Everything about our stay at Yamashinobu was excellent. The dinner and breakfast provided at the ryokan were delicious, and they accommodated my pescatarian dietary restriction. The public and private onsens were well maintained and very peaceful, as was the outdoor bath in our suite. The staff were all welcoming, friendly, and helpful. The location was great—close enough to walk to the town of Kurokawa Onsen but far enough to be very quiet and peaceful. We appreciated being picked up and dropped off at the bus. It is a little far from Fukuoka and Kumamoto, but getting there by bus is very easy and inexpensive. If you have the time to visit, I highly recommend doing so.

Beautiful property, clean & spacious rooms, and wonderful staff (My friend and I only spoke English. The daughter of the owner/founder spoke fluent English. The rest of the staff spoke Japanese, but the experience was still so lovely and friendly). Breakfast and dinner kaiseki meals (lots of tiny little dishes) were delicious, gorgeous to look at, and so enjoyable to eat. We didn't always know what we were eating exactly, but that was part of the fun. No two meals were the same (but all 10/10!) and I appreciated that they rotated our tables, so we got the nice view of the rice field on our second day. The outdoor mens' & womens' onsens are very clean, peaceful, and scenic. We had a private onsen in our room as well, which was amazing.

Note: You sleep on a tatami on the floor, which was fine for me, but quite uncomfortable for my friend because he sleeps on his side.

We absolutely loved our stay at Yamashinobu. This was the perfect place to escape the grind and relax in a beautiful and serene onsen. The place itself is magical, nestled in a green valley. It has an abundance of onsen, outdoor and indoor. Our room came with two onsen, an indoor and outside one. If that's not enough, you can use one of three private onsen outside your room. The food was also immaculate, certainly the best we had on our trip. Each day we had a different menu of Japanese style cuisine, with an assortment of beautiful and delicious dishes. Finally, the staff were so incredibly friendly and helpful. They were so accommodating with our over tired 6 month infant, constantly playing with him. They were also very attentive in all other matters (I think I even spotted one of the staff brushing of leaves from our car). All in all, I had an amazing time here and would come back again in an instant.

Nothing, it was all perfect.

We booked three rooms for 7 of us, all rooms with private indoor AND OUTDOOR onsens which is very rare anywhere else in Japan, especially Yamashinobu also provide 4 types of commonly use onsen in the property. Another point needs to mention is the meal quality, both dinner and breakfast are fabulous. We have been to over 50 half-board onsen properties in Japan over the past two decades, majority of them highly rated, but when it comes to meal quality, most of them just so-so. But Yamashinobu provides delicious meals, all seven of us unanimously agreed. Thank you Yamashinobu !

Nothing we don't like. However, since I am staying with my Mom (85 age) and sister in one room, having Mom to sleep on the tatami while she used to get up a couple of times during the night is a bit inconvenient for her.

One of the best accommodation I stayed in… a totally different experience. The onsen is located in a very quiet place with easy parking. The staff is exceptionally nice and professional and will do everything they can to make your stay better. We loved the onsen itself with indoor and outdoor onsens for man and woman but you also have access to 3 private baths if you want to enjoy with your family. The food was again a different experience, focusing on local healthy and fresh products. They provide all necessities including pyjamas, yakutas, slippers, creams, towels, etc… I loved the fireplace after dinner where you can try the local sake or the stargazing or the library.

Private onsen - both indoor and outdoor. Although it was full house, it didn't feel crowded as most of the rooms had private indoor and outdoor onsens. The public onsen operates 24hrs and was usually empty. I went there a couple of times and had the whole place to myself. Parking was easy. Meal times were organised and instructions given were clear. Wished I had stayed for 2 nights instead of 1 so that i could recharge more. Complimentary onigiri and sake were served as a nightcap, which was a lovely touch. I was surprised to see a kitchenette but it was kind of useless since no guests cook in a luxury ryokan like this.

None.

I was initially concerned that our room had a toilet & sink but no shower/bath. But Yamashinobu has 3 shared private (family) bath houses that are available on a first come first served basis. We used both the indoor bath and the outdoor private bath and both were clean & relaxing (and readily open when we wanted). We did not use the public shared baths so can't comment on them. Room was extra large, futon bed was well-padded & pajamas were incredibly comfortable. Dinner was excellent served in partially enclosed dining spaces. The basashi was thinly sliced & tender. We've stayed in other ryokans that are more of a sequestered experience. Yamashinobu felt a bit more communal (though it can still be quite private). The star watching was cancelled on our night (due to weather) but we did sit around the irori & enjoyed a glass of sake (it did get a bit smoky though). Staff & service were thoughtful (beds were set out during dinner & put away during breakfast; onigiri balls provided as an evening snack; ice water pitcher provided in the evening). I would return in a heartbeat. Highly recommend!!!

I imagine the narrow road getting to the ryokan would be difficult driving in bad weather (ice or snow). Note they did offer a shuttle service if you want to be picked up in Kurokawa Onsen town.

It was very relaxing, cozy and restful. The staff was very attentive and responsive. We were impressed by the amenities which allowed guests to experience Japanese culture, such as sake drinking at the indoor fireplace and library. Due to the bad weather, we were not able to use observatory, which was fine. The Onsen quality is great. My mom really enjoyed bathing in both indoor and outdoor spas. Dinner was excellent and breakfast was decent as well. Overall, it was very satisfactory. Shout out to the staff.

A bit slow wifi. Ota is a small village filled with handful number of Ryokans. There is a local grocery store and a few vending machines. That's all. So if you want to experience touristy stuff, Kurokawa could be the safer option. It would be nicer if one of the public bath places have a water dispenser. Hydration is really important.

Staff were so friendly and went above and beyond to make our stay the best experience we could have. A relatively boutique ryokan with only 12 rooms, we enjoyed the staff's attention to detail, and the tranquil atmosphere. Room was spacious, clean, had all the facilities you would need, public and private onsens were clean and well maintained. The dinner and breakfast tasted amazing with ridiculously large portions (we pretty much didn't need to eat lunch) and we got something different at every sitting. There is also free sake tasting at the fire pit. The accommodation is about a 5-minute drive from the main attraction of Kurokawa Onsen. We actually liked this, because the area was so quiet, away from the hustle and bustle of tourist hordes. Highly recommend this ryokan!

Nothing!

We arrived by car and the staff was already waiting at the entrance to help carry our luggage into the ryokan. We were greeted by another staff and given a tour around the ryokan, before showing us our room. We booked the one with a private onsen bath, but there were also public indoor and outdoor baths. By 6pm we went to the dinner which is a kaiseki-ryōri, the meal was exquisite and delicious. The same goes for the breakfast next morning. We visited in mid-December and there was a light snow in the morning. It was an amazing experience to bath in the outdoor onsen in the snow!