Ryokufuen Kiyoharu — Hotel in Takayama

Super Comfortable and Memorable Stay! Highly Recommended for Anyone Visiting Takayama

We had a two-night stay here and it was absolutely amazing! On the first night, we reserved both dinner and breakfast at the hotel — both meals were full of traditional Japanese flavors. The Hida beef at dinner was delicious, and the hoba miso pork at breakfast the next morning was just as impressive. The sake and beer were also smooth and easy to drink.

The staff were incredibly kind and helpful. Even though we don’t speak much Japanese, they did their best to communicate with us in English, and many of them spoke simple English as well. It’s a very foreigner-friendly hotel, and we felt very welcomed.

The hotel itself is older, so the rooms have a more retro feel — but everything was very clean and well taken care of. You can tell they pay attention to details: cold water bottles and hot kettles are prepared in advance, and even the closet had a fabric freshener spray. It’s those small thoughtful touches that made a big difference.

What really stood out was the staff’s warm and friendly attitude. They even offered station pick-up and drop-off services, and each time we were personally driven by a staff member. It made us feel truly cared for. With this kind of hospitality, we definitely want to stay here again in the future.

In a time when big chain hotels are everywhere, staying at a small, cozy hotel like this one felt extra special. Highly recommend!

One of the warmest, most thoughtful stays I’ve...

We have stayed at multiple ryokans already, across different price points, so I generally know what to expect. But this one was a miss. We paid ¥138,000 (about $900 USD) for 3 nights so that's roughly $300 per night. That's steep, considering what we got.

We booked the Japanese-style standard room for two people. The room size was small but it's normal by Japanese standards so we didn't mind that part. The real issues were in the details like the bathroom was extremely cramped (even for Japanese hotel standards) and looked nothing like the photo. The room had only one power socket which was being used for the TV so we had to unplug it just to charge our phones. The overhead light flickered constantly. It’s just an old ryokan. And old in a “hasn’t been updated in decades” kind of way.

And for $300 a night, no breakfast included either. They do serve breakfast at the property but it seems like it’s only available to guests staying in the bigger rooms (the ones meant for 4-5 people). Not sure if that’s a Booking.com issue or just how they operate this ryokan.

The location is just alright. It’s about a 20-minute walk to the train and bus station and the nearest convenience store is an 11-minute walk.

If we’d paid a more typical weekday price like $150/night, I wouldn’t have minded. But at $300/night, it just didn’t feel worth it. I wouldn’t recommend staying here at their...

We recently spent three nights here. We were apprehensive about the reviews. Yes it is about 5 minutes by vehicle from town but the establishment runs a shuttle service. Our room was huge with a small sitting room. |The woman who runs the place is phenomenal. Nothing is too much trouble and great care is taken with the food offerings. Our evening meal was served in the room and for the first time ever in Japan I felt a bit over fed ,. So have a light lunch. |The courtesies extended by all the staff was beyond reproach. |The futon arrangements set up for us before bedtime were amazingly comfortable. The place is a little tired in parts but as an authentic experience we would highly recommend it. |My only mild criticism is that wifi is only available in...