Hoshino Resorts KAI Kinugawa — Hotel in Nikko

If you pop this hotel into Google Maps, it’ll tell you it’s 1.1 km (about 0.7 miles) from Kinugawa Onsen Station, roughly a 16-minute walk. Sounds like a breeze, right? Wrong. The moment you hit the steep slope and stare up at hundreds of stairs, you’ll be cursing your life choices. And just when Google smugly informs you that you’ve arrived, you’ll find yourself standing in front of a hotel sign with nothing but an unpaved road ahead. Cue more swearing.

By the time you drag your sweaty, exhausted self to the cable car station, you’ll be praying for mercy, but nope—if there are people who got there before you, they’ll tell you to wait. Water? Hah, good luck with that. You just sit there parched, regretting everything. Eventually, you’ll get called to ride the cable car up to the lobby. Finally, a little relief? Nope, they sit you down and make you wait some more, sweat dripping down your back, throat drier than a desert. After an eternity, an attendant strolls over and starts asking important questions like what time you want to eat and whether you’d like breakfast. Oh, and apparently, there’s a “library” where you can grab tea or drinks. Spoiler: it’s not a cozy library but a hallway bookshelf with a drink machine slapped on the end. If they’d just called it a hallway drink bar, that would’ve saved me the confusion. Oh, and they don’t even bother telling you where the self-serve water is when you first arrive. I didn’t find it until I went to the restaurant for dinner.

Now, if you’re used to hotels where they greet you with a chilled towel and a glass of champagne while they pamper you during check-in, don’t get your hopes up here. Either come in a car or grab a taxi because if you walk, trust me, you’ll be ready to abandon your luggage halfway there.

Then, at 5:30 pm, I finally sat down for dinner. The server? A handsome, friendly guy from Peru who spoke flawless English. Turns out his Peruvian parents moved to Japan, where he was born and raised, so he speaks Spanish and Japanese fluently. He also studied English and tourism at university, which explains his impressive English. This was my third hotel in Nikko, and honestly, the only place where the staff actually spoke proper English. It was a relief.

Let’s talk about the slippers. They provide guest slippers to wear while wandering around the hotel and the onsen. Looks nice, right? Wrong. These things are torture devices disguised as footwear. They make your feet hurt so bad, I started wondering if they’re trying to discourage people from roaming around too much. The bottom is half wood, half pad, double pain. By the end, I was convinced they handed these out as a passive-aggressive way of saying, ‘Stay in your room and stop walking around

As for the food, the portions were, well, underwhelming until the rice was served. Michelin-starred places may serve small portions, but at least you’re full by the end. Here, I finally understood why they brought a huge pot of rice—without it, you’d probably still be hungry. If you scrape the pot clean, you’ll be full, though. They’ll even give you more pickles if you ask, but the miso soup? It had this weird citrusy, floral taste, like something out of a perfume bottle. The beef tartare with strawberry sauce? Tough and oddly scented. Everything else, though, was decent. Especially the soy milk pudding with yuzu sauce for dessert—now that was divine.

Oh, and the 12 p.m. checkout? A total win, especially since most ryokans and hotels in the area kick you out at 10 a.m. If you’re in need of some extra sleep, this...

Service with a Smile, But lost in translation

I recently stayed at this hotel for two nights, and while there were several positive aspects, I feel it's important to address some areas that could use improvement.

Service Overall, the service was commendable, with staff being very attentive and eager to help. However, I found that most of the employees had limited English proficiency. While some made an effort to listen and assist, others appeared quite overwhelmed when faced with language barriers, sometimes providing incorrect information.

Dining Experience The dining options were accommodating to our dietary restrictions, as we requested vegetarian meals and dishes without pork. However, during our meals, the staff often only briefly introduced the dishes as "this is vegetarian" or "this one has no pork," without further explanation on how to enjoy them. Out of the four meals we had, two were handled in this manner, while the other two were served by staff members who had a better grasp of English and engaged in more pleasant conversations.

Evening Activities Given that we visited in winter, the hotel offered limited evening activities, with the main event being a presentation on Yakizome pottery. This was predominantly conducted in Japanese. When the host realized we understood Japanese, they kindly provided an English description for us to read, which was a thoughtful gesture.

Room Amenities I have a neck issue and inquired about the availability of lower-height down pillows. Unfortunately, the staff struggled to understand what I meant until I demonstrated by pulling out the down from inside a regular pillow. This communication gap could be improved to enhance guest comfort.

Seating Arrangements During meals, I noticed that guests of the same nationality were often seated together, which seemed to be a deliberate choice by the staff. It felt as though there was a concern about differing dining etiquette between international guests and Japanese patrons, leading to a somewhat uncomfortable experience for us as foreigners. This practice could be reconsidered to foster a more inclusive atmosphere.

Room Maintenance On our second day, we requested that the trash be emptied and some towels replaced. While we had used all the coffee and tea provided on the first day, we noticed that these items were not replenished after room cleaning. Although the front desk promptly supplied us with coffee and tea when we called, the lack of proactive maintenance in this regard was disappointing.

Conclusion In summary, while my stay had its positive moments—especially the helpfulness of the staff—the language barrier, dining experiences, and some aspects of room maintenance left room for improvement. I hope that the hotel can take these feedback points into consideration to enhance the experience for...

After numerous stays at various Hoshino Resorts KAI (Aso, Kaga, Alps, etc.), Hoshinoya properties and other premium onsen ryokans across Japan, our experience at KAI Kinugawa was profoundly disappointing, to the point where it has made us reconsider patronizing the Hoshino chain in the future.

The accommodations at KAI Kinugawa were sorely lacking, with rooms that felt outdated and worn, a far cry from the polished and serene environments we've come to associate with Hoshino resorts. This significant dip in quality was both surprising and unwelcome, detracting greatly from our overall enjoyment.

Dining, typically a highlight at Hoshino properties, was even more underwhelming. The dinner presented as "kaiseki" was nothing of the sort, resembling more a basic set menu than the intricate, multi-course meal expected of such a claim. The dinners lacking in quality, refinement, fine ingredient and skill. For example, in my honest opinion, even the chain restaurant Ootaya serves much better-cooked rice than here.

After our first lacklustre dinner, we opted to upgrade to the premium kaiseki in hopes of a better experience. After talking to a few other guests, we found out that we weren't the only ones who had a desire for better meals. However, the so-called premium kaiseki remained far from premium. The sashimi dish consisted of the ordinary salmon, red tuna, and scallops. The tempura dish was all vegetables and resembled the tempura dish we had for lunch earlier at a local restaurant. The main dish, which was a hot pot, was the saddest dish of all -- it looked and tasted like a farmhouse dish served in rural areas of Japan. The chef's offerings were underwhelming, failing to align with the high standards we expect from Hoshino properties or other high-end ryokans. It's clear a significant overhaul in the kitchen is necessary to elevate the dining experience to what one would expect from a resort of this caliber.

Service was another area where KAI Kinugawa failed to meet expectations. In the face of our dissatisfaction, the staff's response was markedly indifferent; there was no apology offered, nor any attempt to ameliorate our experience. This apparent disregard for guest satisfaction is troubling and not something we've ever encountered at other Hoshino establishments.

Regrettably, this stay marked a stark contrast to our otherwise delightful trip in Japan, so much that it has prompted us to question our future loyalty to the Hoshino brand.

We must, therefore, advise potential visitors to consider spending your hard-earned money elsewhere. Based on our experience, KAI Kinugawa does not live up to the high standards of luxury, culinary and hospitality that we have come to know and love from the...