoes and they guard your shoes in a cubby-hole off to the left.||The Onsen|The private Onsen and bathing was in our hotel, whilst the public Onsen and hot springs pool was in the sister hotel. The private Onsen you had to book at reception upon check-in and we managed to get a timeslot around 17:15. Located close to the shared bathroom, you went in and locked the door behind you and proceeded to undress, leave your stuff in lockers (despite door being locked) and then head into the bathing room. It was quite romantic just the two of us, and certainly better than a public one. After ten minutes or so, we got out, dressed and back to the room to prepare to move to the sister hotel for dinner.||At 20:00, we went from the dining room in the sister hotel, to the Onsen on the top floor. I can obviously only really comment on the women’s Onsen. There were 3 inside bathing pools and one outside. Two baths contained hot springs water, the outside bath and one inside. Being on the top floor, it’s strange that the water is natural hot springs. It must be pumped up to the roof from the ground. The outside bath was must better for me, as I hate being too hot, so the cooler night air was pleasant as I sat in the oversized tub, surrounded by a couple of potted plants.||To summarise, I’d certainly recommend going outside of a large city and experiencing this kind of authentic stay, with this kind of authentic food, at least for one night. This hotel was adequate, although I cannot gush about it...

A very different experience. In this hotel, we got to experience a more authentic Japanese accommodation and stay. With meals included, we had the whole package. They worked together with their sister hotel just up the hill to provide the elements of your stay. This whole place is not overly suitable for the mobility impaired. The town itself is on a hill, and the hotels have various levels and steps. There may be a lift to access higher floors, but there are other smaller steps around and at reception.|Annoyingly, I didn’t take really any photos of the room… just the food! You can see my priorities 😊 ||The Room|We hadn’t realised that our room didn’t come with a private bathroom. The advertisement did say, I just didn’t see it. Tant pis. The room was large, with a table and chairs towards the door and a double bed. There was a wash basin with fancy lotions and potions around the side for us to use. Japanese-style Kimono loungewear was provided along with traditional shoes. We wore these around the hotel and to go to the sister hotel, for dinner and the Onsen.||The Food|Breakfast was in our hotel, whilst dinner was in the sister hotel. We booked dinner in for 18:00, as per our itinerary and it took a lot longer than we anticipated. There were several courses, and we didn’t know what we were doing. Unfortunately, the staff didn’t have too much English, and they didn’t really understand that we didn’t understand what to do.||Dinner|We were brought in the first instance a platter of all sorts, and meat in a wee pan over a candle stove. The “Encounter Plate” included grilled octopus with asparagus, some kinds of chips as thin as crisps, a seafood soup (which was amazing), among others.|Japanese Black Beef was served DIY in a grill pan along with bean sprouts and this was very nice, especially in the soy sauce. We managed just fine and followed the charades by the kind server to turn off the candle underneath.||Next, was the seafood course. They brought out long vegetables with garnishes and raw seafood inside. The whole thing was laid on a bed of crushed ice. So cool… literally! Not my partner’s favourite, despite loving sushi. Slight confusion ensued because the whole dish was seemingly edible, including the vegetable it was served in. Although when I started to gnaw into said vegetable, a server hurried over to take it from me saying ‘No’… Oh well!||A seasonal dish of deep-fried young sweetfish followed, paired with Maruju Toganoo stew sauce. Not really much too them, but nice nonetheless.|It’s not over: then we had the noodles. An empty metal pan was brought and we were meant to cook everything ourselves. Understanding the timings and instructions wasn’t easy, and in the end the pan started to burn as we had taken all the food out but no one had told us how to turn it off or when. Thankfully, a girl ran over once she realised and turned it off.||The last two elements were red miso soup, which I don’t recall enjoying too much, and then a brown sugar pudding and fruit. I was pretty full by this point, and well aware we were going into more Onsen after dinner. Honestly, I don’t remember the dessert, and I didn’t make notes. But I’m sure you’ve got enough about the dinner to be going along with. Now onto breakfast.||Breakfast|We really should have guessed that breakfast also wouldn’t be a simple affair, if last night’s dinner was anything to go on. We were greeted with a large platter of all sorts. In all honesty, not something that I was particularly eager to have before 9am… but it was all about the experience.||There was a kind of tofu soup on a wee fire. I didn’t like it, and we weren’t clear whether we were meant to just have the solid stuff, or the liquid too. We desperately tried to look around at other guests to see what they were doing, but in vain. The carrot juice (?) was alright: a bit sweet for me and certainly not ideal for the morning in terms of texture.|The omelette was nice, can’t go wrong with omelette. Then there was a soup (pretty good), bowl of rice, cooked salmon and some kind of salads. There was also a vinegary kind of ball which we had sampled atop Mount Fuji, and would rather never do again. ||The Common Areas|Everything was clean enough. Our hotel was decorated a little bit like a living room in a house, with some ornaments and decorations on side units etc. The vending machine for drinks was out of service, although there is one up the hill on the right. We were charged a bathing tax upon check-out. It’s essential that you do not wear your own shoes any further than the entrance door. They offer you wooden traditional shoes and they guard your shoes in a cubby-hole off to the left.||The Onsen|The private Onsen and bathing was in our hotel, whilst the public Onsen and hot springs pool was in the sister hotel. The private Onsen you had to book at reception upon check-in and we managed to get a timeslot around 17:15. Located close to the shared bathroom, you went in and locked the door behind you and proceeded to undress, leave your stuff in lockers (despite door being locked) and then head into the bathing room. It was quite romantic just the two of us, and certainly better than a public one. After ten minutes or so, we got out, dressed and back to the room to prepare to move to the sister hotel for dinner.||At 20:00, we went from the dining room in the sister hotel, to the Onsen on the top floor. I can obviously only really comment on the women’s Onsen. There were 3 inside bathing pools and one outside. Two baths contained hot springs water, the outside bath and one inside. Being on the top floor, it’s strange that the water is natural hot springs. It must be pumped up to the roof from the ground. The outside bath was must better for me, as I hate being too hot, so the cooler night air was pleasant as I sat in the oversized tub, surrounded by a couple of potted plants.||To summarise, I’d certainly recommend going outside of a large city and experiencing this kind of authentic stay, with this kind of authentic food, at least for one night. This hotel was adequate, although I cannot gush about it...

Awesome time at Aroma Kotori! We enjoyed or stay here, it was so relaxing and the most incredible food. We highly suggest the breakfast and dinner options. This is a newer facility and very clean. There are 2 rooms downstairs with western beds and 6 Japanese style rooms upstairs. There are sinks with a counter in the rooms and a shared bathroom in the hallway. The upstairs bathroom has 2 toilets and a large counter with 2 sinks. They have wonderful large containers of luxurious Pola soaps and creme in the room. We enjoyed the open lobby area with 2 tables and chairs and large sofa seating area. There is a desktop computer for guests to use and they have a machine which dispenses hot or cold water, coffee or tea. Next to it is a water and ice machine. The coffee is very good both hot or cold. They have 1 indoor Ibsen. You may use the onsen facilities at their neighboring property, Hanamusubi, it is just a few minutes walk. We liked their facility as it had both indoor and outdoor pools on their upper floor. The meals included were wonderful and so filling. Both dinners were at the neighboring hotel and then we went in their onsen after dinner. The first night was kaiseki style which was so tasty and the 2nd night was a choice of Sukiyaki or Shabu Shabu. We chose the later and it was so good with a large plate of Kobe Wagyu meat, veggies, tofu and Udon noodles and then they brought us sashimi. We could not finish all of the food but it was incredible. Definitely recommend this place, it felt more like a comfortable home than a hotel with the large lounge area and we were spoiled using their auto coffee machine all during the day. They will pick you up from the station and drop you off. We took the cable car/ bus/ ropeway up (1750Yen combo ticket) and really enjoyed that as it was very scenic and fun. We called them from the top of the ropeway station and they we waiting to pick us up when we arrived. We highly recommend this beautiful, clean and...