The hotel was fantastic, with a beautiful and relaxing and quiet environment, overlooking the river and the mountains. They offered tea and coffee during the day at the main reception. The dinner was an amazing experience and having stayed for two nights, there was no repetition of the food, and just the exquisite taste and atmosphere. It snowed while I was there, and bathing together with the falling snow just added to the magic feeling.

The exhibition area is being affected by humidity, and it is a pity that some of the artefacts are becoming corroded. It would be a pity to loose this precious memoirs.

The food was exceptional yet very experimental. For adventurous eaters the breakfast and dinner will be a fun discovery session leaving you stuffed at the end.

Transport to the location is difficult without a car. Following the hotel's advice exactly down to taking the non-stop train will be very helpful however keep in mind the bus to the location from the train station does not have space for luggage which is hard for those with big bags. I suggest leaving large bags at a train locker and only bringing a carryon as you won't need much clothes once you arrive.

-Beautiful ice crystal view from the lobby -Old traditional Ryokan with long history - Lobby - Onsen

- the private onsen is completely outside with no attached room to dry the hair or get changed. Visiting many 4-5 star ryokans most have an attached room/shower inside.Especially in winter it was very cold to go back to the room with wet hair. It was a first time with over 20 years of travel experience in Japan having no attached changing room. - no skin care at the public changing room/ onsen, this was also a first. - We‘ve ordered a kids’ menu but were served an adult meal plus an additional kids’ menu which was way too much food for dinner. Breakfast had no kids menu but again a full size adult menu. A simple kids’ menu would have been great and we felt sorry that our 6 year old couldn’t eat most of the breakfast or dinner.

This is the most wonderful place, full of history and character and charm, owned by the same proud family for centuries. The onsen water is free flowing (gensen kakenagashi) and is deliciously hot and pure. I would suggest visitors read a bit about the ryokan's history (on the website) and the history of the Taira-Minamoto Wars. There is a Heike-themed historical village nearby, good to visit. The food at the ryokan is excellent. It's Heike-style, using local-sourced ingredients.

When I booked I asked to upgrade my room if one became available. They emailed saying it was possible but when I saw the price of the upgrade I didn’t confirm it with them. At the end of my trip I got charged for it as they had upgraded us anyway without my knowledge. It was therefore much more expensive than planned. In the confirmation email I was told there was only one bus from the station each day so changed my travel plans and this was not the case there were multiple buses.

Everything was sensational!! Highlight was the outdoor onsen and the dinner!! It was truly incredible, the quality of the food and the presentation was fantastic! The walk across the suspension bridge with the stunning scenery of fresh snow and subtle lighting was breathtaking and elevated the entire experience!

Everything was great!

Beautiful, old building in the purest japanese style. Room was big and traditional. A beautiful Japanese dinner is given in another very old building on the other side of the river and we had to cross the beautiful bridge dressed in Yukatas to get there. Personnel did speak very sparse English but was very polite, helpful and patient. A perfect experience!

The dinner meal is very traditional and fantastic! The room is nice. Parking is free :-)

The town has nothing to do. The lady staff said that the private Onsen is available at 20:30. When I checked with the man at the reception again. If I didn’t check again, my grandparent will need to wait 4 hrs for this.

Honke Bankyu provides us with a pleasant ryokan experience. The decor of the historical building and our room is quite unique. We enjoyed the course dinner and breakfast. There is a direct bus to get to the front entrance of Honke Bankyu. The surrounding area is very scenic.

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It was exceptional. The staff was so welcoming, the place is out of this world. The rooms were just incredible, and I am not talking about the dinner and the onsen, yet…. Magical… we really felt in another era… we absolutely loved it.