Ryokan Nishiyama — Hotel in Onomichi

An absolutely wonderful stay. I visited alone after cycling Shimanami Kaido after reading nice reviews. This is a well-established ryokan that re-branded in 2023. I can tell that the updates are very successful. This ryokan is very unique- it is mostly made of individual detached guesthouses centered around a nice garden lawn with views of Setouchi. The rooms are spacious, clean, and very comfortable. The onsen baths are fairly basic, but I like that they can be reserved for private use (no charge).

As many have mentioned, the absolute highlight is the incredible dinner meal prepared by chef Kamo-sama who has extensive French training. The dinner style is modern French cooking with local seasonal ingredients. The ingredients and flavors were incredible. The grilled mackerel with a koji hummus and carrot-miso sauce was incredible, one of the best things I have eaten. An amazing highlight is being allowed to order extra a la carte dishes/dessert if you are still hungry. The wine pairings were lovely. Breakfast is traditional Japanese style, with very well prepared grilled fresh fish and very delicious donabe rice. A small touch, but I greatly appreciated the English menu as my Japanese is very poor.

I greatly appreciated relaxing in the guest lounge which is a beautiful balance of traditional and modern. The local craft beers and local sake was amazing.

Service was impeccable and warm. I think the value for the price is excellent (especially factoring the very high class meal).

I hope to return someday!...

This was our first time staying at a ryokan, so we don’t know how it compares to other ryokans, but to us, this ryokan was incredible. The room (a whole house) was beautiful and the gardens were so relaxing to look out upon. The lounge is very nice and we appreciated all the included drinks and snacks that were provided.

The service was very good and the meals were delicious. They seem to use a lot of local ingredients and you can tell by the excellent taste. We had dinner one night and it is very nice that you can add on additional dishes at the end of the set course if you are still hungry. I have been to a couple of Michelin star restaurants in the U.S., and I felt this dinner was comparable or better. The service was so much better than the service at the Michelin star restaurants I have been to in the U.S. For instance, they noticed my husband was left handed and switched his setup for him, and they were constantly refilling our drinks and water so that we never needed anything. The breakfasts were also delicious and stunningly presented.

We agree that it is a little bit out of the way from the center of Onomichi, but it isn’t hard to get a taxi. And you will hardly want to leave the ryokan because it is so nice and peaceful. Also, there is a very cool coffee shop just down the road that we recommend...

This is one of the best ryokans I’ve ever stayed at. The reviews don’t do it justice even though they are great. I’m from America, so almost all Japanese workers seem more professional and polite to me, but even by those standards the staff here were SO kind to me. I appreciated it so much.

The beds are large (I’m 6’3” and had plenty of room) and the rooms have a view of the water. The grounds are well kept and it was easy to make a long reservation to use the hot spring bath. I reserved the room with no shower (toilet only) and it was fine. The rooms are also spacious and I had room to spread my stuff out, sit and have tea, and work on my trip scrapbook.

The highlight was dinner at the restaurant which was really really good AND featured an extensive a la carte menu! I was able to order two plates of the excellent beef and mackerel, I was shocked. The all-inclusive option was so worth it.

The current chef (as of December 2023), Kamo, serves French cuisine and lived abroad for many years. He was very warm and conversational with me despite my poor Japanese.

All in all, compared to my trips to Akita, Amanohashidate, and Atami, this ryokan was my favorite and I strongly...