Kyoto Arashiyama Onsen Kadensho — Hotel in Kyoto

I initially chose this Ryokan because of its perfect location, right in the middle of Arashiyama, next to Arashiyama Station (Hankyu) and also walking distance from the iconic Togetsukyo Bridge, Katsura River, Bamboo Grove and the other two stations in close proximity.||Regarding the aspects of Ryokan, I'd imagine this would be an okay experience for first timer but not for Ryokan/Onsen lovers who are after genuine experience of traditional Ryokan. I thought it is very tourist friendly/first timer friendly as all the staffs can communicate without problem in English, there are multi-lingual guides labelled across the Ryokan that you won’t get lost, there are private baths, up 5 different baths for those who are not comfortable in public bath that’s first come first served with vacancy light indication at the hall. But I always felt, being tourist friendly takes the authentic experience away and this was not different.||From here on are the problems I had with this Ryokan. Lack of service. For Ryokan, Omotenashi is very important, you’ll be looked after throughout your stay and your needs, but there’s almost none here. It’s mostly self-served, including finding your shoe cabinet to store away your shoes, finding your own Yukata, finding your way to your room, to restaurant, waiting in line to get seated and even laying out Futon bed after dinner that I decided to go to youtube for help (now I learned something new).||Onsen. Another crucial aspect of Ryokan. I went to the public bath while my sister went to private bath, and we came to the same conclusion. We were disappointed with the Onsen. The Onsen felt lack of minerals and heat for a good sweat even though it says it’s natural hot spring water on the wall, it just felt like normal water. There’s no clock or thermometer found (I find this weird), so I don’t have any reference. But another reference is usually in Onsen, you would find yourself need to go to toilet shortly after entering the Onsen several times, but no one in the room did this throughout the whole bath. I looked at my watch afterwards, I dipped in for 20 minutes, even so, I didn’t have any sweat. My body didn’t feel relaxed, I was disappointed after one day of hike that day. But maybe, again, it’s good for first timer, as normally, the temperature of typical Onsen can be dangerous if not careful. But for an Onsen lover, it’s a huge disappointment.||Food. We had Kaiseki, once again we were disappointed with the quality. We would say even food chain we had the other day in Kobe was better. I’m not even going to write anymore about food, because if it was good, I can remember everything in detail, but there was nothing to recall about.||Room quality. The room was old as in worn out. Such as the Shoji, the paper is poorly maintained, stains all over the Tatami mats, the toilet tap is a disgusting with the rubber (for some reason) half coming off, exposing the rust underneath that I had to skip the toilet tap and use bathroom tap instead.||Noise. Maybe I’m just unlucky, there were trucks moving about just outside my room in the middle of the night, the night had a bus of foreign tourists checked in who were extremely noisy at both rooms and restaurant these are not the Ryokan's fault. But then there's hot vs cold causing windows to create cracking noise throughout the night. My room has access to balcony, but it faces directly at the building's HVAC systems, it was extremely noisy with window open. I didn't even use the balcony at the end and didn't have a good night sleep either.||All things considered, I would imagine this would be okay to try for my first time staying at Ryokan despite even some basics being average for a hotel, but being a Ryokan lover, this was very disappointing. I understand that some aspects may be affected by staff shortages, caused by COVID or ageing population in Japan, but I certain hope this isn’t the new normal/standard...

I initially chose this Ryokan because of its perfect location, right in the middle of Arashiyama, next to Arashiyama Station (Hankyu) and also walking distance from the iconic Togetsukyo Bridge, Katsura River, Bamboo Grove and the other two stations in close proximity.||Regarding the aspects of Ryokan, I'd imagine this would be an okay experience for first timer but not for Ryokan/Onsen lovers who are after genuine experience of traditional Ryokan. I thought it is very tourist friendly/first timer friendly as all the staffs can communicate without problem in English, there are multi-lingual guides labelled across the Ryokan that you won’t get lost, there are private baths, up 5 different baths for those who are not comfortable in public bath that’s first come first served with vacancy light indication at the hall. But I always felt, being tourist friendly takes the authentic experience away and this was not different.||From here on are the problems I had with this Ryokan. Lack of service. For Ryokan, Omotenashi is very important, you’ll be looked after throughout your stay and your needs, but there’s almost none here. It’s mostly self-served, including finding your shoe cabinet to store away your shoes, finding your own Yukata, finding your way to your room, to restaurant, waiting in line to get seated and even laying out Futon bed after dinner that I decided to go to youtube for help (now I learned something new).||Onsen. Another crucial aspect of Ryokan. I went to the public bath while my sister went to private bath, and we came to the same conclusion. We were disappointed with the Onsen. The Onsen felt lack of minerals and heat for a good sweat even though it says it’s natural hot spring water on the wall, it just felt like normal water. There’s no clock or thermometer found (I find this weird), so I don’t have any reference. But another reference is usually in Onsen, you would find yourself need to go to toilet shortly after entering the Onsen several times, but no one in the room did this throughout the whole bath. I looked at my watch afterwards, I dipped in for 20 minutes, even so, I didn’t have any sweat. My body didn’t feel relaxed, I was disappointed after one day of hike that day. But maybe, again, it’s good for first timer, as normally, the temperature of typical Onsen can be dangerous if not careful. But for an Onsen lover, it’s a huge disappointment.||Food. We had Kaiseki, once again we were disappointed with the quality. We would say even food chain we had the other day in Kobe was better. I’m not even going to write anymore about food, because if it was good, I can remember everything in detail, but there was nothing to recall about.||Room quality. The room was old as in worn out. Such as the Shoji, the paper is poorly maintained, stains all over the Tatami mats, the toilet tap is a disgusting with the rubber (for some reason) half coming off, exposing the rust underneath that I had to skip the toilet tap and use bathroom tap instead.||Noise. Maybe I’m just unlucky, there were trucks moving about just outside my room in the middle of the night, the night had a bus of foreign tourists checked in who were extremely noisy at both rooms and restaurant these are not the Ryokan's fault. But then there's hot vs cold causing windows to create cracking noise throughout the night. My room has access to balcony, but it faces directly at the building's HVAC systems, it was extremely noisy with window open. I didn't even use the balcony at the end and didn't have a good night sleep either.||All things considered, I would imagine this would be okay to try for my first time staying at Ryokan despite even some basics being average for a hotel, but being a Ryokan lover, this was very disappointing. I understand that some aspects may be affected by staff shortages, caused by COVID or ageing population in Japan, but I certain hope this isn’t the new normal/standard...

facility:The facilities are relatively complete. You need to wear the yukata provided by the hotel throughout your stay. There are different styles to choose from, and the coats in each room are different. The five private soups are all elegant. I only had time to try two private baths, but I took a look at the environment of each one. Among them, Takenoyu is my personal favorite (I didn’t take any photos of the interior for privacy reasons). There happened to be a discount that day, and my husband paid extra to experience a Japanese massage. The only regret is that the washing machine is shared and located in a public bathroom, which is not convenient to use.health:good. The basics of hotel-level cleanliness are still there. However, Japan itself has a mysophobia, and compared to the B&Bs I have stayed in in Kyoto, it seems a little dusty. But overall it's still very clean.environment:Super awesome. Landscaping is used throughout the hotel to ensure that guests can experience the elegance of Japanese gardens when relaxing and dining. When we had breakfast, the camellia flowers were facing the window, which was very comfortable. The hotel itself is located at the foot of Arashiyama, so there are scenery everywhere around it, and the ecological environment conservation is very good. Arashiyama is actually quite famous. One is the bamboo forest filming location of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. You can enjoy the Japanese garden at Tianlong Temple on the mountain. We are here during the Spring Festival and it is the plum blossom season (my husband laughed at me for a long time when I first saw it and thought it was peach blossoms). It is said that the guardian of Tenryuji Temple is also very effective, and many people come from thousands of miles to visit him. There is also a shrine to pray for studies, and you can see many Japanese students coming here to pray; or couples walking across the Moon Bridge together in the hope that they will never be separated. As a Chinese, an unexpected reward was to discover that there is a monument here commemorating Premier Zhou Enlai's promotion of Sino-Japanese friendship. An old Japanese grandfather who can speak Chinese is responsible for explaining here, describing the pain caused by Japanese militarism in World War II to China, and thanking China for its understanding of the Japanese people, hoping that China-Japan friendship will last forever. Serve: The service is attentive and thoughtful. The staff here and the tourists staying here are very polite and the service is very considerate. The important thing is that the waiters can communicate in English. It’s so convenient!Highlights: The hotel provides two very ceremonial Japanese meals. I don’t know much about Japanese food, but after observing the food in nearby shops, the hotel offers probably more exquisite kaiseki cuisine. It was a bit distressing to book a hotel before departure and see the price. After all, staying here for one day costs more than three to four nights in an ordinary B&B in Kyoto. But after moving in, I found that it was really worth the money. The package we booked on Ctrip for 2,300 yuan includes: -Medium to high standard Japanese cuisine for two meals -Unlimited hot spring baths in the hotel -Free snacks (coffee, matcha, ice cream, etc.) After a complete package, the experience and price are actually far more cost-effective than going to Arashiyama to book a B&B, dine, and soak in hot springs separately.transportation:Very convenient Take the train (rail) from downtown Kyoto to Arashiyama Station, and you can see this hotel when you exit the station. You can check in by walking about 100 meters.I recommend everyone to come here to spend a comfortable and leisurely trip...