This place is just lovely - sophisticated, serene, beautiful. We stayed one night, and upgraded to a room with a private onsen which ended up being just wonderful! The staff are lovely and very helpful. The food was amazing (both breakfast and dinner). And the room was huge and incredibly stylish and beautiful. I loved how we wore yukatas for the duration of our stay - it made the whole stay feel special. We had no problems with the futons on the floor - very comfortable. We came away feeling very relaxed. Thank you to the lovely staff for making our stay so enjoyable

A minor suggestion: it would be helpful to provide more information in advance about exactly how to book the shuttle service from the train station. It is a such great service, and very welcome.

What a beautiful place ! Nestled into the hillside it made full use of the natural forest to enhance the privacy and tranquility of this ryokan. The staff were all excellent and often went to the trouble of helping us by deciphering menus with the help of a translator app. The food was abundant, fresh and beautifully prepared and presented, everything was a work of art. The rooms were decorated beautifully and had lots of little additions. The onsen was lovely & private.

Some information about the property and times & choices for meals, how the Spa operated etc. would have been helpful. I appreciate that this is a Japanese Ryokan and would not suggest it change the aesthetic in the least to adapt for tourists, it would just be helpful and add interest to know some details such as this & even that John & Yoko stayed here!

The food was good and met expectations. The staff were also good and met expectations, and the English was fluent enough to ensure a nice experience for foreigners. The wifi was very reliable. The futon and duvets were very comfortable. The room was quite and spacious, and beautiful.

I was informed that the check-out time was 11am. However, this wasn't clear to me that this specifically meant the time the shuttlebus was leaving, making departure feeling very rushed. Check-out time to me means the time by which you must have cleared out the room and checked-out at the front desk. I think it should be explained more clearly. Some of the furnishings are visible quite old and worn, such as the backs of the seats in the main room.

I loved the staff and the food was amazing. I paid for Kaiseki meals for all the nights I was there and it was so beautifully served and thoughtfully presented. The food was also tasty and so fun to experience. The meals all had fresh local ingredients as well and they provided plentiful handmade sushi to bring with us after the meals. We were so stuffed though so we often just brought it out with us when we went sight seeing. The room was massive with a private onsen bath and sauna as well. The outdoor bathe was beautiful and never super crowded. there is also an outdoor space around the onsen that was a lovely walk before or after dinner.

I paid for a room with an outdoor private onsen. It was right by a road so no quiet soaks during the rush hours. However in the evening it was so quiet and relaxing and I don't regret booking it

An exceptional ryokan with outstanding service and incredibly polite staff. The atmosphere is peaceful, cozy, and very private. Our room with a private onsen was absolutely amazing, and the kaiseki dinner was unforgettable — truly a culinary experience.

It’s a bit tricky to reach on your own, but the ryokan offers a convenient shuttle to and from the nearest train station, which makes things much easier. There’s not much to do in the area, but the ryokan itself is so wonderful you won’t mind staying in.

WOW what an experience. We were picked up by the shuttle at the train station. At check in we were offered a small sweet snack and a refreshing drink. They carried our luggage to our room and explained how the onsen works. The room with a private bath on the terrace were very traditional tatami mat rooms, which was awesome to experience. This was a great place to unwind and relax after a week of traveling. The keiseki dinner was massive, come hungery. Same for breakfast. Food is served in large private booths on the first floor (not in your room). The staff makes up your room for sleeping when you're at dinner, which means moving the main table and chairs and setting up the floor futons and blankets for.

If you have any tattoos the public onsen is not an option for you, which is why we needed to spring extra for the private in room option.

Worth every cent! What an experience! I wasn't sure at first (as I had the whole responsibility on me to decide for the group I was with) and if you're on a budget like we were, well this is a spend ..BUT..so happy I booked Ryokan Sumiya Kihon. As a tattooed group we had to rent private. It was hilarious to be butt naked with your best friends and ridiculously relaxing. The food is delicious. Breakfast= huge but Dinner = a little small for our crew. (Spanish/Australian mix). It's fine. Just bring snacks ;).

The onsen itself was nice - especially the side for the ladies because there was an outer part. We also had the secret private outdoor onsen that was an exceptional experience. Glad we did not miss that! The food (dinner and breakfast) both was extraordinary delicious and well prepared. All is done by the chefs themselves, even the silk tofu (one of the best silk tofus I ever had). The whole atmosphere itself is really relaxing!

Other guests that did not stick to onsen etiquette.

The hotel is beautifully designed with a good mix of traditional and contemporary. I felt like we were in an art gallery. The Kaiseki dinners were very good.

Not too walkable to have sight seeing nearby but we still managed to walk to a nearby restaurant named Cafe&Diner2909 (https://maps.app.goo.gl/fh2aCUWLAh7HH2i28) We had an amazing lunch there.

The staff were wonderful, the shuttle was super convenient and the property was beautiful! We loved the public onsen and the one in our room. It was so relaxing, I didn’t want to leave!

I wish we had more choices for food in the dining room; only had two dinner options, but the food was pretty good. We also saw some people sitting by windows (beautiful forest to look at) but both days we were sat by a wall/inside and didn’t have a view to enjoy with our meals- but it was not a huge deal for us.