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.

If water was to be included with the reservation of the private onsen , that would be great. We were so thirsty after onsen, had to get bottled water from the vending machines outside the ryokan. They did provide a bottle of water each in the room, but that was clearly not enough. Did not understand the menu as it was in Japanese. Google translate was able to help us figure out most of the food we were eating. Check out time was at 10am, but the shuttle bus leaves at 9.20am, which meant that we had to rush through breakfast and quickly pack up. Did not leave us much time to enjoy the beautiful surroundings. It would be great if there was a later time for shuttle.

The staff and the food! My goodness, the hospitality was exceptional! We were also so well fed. Highly recommend signing up for half boarding especially as the hotel is quite far out from town with infrequent shuttles..you do need to plan your days VERY carefully - especially if you want to visit Kyoto’s bar scenes & catch Geishas, as dinner’s last sitting is at 6.30pm (last shuttle at 5!) The private Onsen was fantastic; amazing views.

I’m very fussy with bathrooms and I felt it wasn’t as clean as it could be. The hote location itself was beautiful but definitely inconvenient and difficult to get to especially if you want to explore central Kyoto - it’s a 15 minute uber ride from Hanazono JR station (Hanazono itself has trains every 15 minutes..) and the hotel shuttle didn’t run frequently enough.

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!

The whole stay at Momijiya Honkan Takaosansou was amazing! Staff were so lovely and helpful. The room was clean, spacious and tranquil. Fresh Yukata's everyday (along with matcha and snacks!) Honestly couldn't fault it! The dinners and breakfast that we had were great - amazing to try such authentic dishes. However we weren't able to have breakfast/dinner every day/evening just because of the plans we had. The private Onsen was incredible and relaxing. We sadly didn't get a chance to experience the public one. Just bare in mind when booking that the accommodation is a little far from tourist attractions so it's a case of getting the shuttle bus/local bus down to the metro stations.

Not necessarily a negative, more a suggestion, perhaps it might be worth offering a later shuttle bus and dinner time. We always found that it was a bit of a rush to try get back to one of the shuttle pick up locations so a lot of the time we ended up getting the number 8 bus back.

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.

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Everything about this stay was exceptional. They were accommodating for our limited Japanese vocabulary. The experience was everything and more for two Japanese enthusiasts. The food itself was amazing, the outdoor private bath was a dream come true, the view from our room was magical. We were fortunate to come at a time when we had dinner outside by the river with Maiko entertainment and words cannot express how amazing it was. Truly will be the highlight of our trip.

The only thing I had a hint of disappointment about was I thought we would sleep on futons but we had western mattresses.

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.

Location - in the mountains north of Kyoto, away from the city. Beautiful wooded areas with rivers running through. Different walking trails and paths to various temples and shrines in the area. Very enjoyable to hike and explore- would recommend trying to arrive early for exploration if you're into that - we arrived in the early afternoon and couldn't fit it all in before dinner. Staff were very welcoming and easy to ask for assistance and the service was excellent. Optional outdoor Onsen (hot spring) was quite enjoyable. Dinner was a set meal on a platform right by the river which was very unique and charming. Great view of a tree in bloom and wooded mountains from the hotel room window as well as the sound of a running river.

The food at dinner was good but would have appreciated some additional guidance on what we were eating and how to eat it. Even if staff don't speak English, a card would have sufficed to explain the food items and how they're typically used (example - table next to us thought the egg on the table was hard boiled and cracked it open only to find out it was raw - we later found out the egg is added to your soup by staff). I have seen other restaurants adopt this strategy and it would go a long way to make foreigners feel more at ease. Beds were firm, but this seems to be the norm at most hotels in Japan.

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.

It's a great place to experience a traditional Ryokan outside the city's noise. Lovely public bath with mountain view, sleeping in a tatami felt exactly like being in one of my favorite manga. Moreover, as a foreigner, I loved the traditional Japanese breakfast and dinner.

As much as I loved the experience, for the price I paid, I wouldn't stay more than a night. The room shower didn't look in great condition, and there isn't much to do in the area. I'll also add that it's not worth it if you're not interested in a relaxing bath or in trying a Japanese dinner/breakfast.