While the location was a bit out of the way (roughly 25min drive from Takasaki station), it was in a beautiful and quiet spot surrounded by cherry blossoms in full bloom. The room we had was the biggest out of all the places we stayed in Japan, was clean and comfortable, and had a private garden with covered deck and outdoor bath, which was absolute bliss after the hustle and bustle of Tokyo. The hospitality shown to us by the staff was exceptional, and we had no problem communicating through limited Japanese/English. They served traditional meals, which were beautifully presented and a delight to eat, having small servings of lots of different things. We made use of the free bicycles and had a great time exploring the area while getting a bit of exercise.

Tendon-san and his team were wonderful. So warm, friendly and fun. Our kids felt very welcome here and loved the whole experience. The cooking was amazing! So delicious. We could have stayed longer just to eat. Everything tasted incredible, especially the sukiyaki which was so soft and melted in your mouth. We all also loved the beautiful spacious room and outdoor bath. The rooms truly look like all the photos, if not better. And then there’s the temple. What a special place. No photo could really capture how Ryutakuzenji feels. You might just have to visit :)

Nothing. Leaving was the hardest part.

Ryutakuzenji is run now by a single monk, 35th in line from the Samurai days. The grounds are small but peaceful. We stayed with 3 young kids in the new private detached condo and it was great. Direct walking path to the temple to explore at your leisure, good amount of sleeping and eating space, full kitchen, and updated facilities. + a super NES on a small screen to keep the kids occupied if you're up for it. There's koi ponds which the kids will like, a graveyard on a hill where you can watch the Shinkansen go by. Otherwise, you're on your own to just be with your thoughts. The hospitality is warm, and you can learn a lot about the temple's history from the monk - who serves as the innkeeper in addition to maintaining the grounds and temple devotions by himself. The guy works hard! Food felt like a well-considered and delicious home cooked meal. Restaurant quality for sure with lots of little dishes that each were amazing. If you can't make it to Koya-san or other temple sites and you haven't stayed on temple grounds, it's absolutely worth doing. You get a feel for historical life in Japan. I wouldn't travel just to come here, but it's a worthy stop in the area, and we're glad we made it!

This is not typical, but I wish there was an onsen or onsen style baths. Especially in the winter that would have been amazing.

We were travelling by train so it was very convenient for Tendou-san, the monk, to pick us up from the Takasaki train station for a reasonable additional charge. Tendou-san knew enough English to converse with us on the 30-minute drive to the hotel. The hotel is small and charming, next to the beautiful samurai temple and garden with a koi pond. The deluxe quadruple room was very large for just two people. The kotatsu table was a nice place to relax and be warm. The futons were very comfortable for sleeping. Like other reviews mention, some of the walls don't extend all the way up to the vaulted ceiling/roof, so there is potential for noise to pass in and out of rooms. However, we were the only ones there that night (others were dissuaded by snow forecast) so we had the whole place to ourselves. We had dinner and breakfast; both were delicious with large portions. We participated in the morning meditation. Tendou-san explained some history of the temple, initiated our meditation, and then left us to finish we felt ready to be done. It was a very nice experience that I would recommend to anyone!

Nothing!

Spacious room, simple decor, spotless. Very well-maintained buildings and grounds. Very civilised jazz piped through public spaces. Lovely food. Great drinks bar, coffee/tea/sweets/filtered water complimentary. Staff were charming.

Heating remote control difficult to fathom - staff member kindly helped. Did I miss an English translation somewhere? Position of the toilet lacks privacy in the quadruple room. Bedlinen could be a more cheerful colour…brown sheets… Strange machine noises before dinner, but it had stopped after dinner.

A beautiful place with rich history. Even though we arrived late, we were warmly greeted by our host, who is also the temple priest. The next morning, he showed us around his temple (which is 600 years old) and guided us in meditation. The meditation is suitable for all, regardless of religion. Our accommodation was comfortable and spacious. It's a pity we couldn't stay here longer, and we will return if we have a chance.

We drove by rental car. You can also consider a taxi. I'm not sure about public transport.

This was our fifth trip to Japan, and this was one of the nicest places we have ever stayed! The room was huge and comfortable, very clean and traditional. The outdoor bath was incredible. The staff were lovely and very accommodating of us. Our one-year old daughter was unfortunately sick while we were there, but it was made so much better by having a spacious lovely room to stay in. The temple next door is beautiful too and set in beautiful gardens. Meals for breakfast and dinner were both fantastic.

This was the first stop on our journey around Japan and one of 2 temples we stayed at on our trip. little did we expect when driving through the town how amazing this place would be. the room was a simple traditional Japanese style, with a private bathroom and seating area. the Monk and his staff love to cook and went out of their way to cater Gluten free for my wife and the Wagyu beef is delicious. the inn has a self serve bar that makes you feel like you’re on a night out. there are beautiful gardens with koi pond surrounding the inn and temple. Your’e welcome to walk through the temple, the craftsmanship of the temple is amazing and is filled with artefacts and artworks. The Monk invites you for morning prayers and meditation and tells his story of the history of his temple and ancestors… what a Zen way to wake up and to start our journey.

the worst part is leaving.

What a wonderful experience! We loved the stay at Ryutakuzenji, the atmosphere was nice and zen and the service was excellent. Breakfast was also yummy and very filling. The head priest gave me a introduction to the temple and to be able to meditate inside the temple early in the morning was amazing. The place is not hard to find but you definitely need a car to access it.

Amazing traditional style Japanese ryokan. Relaxing, friendly and extremely hospitable.

It could be a little noisy - paper screens are beautiful and elegant, but they let through a lot of light which makes sleeping sometimes difficult (street and garden lights) and you can definitely hear other patrons and staff in the corridors.