It was exactly as described and reading previous reviews, we knew that we would have to walk up the street to the neighbouring sister hotel to have dinner and use the "golden" onsens. Dinner and breakfast were amazing. I loved the many different dishes. They were delicious and beautifully presented. My husband and I booked the private onsen which at the time was available at no extra/minimal charge. The room was clean and comfortable. (traditional tatami mat room with futons).

We knew there was a hotel shuttle to the bus stop but unfortunately we did not have access to a phone. Perhaps we should have asked a local if they could ring for us. The hotel is a 12 min walk up hill, which isn't bad if you want to look around the town at the same time but it was a hot ~35C day and with luggage in tow, it was hard work. Later we discovered there was a taxi stand next to the train station. It would have been great to know about this beforehand.

The Ryokan Kotori meals were traditional, exquisite, and beautiful, even breakfast. The value of our all-inclusive stay reflected that we had a private onsen room and the fanciest meals of our entire 2.5 weeks in Japan. We felt we were staying at a beautiful vintage resort, in a very pretty historic onsen village. Highly recommend the Arima Ropeway to Mount Rokko. There is an incredible obstacle course/playground Greenia at the top of Rokko Mountain and a sweet “Edelweiss Cafe” looking over the Botanical Garden. The Arima Onsen experience is worth the short scenic trips by bus from the Osaka or Kyoto Stations.

The staffs are very friendly and helpful. Although they can't speak much English, but they still manage to explain or answer my questions in simple words or through google translations. They have the services of picking you up from the Arima Onsen stations. The dinner and breakfast were superb and amazing! We really enjoyed them so much!! The traditional japanese room was nice and clean. They set up the futon beds while we were having dinner and putting them away while we were having breakfast. The toilets has to be shared with other guests. But luckily the time that we came, there wasn't many guests. There is no bathroom in your room. So you have to book the private bath and have shower after having the hot spring bath. We enjoyed our stay very much and don't mind going there again.

There is a bit of odour smell on the futon doona. Even though there is a cover sheet to cover the doona, but not sure if they ever wash the donnas. The futon mattress is comfortable though and the doona is very warm during the cold nights.

This place was the highlight of our Japan trip. We LOVED the tatami room (traditional room), the whole onsen experience with the provided yukata etc. The staff was absolutely amazing. The Kaiseki dinner was a once-in-a-lifetime kind of experience and the breakfast was really good too. We got a free minivan transport from the bus station too! It turns out Arima Onsen counts as a special one even within Japan as it has thermal water with very unique qualities - we were very happy we found the place by chance.

We really can't think of anything that could have been better. Yes it wasn't cheap (ryokans are usually not), but the quality of service and experience absolutely made up for that.

Overall the stay exceeded our expectations and was enjoyable and relaxing. Kotori is very charming and cosy with the decorations throughout the building. The private onsen is great and you can book it for 45 minutes use. The staff are very helpful and attentive, and the rooms are well equipped. Dinner is in the sister hotel Hanamusubi which is a 2 minute walk from Kotori, and the staff were able to accommodate for my dietary needs, although they noted they cannot prepare food without fish so it may not be suitable for vegan or vegetarian dietary requirements. Breakfast is served in the Kotori building and is excellent too.

The only downside is the shared toilet and no shower in the building except where the private onsen area is, unless you have the room with the private bath. However the toilets are kept very clean and there were no issues with it being shared.

We were warmly welcomed by the incredibly accommodating staff, which made our stay all the more delightful. One staff member was especially engaging—we even got her to listen to Treasure with us! I also appreciated that they allowed me to use the public bath despite having tattoos. However, I was advised to cover them with tattoo stickers. A heads-up for tattooed individuals: be prepared to do this if you plan to visit an onsen. As for the food, it was absolutely superb! One standout dish was the baked pear with cheese and Kobe beef—an unforgettable combination that tasted amazing!

Good communication before booking and organised a bus shuttle to pick us up. We travelled in a group of 5 and one member of our family has a tattoo but they helped us organise a reserved area to enjoy the hot springs and it was very easy to organise. The Ryokan is on the smaller side however it makes the establishment feel more homey and more comfortable with lots of little wooden birds in cages and doll houses around to decorate the lobby. A great view of the arima mountains and a comfortable traditional tatami room was amazing. Also had a regular hotel room which was spacious and cosy. You can also experience Japanese television or link up YouTube to the flat screen tv. The onsen and kaiseki dinner is in their sister ryokan Hanamutsubi (1 minute away) so you also get to experience the fancy hotel dinner and two different spring waters onsen. the 7 course meal uses different ingredients from all of the prefecture including Kobe beef and every meal was amazing, something new or something traditional everything was exceptional. I also had an accident in the Ryokan where I had a smaller epileptic attack however the staff were quick to inform my other family members and make sure I was okay. They also called me an ambulance just in case and wheeled me in a wheelchair back from Hanamutsubi to Kotori Ryokan. All the staff will also welcome and say good bye to you when you leave and enter and are very polite and truly make you feel special.

The mini fridge turn on switch was hard to find but if there was a sign above it would be easier to find. But other than that small nick pick everything was perfect and allowed my girlfriend's family to experience real Japanese culture.

10/10 isn't enough to describe this ryokan. they deserve more!! They were very personal and knew we were returners. We celebrated our wedding anniversary here, and they made it very special. We want to come back to this ryokan anytime we travel Japan. They sure keep the pride of hosting guests in traditional way. Which, becoming hard to find in Japan lately. Beautiful, tasty dinner which is also celebrating the season, and breakfast was also beautifully presented. Private onsen time (45 mins) at the Kotori (sister building), Excellent onsen at the main ryokan. Great thanks for the shuttle services and personal welcomes.

Absolutely beautiful Ryokan, my room was western style but very comfortable, the included private onsen time was wonderful. We had half board which was a Japanese style dinner, at a hotel a few steps from the Ryokan, this was amazing, food was prepared at the table. Breakfast the next morning was Japanese style as well. Shuttle collected our luggage on arrival and we were shuttled to train station on departure.

My room was not ensuite and the toilet was on the other side of the first floor, not a problem for one night. That cash was the only form of payment.

Our stay was fantastic. We were overjoyed and surprised by the quality of the meals. The breakfast on site or at the adjacent hotel were totally delicious and traditional Japanese style. The dinner felt gourmet and was a five course meticulously selected local vegetable beef or seafood mix it was just fantastic. The room was clean and spacious and the staff were so friendly. The Onsen was private and very relaxing too.

The shared bathroom was not overly inconvenient.