Momijiya Honkan Takaosansou

It is tucked away in between the natures. Feels zen when you step into the ryokan. The staff there are very friendly and helpful. Even though some of them did not speak much English, they did their best to help us. Private onsen was lovely. It was at an extra cost of 4000yen for 45 minutes. You have a few timings to choose from. We chose the 8.30pm slot and a staff was at the stairs waiting for us to guide us to the onsen. We had to go through an outdoor area, up some steps to get to the private bath. Interesting experience, however the water was a little too hot after a while. We had to get out of the water after about 20 minutes. There was a wide spread of food for dinner and breakfast. Free shuttle service to and from the ryokan. Picked us up from Hanazono station. The futon was very comfortable and we had a great night's sleep. The view from our room was amazing as well.

This turned out to be the perfect spot for us for a one-night stay for us to experience onsens/traditional meals. Our room was absolutely beautiful, overlooking the mountains. They also provided us with complimentary water bottles for each person, sweet bread available only at their location, & matcha tea! We booked a private onsen outside, the views were absolutely stunning. Personally, my most memorable moment was at dinner! We checked in June 16th, & at this time they provided dinner outside on a terrace overlooking the river for the summer. What I hadn’t realized was that it was practically a 6 course meal! The servers were very attentive. Not only that, but we also experienced a performance by a maiko! More than one maiko came up to speak to our table personally as well as take pictures. Then afterwards, they turned off all the lights & watch fireflies. Truly a one of a kind experience & left us feeling so special. The next morning we did the public onsens which was also just as nice as well as a delicious breakfast. Also wanted to mention the staff were extremely helpful & even after one day, we felt a sense of closeness where my mom & I felt like tearing up when leaving the property. Definitely worth staying at!

It was easy to get to this remote ryokan taking the JR West bus, it literally drops you off right outside, so don't be concerned if it looks like it's out of the way. The hospitality we encountered, and the amazing scenery made this an unforgettable stay.

The staff was so welcoming - everyone came out to greet us, carry our things, give us slippers. We could choose what time to eat dinner, breakfast, if we wanted to book a private onsen time. The kaiseki dinners and breakfasts were beyond awesome - so beautiful, delicious, and filling! Our room was traditional with tatami mat floors. While we were at dinner, they laid out our futons for sleeping, which were so comfortable. While we were at breakfast, they put the futons away. They left yummy snacks and tea in our room. The price for all this was very reasonable! Highly recommend at least 2 days to enjoy.

The staff guided us from beginning to end through the entire check-in process to showing us the facilities and our rooms. If we booked extra services (like the outdoor spa), they gently knocked on the door to usher us to the location ensuring that we didn't get lost and were timely. They thoroughly explained how to use the facilities, how to eat the food, and how to put on the yukatas, etc. The food was delicious for my Asian palate! Once we got back to our room after dinner, the beds were all set up, ready for us to melt into slumber. They also had a big thermos of hot water readily available for us to make tea.