HANAOUGI BETTEI IIYAMA — Local services in Takayama

Wonderful experience here. It was a little like stepping through a time warp, as the place felt so old, set off by a magical traditional garden and koi pond. We were looked after by the wonderful Emireh throughout our three night stay. She showed us to a ground floor “suite”, with western beds, and a separate dining area (I’m wondering if Japanese guests get their meals here, but westerners are sent to the tiny solo dining cubicles so that they don’t have to sit on the floor?). There were two bathrooms (separate wash basin, separate toilet cubicle and separate shower, and wooden bath cubicle). Tatami mats, so no shoes inside the ryokan. We had a private hot spring bath on the little verandah of our rooms. We loved it and made full use. In the dining area was a mini fridge and a hot water unit for making tea. Each day, the staff would leave a couple of delicious biscuits of various types, individually wrapped, on our table. The chef made a good attempt at vegetarian food and I particularly enjoyed my vegetarian hotpot while my husband cooked his beef on a mini grill during our kaiseki dinner. Fabulous. The location is not central (3-4 kms from the centre of Takayama) but it is very peaceful and actually easy to walk into town as it is flat all the way. The ryokan provides transport into and from town but you do have to book a time slot. Taxis are few and far between on Sundays in Takayama. Unfortunately there is no laundry service, but there is a laundromat about 5 minutes walk away, which we used. It’s opposite a convenience store. I left a couple of things in the room safe after we checked out. The staff called our travel agent in Australia, who called me while we were en route to Kamikochi. I asked the taxi driver to turn back, and we noticed the lovely young guy who acted as concierge/luggage handler/doorman was waiting at the top of the street. When he saw us turn into the street, he ran inside and was back at the kerb with my wallet on a tray, as we pulled up. Mind blowing service! We would both love to...

We stayed in four ryokans during our trip to Japan and this was easily the best of them, despite its official three-star grading (small TVs and some tired furnishings may explain that), set apart from the rest because of its simply outstanding hospitality and service.||Staff here not only welcome guests with genuine warmth but also work hard to anticipate needs. Two examples from many: ||1) We arrived drenched after touring the historic village of Shirakawago in a downpour and left our soaking shoes at the entrance. When we set off the next day to tour Takayama, using the ryokan’s shuttle, our shoes had been completely dried for us. The insoles of mine had even been replaced with new ones. ||2) When our tour agents let us down badly and forgot to reserve a car for us on departure, staff let us use their phone, made us comfortable and even provided complimentary coffee (unrequested) while we waited for replacement transport.||Apart from superb service, this ryokan had some of the best food we ate in Japan, served in our room. Our private onsen was more spacious than most, and there were nice extra touches, like an extra jug of iced water in our bedroom and two hairdryers (one in our downstairs bathroom and another in our upstairs bedroom).||Please don’t be put off by the three-star grading. We’d give this ryokan at least six stars if we could and would recommend it to anyone wanting a traditional Japanese experience, with all its sensational bells...

We got our wish and enjoyed a true Japanese ryokan inn experience. Our "suite" had a "bedroom," a "tea room," a 3-part bathroom (sinks, toilet, bath/shower), and a private onsen bath in a small garden area. Our beds were tatami mats, which were comfortable, although a bit difficult to get out of in the middle of the night to head to the toilet. ||We were provided with pajamas, as well as yukatas/kimonos -- to be used if we went to the public onsen, and also to be worn to dinner (and even breakfast). ||The hotel itself was lovely, with a small but beautiful public garden and koi pond. We were amused to watch the gardeners shaping the various trees with scissors (not clippers or other gardening tools). ||Breakfasts were included and we had a reserved private room at the time of our choosing. We were served typically 12+ small dishes of various foods, usually including one egg dish (mostly raw). The kaiseki dinners were even bigger and fancier. One night the main dish was a variety of seafood to be cooked on a table-top hibachi. The second night it was a variety of seafood to be cooked in a "hot pot" of broth. Every meal was TOO MUCH FOOD, but all of it exquisitely prepared and presented. ||Overall this was a wonderful experience and we would recommend it to anyone that wants an authentic ryokan inn. NOT inexpensive, but a once in a lifetime...