Romantic Ryokan in Takayama

Hi everyone

We are going to Japan in September and while there we want to spend two nights in Takayama to celebrate our wedding anniversary. I�fm trying to find a nice romantic Ryokan, with private baths and good food.

So far I�fve emailed Asunaro Ryokan, Tanabe Ryokan and Oyado Koto No Yume, does anyone have any other suggestions?

Thanks in advance

No personal experience but here is some more to check out
http://www.japanican.com/en/hotel/list/21/210601/?rn=1&apn=2&hcpn=0&cb...

We've stayed at Tanabe Ryokan a few times. You'd need the yubokuan rooms which have their own wooden baths - the onsen facilities there are good but they dont have private facilities as far as I know. I really like the place and the food is spectacular, though I dont necessarily know that "romantic" would be a word that would come to mind to describe it.

Thanks

I've been exchanging emails with Tanabe San, from Tanabe Ryokan, it looks very nice, but two nights would set us back at more than 95000 yen, which is very steep.

Wanosato, just on the outskirts of Takayama, would offer you exactly the atmosphere you're looking for but of course it comes with a premium price tag...

http://www.ryokancollection.com/eng/wanosato/ryokan_story.htm?ryokan=w...

Thanks Saru Bob

Is that too far out. I would like to visit Kamikochi and Shiragawa Go. I have a night in Matsumoto and two in Takayama. Hopefully I'll have the time, but if we are too far out of town would be a problem?

I really like that part of Japan. As I mentioned, we've stayed at Tanabe Ryokan. We've also stayed at Hotel Associa which is really good, it is an onsen resort. It isn't a ryokan, but the food is great, the rooms are big and the views spectacular. The onsens are enormous, but I don't think that they had any private ones. I don't know whether it is open all year - we stayed in December, but stopped by the following June to get some puddings (their "Hida pudding" is the best - the sworn enemy of the lactose intolerant). But to my mind, the whole setup is probably a little more romantic than a ryokan which I tend to find a little invasive, with set times for dinner and breakfast etc. We also stayed at Hotel Buena Vista at Matsumoto. The vistas are necessarily all that buena from the rooms (they are from the restaurant at the top), but the hotel itself is brilliant, especially if you can jag a room on the executive level. We are going back in May.

And I suppose one final thing about Tanabe ryokan. I find the food is too much two nights in a row (there is so much of it), especially given the other eating options in Takayama (there is an amazing beef restaurant just down the road, with dishes around 1000JPY each for beef sushi, skewers, gyudon etc). If I was to stay again, I'd get the meal only one night, if I could, and see if that saves some loot.

Wanosato

http://www.japaneseguesthouses.com/map-directions/?ryokan=Wanosato

http://www.japaneseguesthouses.com/ryokan-single/?ryokan=Wanosato

Thank you Lazy Pious

I had a look at Associa and although that�fs not something I�fd considered before it might be a good alternative, their prices are attractive as well. Can't find their email address on their website though.

I�fm in a dilemma, we have 3 nights to spend in the Alps and they coincide with our anniversary. We have booked Matsumoto Marunouchi Hotel in Matsumoto, and the following two nights we were going to be in Takayama, but I�fm considerening whether it would be better to spend a night in Shirakawa Go and then end back to Takayama for our last night before we head down to Nagoya.
I also looked at Kamikochi and a lot people rave about it. So many places so little time (and money).

Cheers. In our May trip I'm looking at staying at the Imperial Hotel at Kamikochi for a few nights. It looks a little exey, but it could be good for an anniversary, and we really like staying at the classic style hotels.

�95k yen for two nights in a nice ryokan is about the going rate.

Personally, I tend not to spend two nights at the same ryokan. Actually, I would try not to spend two consecutive nights in ryokans, even if they were different ryokans.

For me, the ryokan experience is (so expensive and) something that is so special that I always want to check in as early as possible and spend as much time bathing and relaxing as possible. This means that you don't have a lot of time for tourism.

One option you have is that you could spend one night in Takayama at an ordinary hotel and then get a bus up to somewhere like the Oku-Hida region (circa 1 hr from Takayama, with a journey that takes you amongst some spectacular mountain scenery) and have one night in a really special rural ryokan. You can get a 1pm or 2pm bus from Takayama, be at Fukuchi Onsen at check in time, have a wonderful time bathing and eating, and then get a 10am bus back to Takayama the next day, leaving plenty of time to see Takayama before/after you go to the ryokan.

The pages on the main japan-guide forum about the Oku-Hida region are really useful.

We splurged and had a night at Yumoto Cyouza, and it was possibly the best ryokan we've stayed in*, in terms of bathing, food, and views. It was very expensive, but good value, and it's a memory that will last for ever.

*I'm no expert, but we've probably stayed in around 20 or so high-end ryokan over the years, and this one was definitely one of the best, if not the very best.

Hi Winter,

I've followed your advice and we are staying at the Tanabe Ryokan for our anniversary the previous night we will be staying at Kamikochi. Still have to find a place that won't break the bank.

I thought it will be nicer to come from Matsumoto, stay at Kamikochi then the following day head to Takayama, see the old town and the following day we will have time to see the Hida Folk village and a bit more of the city before we head down to Nagoya.

We will have to skip Shirakawa Go but I think Kamikochi will be worth it and we will get to see the thatched roof houses at the Hida village.

Thanks everyone for all the advice.

I bet you'll have a great time.