Hiogisou — Hotel in Shima

I spent a delightful weekend at Hiogiso in September as a stopover between Kyoto as Tokyo. As mentioned in some of the other reviews, by far the best thing about Hiogiso is the staff, some of which speak good English, and all of whom make you feel very welcome. Nothing is too much trouble, from picking you up from the train station, to making sure you've had enough to eat and drink, and that you understand the protocol for using the bath house. ||||Do visit the shrines at Ise, then take the train down to Hiogiso and spend a day or two exploring the islands and relaxing. Be sure to get there in time for the sunset boat cruise. The rooms are spotlessly clean and the AC and wifi works well. Dinner and breakfast were delicious. The communal areas are smart and the Japanese style bath house is charming, and like the rooms, spotlessly clean. ||||This is a great place to spend a relaxing weekend. The new Aman resort is next door, where you will pay a lot more to look at the same views and I imagine not receive nearly as warm a welcome as you...

by far the best experience we have had to date in Japan, the owner was extremely kind and helpful and made the entire experience marvelous. we stayed for two nights and ate at the restaurant for both. The cooking was comparable to Michelin thee star restaurants and is not to be missed. Our room was upgraded to a suite overlooking the aga bay on both sides and could not have been more comfortable. The Japanese style room was impeccable and extremely comfortable, with a terrace overlooking the bay. The best part was the hospitality of the owner, Takanobu, who was extremely helpful and generous. One night we were the only guests there so we had the onsen all for ourselves. The second night he had a group of 30 people and closed off the onsen to other guests as well, an experience not to be missed. We also took a boat ride the second night and got a tour of the bay. Overall the experience was extremely relaxing and much needed after a week of temple touring in the Kyoto area. If I could give ten stars I would...

We have booked this ryokan on the Ise peninsula just by chance and without any preparation - and we were overwhelmed with the hospitality of Mr. and Mrs. Watanabe and their staff. We got a lift from the station to the place and even to the Grand Ise Shrine in Mie, which is 30 mins away. We also got upgraded into a lovey big japanese "Suite" with a sea view when it became available. ||||The food was very traditional Japanese (meaning, sea food dinner and breakfast, so beware, westerners :)) and really, really delicious, and was sourced from the waters all around the hotel. We also got a boat ride around the bay. The peace and quiet of this place is the perfect getaway for a weekend, when you just want to relax by the sea, soak in an (as everything else squeaky clean) Onsen bath or want to find out what the real Japanese cuisine is. After only 2 nights we felt really sad to leave. Thanks Mr. and Mrs. Watanabe for an...