Gassho no Yado Magoemon — Hotel in Shirakawa

We were a group of 6 travelers who had the wonderful opportunity of lodging at Magoemon, in the picturesque Ogimachi village of Shirakawago. Upon arrival, we were given a warm welcome by our host, a sweet and kindly old lady, who took us on a quick tour of the house and pointed out a notice in English at the reception counter, indicating meal times (dinner at 6pm, breakfast at 7.30am) and bath times (6-7.30am, 4-5.30pm, after dinner-9pm). With some hand gesturing by our friendly host, coupled with an audible English word or two within a string of Japanese words, I think we managed to grasp the key message conveyed to us.||||We cherished the experience of staying in a Gassho-style thatched house - practically-architected and aesthetically-pleasing! Furnishing and deco was simple and minimal, hence allowing the architecture of the building – with its solid timber beams and wooden walls and delicate sliding doors – to be the focal point (note: walls are thin and you will be able to hear your neighbors, despite them speaking in low decibels).||||Bedrooms were cozy with sufficient heating. In the day, the furnishing consisted of a low Japanese table with some cushions on a tatami mat. By night time, the table had been replaced by comfortable futons that were discreetly brought in and set up in the room, while we had dinner. The 6 of us were housed in 3 rooms on the ground floor, separated by sliding panels i.e. we had the option of opening the panels to form a rather large space. Sliding panels also opened up to a picturesque view overlooking a street with neighboring Gassho houses, framed by misty snow-capped hills. As for the bathrooms, there were separate toilets for ladies and gents and 1 common bathroom with 2 showers and a wooden Japanese hot tub within a shared space (two in the family would be able to shower at the same time). The lovely traditional-looking bathroom with modern amenities and hot water was spotlessly clean. ||||Meal times were something we looked forward to, where we attempted to dress-Japanese by donning yukatas provided by the ryokan and sit-Japanese on tatami mats at our little individual tables neatly positioned around a traditional Irori hearth in the atmospheric dining area. Dinner was multi-course – the main course of rice with grilled miso beef, fish, mountain vegetables and pickles was served first, followed by a bowl of miso soup, tofu (resembling an ice-cream on a stick), tempura and fruits. So try not to over-load on rice too early in the meal!||||Our main consideration for spending a night in Shirakawago, apart from enjoying the experience of staying in a traditional house, was to avoid the day-trippers… and there were plenty of them, given how accessible the village was to the nearby town of Takayama, only a 50-minute bus ride away. We woke up early to explore the small village (6.30-7.30am) and what a marked difference it was from the bustle of the previous afternoon! It was quiet and peaceful without the crowds, more befitting of a picturesque countryside village. ||||I dare say that the only grouse we had was the dilemma of choosing between spending more time outdoors exploring the pretty as a picture village or lounging indoors soaking up the simple comforts of the ryokan! On hindsight, perhaps an extra night may have been the solution :-) ||||Arigatou Gozaimasu to our hosts for their hospitality and for opening up...

Location: (+) Around 5-7 min walk from the bus station. Do note that you will need to drag your luggage a fair distance, which can be difficult if it is snowy (+) Near to the main street and attractions (+) Beside a river, which offers lovely views and river sounds, away from the crowds and is quiet!

Room (Moegi room): (+) The back door of the room opens up to views of the river. We enjoyed beers whilst looking at the views of the river and snowfall :) (+) Each room has its own “living area”, with a heated tatami mat during winter and hot/cold water provided, a small mini fridge with cans of apple juice, a tea pot with green tea bags, and snacks! (+) Heating in the room is good even in the dead of winter, where temperatures dropped to -7 degrees celcius during our stay (+) The space within each room is fairly generous and sufficient for two. (+) Tatami beds were lush and soft; duvets were thick and comfortable. (+) Yukatas, bath towels, baskets and socks are provided. (+) Common toilets and bathing areas are clean (-) You get ~45min in the evening (allocated time slot) to use the indoor onsen and to shower. But this is understandable as you need to take turns with occupants of other rooms to use the space. You also get time in the morning to use the onsen if you wish. (-) You might see a few bugs scuttling around the corners of the room, but we only had to deal with around 2-3.

Food: (+) Dinner was served promptly at 6pm, while breakfast was served at 7:30am. (+) Portions were generous and we were well fed! (+) The food was delicious, well-prepared and served with a lot of warmth and hospitality. We relished every bite :) (-) If you prefer a private dining experience, you may not get that as you will dine with the other lodgers in a communal room.

Reservation Experience: (-) The English reservation site was more difficult to navigate and I was unable to retrieve the “pin” to access my account when I wanted to make changes. You will receive an email once the reservation has been made, and this is sufficient to confirm your booking. We got our first hotel to call Magoemon to confirm the booking again upon our arrival in Japan, and this gave us some reassurance!

Service: (+) This is truly where this ryokan experience shines. Our host (ひさいさん) and her husband were incredibly warm and did their best to communicate with us in English throughout the stay (+) You are allowed to drop off luggage if you arrive early. The hosts kindly carried our heavy bags into the room and wiped snow off our bags whilst we were out exploring Shirakawago! (+)ひさいさん went above and beyond to help us to get to our bus in time when the snow was heavy, and we deeply appreciated her assistance and concern ♥️

Overall: A lovely stay with welcoming and warm hosts, a comfortable and clean room, and great food. Would 100% recommend despite the difficulties with making reservations...

We have wanted to come to Shirakawa-Go for many years and sought to find the ultimate Gassho-Zukiri experience and this was it! We arrived in the sun and were greeted by our friendly host. She soon had the private wooden Cyprus bath ready for us which helped us relax after a long day of travelling and walking. Our room was unbelievably charming with its view over the turquoise river and birdsong emanating through the sliding doors into our wood panel lined room. Our futon beds set up in the joining room which were cosy and comfortable. Dinner was arranged for 6pm and we headed into the main hall. We were met with a wonderful site of our dinner set up with many different seasonal foods, fresh vegetables, pickles, fresh Iwana river fish grilled over the hot coals, roasted tea. After the first round of small plates the host brought out roasted tofu with miso crust and upon lighting our small grills, succulent Hida beef with Maitaki mushrooms. Oishi! After the feast we were treated to soba ice cream which had a lovely nutty, toasty sweet taste. As the sun set the local frogs who were gathered at the freshly plowed rice paddies sang together in unison which emanated around the village. The combination of the sound of the river and the frogs was deeply relaxing and we slept very well in the futons. The sun rose and the washi paper screen slowly let lovely diffused light into the room. Breakfast was just as memorable as the evening meal with a delicious salad of miso and vegetables which fried atop a large leaf. Pickles and some fermented foods were served along side fruit yogurt, rice, omelette, tea and excellent coffee. It was an unforgettable stay and we were very sad to leave. We would recommend for anyone who loves food, history, nature, Japanese culture or all of the above. Although we speak only a little Japanese we managed to communicate perfectly well with the host who also spoke a little English.|The most wonderful room you will...