This place is a real gem for relaxation. Our room had a great view to the Biwa lake, comfy beds, and an open air bath. Our first dinner was a 10+ plate Kaiseki menu, and as our second dinner we chose crab shabu shabu, which was excellent as well. Tried public onsens (indoor and outdoor pools), private onsen, and massage. Wore Yukatas the whole time :) All public and private areas were exceptionally spacious. The staff were very welcoming. There was a shuttle to/from the nearest train station.

Breakfast is traditional Japanese, and for Western kids in particular this is something to be aware of. I won't count it against the hotel, though, since it clearly belongs to the traditional ryokan style.

Everything!! There are no complaints! Everything was superb, from the room, food, staff, hot spring bath, service. We were blown away by the superb quality. It was here that I now have a top favorite of all time in a few categories: BEST umeboshi plums! They make them in house. So sweet! Nothing like I've ever tasted. BEST peach tea! This was our welcome drink upon arrival. BEST wasabi They use the real, grated root. BEST tamago Rolled egg at breakfast. So deliciously flavored! We booked the room that has its own hot spring bath in the room. This was beautiful and so relaxing. All the amenities were fantastic. I very much surfboard the body moisture serum and lotion. It's needed after dipping in the bath multiple times. We didn't know that this out is on the top "premium" floor, and included private kaiseki dinners with multiple courses. The breakfast was superb. I'm so glad this was my partner's first experience in Japan. He got the full, authentic experience. We look forward to coming back again!

No complaints!

This was a one night splurge, and I have never felt so well attended. I stayed in the Nakagawa Woodcrafts Concept Room. It was beautiful and serene. The balcony held my own private open-air hot spring bath that looked out to the lake. It was supremely restorative. I appreciated the information provided in English on how to wear a yukata (there were 4 in the room to choose from) and on how to use the onsen. A 12 course Kaiseki dinner in a private dining room overlooking a small garden was included. Before I arrived, they had emailed questions about my dietary needs and the courses were adjusted to fit me. Have you ever had whipped salt? Between the feast and the baths, I slept through breakfast, a faux pas I regretted when I found they were waiting for me.

I didn't like that I had to leave, lol.

The staff picked us up from the train station which was very nice. You also receive yukata which you can wear at the dinner. You are asked to choose the hour when you want to serve dinner and during that time they prepare the futons in the room. We all slept incredibly well on the futons. We also got massages and went to the onsen which we have enjoyed. There are 2 public onsens, one is for females and one is for males. They both have indoor and outdoor onsens. You also have the possibility to use a private onsen.

You have a nice view to the lake, but the location is kind of remote. Most of the staff didn’t speak english. We didn’t find the food very tasty, we only enjoyed some of the dishes. It would have been nice to receive more details and instructions about how to prepare and eat some of the dishes. The hotel is also a bit outdated.

Greeted immediately and guided to a seating area, provided with complimentary drinks and sweets during check-in (not your typical check-in experience). The tatami room was beautiful, I went with a friend but this is definitely more of a couples/family experience. Everything in the hotel was immaculate and of a higher quality compared to your standard hotel. I booked the private onsen which was amazing and my friend used the open-air bath tub (takes a long time to fill up). The private shuttle provided by the hotel is convenient.

Check-in wasn't as streamlined as I would of liked after a long day traveling. The staff were friendly and tried their best but it was apparent this hotel doesn't cater much to English speaking tourist, so encountered some uncomfortable experiences. The meal looked amazing but once again the language barrier resulted in some issues and made me leave early and feel I was disrespectful to the staff.

We stayed in a room with a private mineral bath. The room was as large as an apartment, with its own foyer, and areas that could be contained by beautiful screen doors. We loved the space, the views and the wonderful service, but especially the food and the ritual of having our own private dining space, which evidently goes with the ‘special’ rooms. This is a great place to unwind, leaving the rest of the world behind! Staff were beyond excellent! If the canal boat is running its a great excursion to take. Food was just superb.

Take some good solid socks if you have to wear orthotics, and put the orthotics in the socks. No shoes in the private dining room, nor in the rooms. If you like being barefoot this place is heaven. But if you’re older like me, and must wear your orthotics, you will need a bit of ingenuity. Also, the pillows are truly Japanese, beans in the under-side and soft on the top side. One per twin bed, although the twin beds were like two queen size. I asked for more pillow cases for the extra pillows in the cupboard and of course they were available immediately. There’s not much close by, but the staff will drive you to the station and pick you up if they can when you go on day trips.

The staff is amazing. They’re so attentive and treat you like royalty the hotel rooms or original Japanese furnishings which makes it feel very authentic. They also help you with Shuttle bus services when you need it the chef is fabulous and I can’t say enough about how meticulous and delicious his cooking was. He took our dietary restrictions, very seriously and made fabulous meals. I especially love the check in where they seated us. We didn’t have to stand all. They explained the detail details of our stay.

I loved everything the only thing I can think of is that the western beds really weren’t western. They were hard so I put two futons and a comforter on top and after that it was perfect. Also, the pillows are different. It didn’t bother me, but they have beanbags on one side and a pillow on the other, so if you’re used to self western pillows, you might have to be flexible.

It is located facing Lake Biwako, and the rooms have a beautiful view. Personnel are very professional and ready to help at all times. We had a fluent English speaker help us with check in and explain how to use and enjoy the facilities.

The bathroom size is small compared to what we’re used to, and struggled a bit with sizes of sandals and robes, but it was resolved. No plan b for food, it’s exclusively Japanese (we signed up for this) but coffee was expensive, available in the dining room, and no refills available, you had to pay for each 4oz cup.

Friendly, English speaking staff. Dinner was fantastic, everything was very good. Onsen was great, ratio friendly if you cover with patches which are sold at the store, or you could book a private onsen. Hotel is a ways from the station, but there is a shuttle bus to and from, and a phone at the station with the hotels number on speed dial to get in contact with them.

felt a bit silly that sodas were an upcharge for dinner when our price included dinner, alcohol I can understand, but for the price, feel like that should have been included (first time at a ryokan, so maybe this is standard) price felt a bit high for our accommodation (seriously just a little bit, still worth staying).

Modern facilities while keeping traditional japanese decor with tatami mats. Comfortable beds/futon. Had fun with wearing yukatas in the premises, also for dinner and breakfast. Lovely traditional multi course dinner! Simple nutritious breakfast as well. We had a party with a nut allergy and they took it seriously with substitutions for some items on the dinner menu. Our private onsen in the room was great as well, perfect temperature with a nice little view of Lake biwako. Some of us also enjoyed the public bath. All staff were amazing, from the receptionist, to the waitresses and the driver. All of us felt we were very well taken care of despite only staying one night.

Public bath was not open to tattooed people. Was definitely given the option to purchase cover ups however we did not feel it was worth it since the individual had many and all over their body. This was also the reason why we booked a room with a private onsen. Even though we knew this, we had hoped that perhaps rules may have changed or at least cover ups were provided, given how much we paid for this one night. We did notice there were quite a number of older japanese guests so that may be the reason why they still have this backwards rule with tattoos.. this is really the only disappointment!