Kotonoyado Musashino — Hotel in Nara

I have only stayed in four ryokans in Japan and this was one of my best experience.||1. The hospitality - you can feel how each staff is committed to be an exceptional host. We felt like we were invited to stay as family guests for the night, instead of hotel guests. The attention to detail was amazing - Have you ever seen someone clean your luggage wheels when you first arrive? I thought it was a smart thing to do as well, since the wheels would be in contact with the beautiful mix of tatami and wood flooring. Although I could not verify it, I felt certain they cleaned our shoes as well!||2. The food - the kaiseiki dinner was awesome! We do not eat beef and they were very thoughtful in swapping them out. They also made special provisions for my family, ensuring the seafood and milk products were swapped out for the right person. The dinner affair took more than one hour but the food was awesome and made even |more pleasurable through our chats with our server who took care to explain each dish. She turned out to be the daughter of the inn, a beautiful and super sweet lady, who spoke pretty good English.||Also, while I do not generally enjoy Japanese style breakfast (as I find the offerings pretty bland), I must say the breakfast here was a delight! There was a matcha soybean mochi item that was sooooo delicious. If I remember correctly, I think it could only be found in Nara.||3. The upkeep - It is very hard to maintain wood, tatami and delicate wallpaper but the room was impeccable. Even the exterior wood panel and straw blinds where our private outdoor tub was, were beautifully maintained. ||4. The experience - We had a great time soaking in the tub in the cool winter air. My kid tried it too and really loved it. She was extremely pleased with the beautiful yukata, belt & all, and promptly went on to accessorize her hair with the kimono patterned clips she bought in Osaka. I think she went to bed with the full ensemble too!||The futons were a little hard for me as a side sleeper and I wished I had thought to ask for a long pillow to hug. My family was snoring happily away though!||If there was only one thing that I thought was hard to adapt to, it would be the hot and cold taps. It would have been great to have a tap mixer. They did have hand wash though instead of hand soap which I...

We've just come back from a wonderful holiday in Japan and had our first ryoken experience with Kotonoydo Musashino. Their website really helps you select the apartment that's most appropriate for you. We had selected the Yamabuki room. This is actually a little house that is set a little apart from the main building but this means that you've got great privacy and quiet.||As part of the booking, you can select a dinner plan - definately the highlight for us! More on this later. If you have any dietary requirement, let them know. They can certainly accomodate you.||On arrival, ladies are offered a choice of yukata. Men - you have yukata in the room. You will be asked if you would like to have breakfast served in your room or (and I would recommend this) if you'd like to have breakfast in the park opposite the Ryoken. You're shown the facilities and of course, the Onsen, before being shown to your room. This ryoken only had one shared bath type (seperate for males and females) but some rooms have their own private baths too - so select the room type that you're looking for.||You are staying in Ryoken, you are not staying in a high-end Western hotel - and that's WHY you're choosing a Ryoken like this. Its all about the experience. You'll be served proper Matcha tea on arrival in your room before getting into your yukata. Make use of the Onsen (pay attention to bathing etiquette!). And then comes the meal. ||Your room attendant will come and serve your kaiseki meal, course by course - savour and enjoy! Our attendant (Miya-san) did a great job and together we muddled through my rudimentary Japanese and her English.||After dinner, go back to the Onsen and relax while your room attendant changes the room for sleeping, laying out the beds and sheets for you. ||Now - is sleeping on a tatami mat the most comfortable experience? No - but it is an experience!||In the morning, head back to the Onsen for a great 'wake-up' before going to reception to collect your breakfast bento box and head over to the park. We had the entire park to ourselves, except for a few deer, with a wonderful view down into Nara.||We only stayed one night but you could certainly use this Ryoken as a base if your spending more time to explore Nara.||Great hospitality and great memories! Highly...

This place is absolutely fantastic.

We started our day with a tea ceremony upon our arrival. We were brought to our "room" which was a small house that was physically disconnected from the main building. We walked along a short and scenic rock path from the main building to the small house. The feel of the room was very traditional which is an experience you cannot get from your typical hotel.

We were dressed in Japanese yukatas. The yakutas were comfortable and more importantly they looked very stylish! It was lovely to feel the Japanese culture by walking around in yakutas!

Dinner was brought in by the hostess over a 2 hour period, one dish at a time. It was a well paced dinner with many unique and delicious flavors.

Following dinner, the hostess provided us with a flower ceremony. They taught us how to properly arrange the flowers in a pot to make it look beautiful.

In the morning, we had a Japanese style breakfast. The hostess brought in tons of small dishes for us to taste. Again, all the food was unique and delicious.

The hotel owner was kind enough to personally drive us to the train station as there were no taxis available.

Overall, this was an awesome stay. The hosts were very kind and helpful. Food was delicious and service was excellent. This was a memorable night in...