Tai and his parents who manage the guest house could not have been more accommodating and helpful. He gave us advice on what to see in and around Takayama (note: the house is 10 minutes drive from Takayama and there is not much to do or see immediately around it - he will give rides into town and to restaurants as needed). We chose Soy partially because it was not in the very crowded town, had parking, and allowed us easy access to some of the beautiful countryside. We had the whole small house that is part of the property - a delightful two floor building with a kitchen (which we didn't use). Oddly enough, we loved the "pizza" (Italian) restaurant that Tai recommended. We very much enjoyed our stay there and highly recommend it.

Beware the low beams in the house if you're tall.

It is such a wonderful home, run by equally wonderful people. We loved staying at SOY, it was super cozy, neat and beautiful. Tai and his parents are incredibly lovely and go the extra mile to make their guests feel at home and have a great time. Tai even offers to pick up and drop off his guests where needed, he also helped us reserve train seats for our next travels and gave recommendations when our other plans fell through. At SOY you can enjoy a delicious breakfast made by Tai’s sweet parents, while looking out at a beautiful view of the garden. This was our favourite stay ever and we highly recommend SOY to others!

We had the most wonderful stay at SOY. Our room was spacious, cozy, and beautifully designed. Tai and his family’s house is truly special : it has such a unique and magical energy, especially in autumn. With the crisp weather and colorful foliage, there was nothing better than relaxing by the fireplace. We are deeply grateful for Tai and his family’s incredible hospitality: the delicious homemade Japanese breakfasts prepared by his mother, and the car rides kindly offered by Tai or his father whenever we needed them. Thank you to the whole family for welcoming us so warmly : your hospitality and passion made us feel right at home !

This was a great stay in Takayama. The host and his family make breakfast for you utilizing fresh produce from their town. Very fresh and tasty. They are extremely kind people. For dinner, the host, Tai, offers a shuttle service to and from town, so if you find a place you want to eat at, he will drive you there! He is very approachable and makes sure guests feel comfortable and can reach him if they ever need anything. He says his English isn't good, but it definitely is. As always, google translate is available for more complicated talks. The rooms have fresh tatami mats installed. They smelled so good. The futon and pillows were quite nice as well. Very recommended. Also, Kamikochi is a few hours' bus trip away, for absolutely beautiful views of the surrounding nature.

The ONLY thing that some might find to be a downside, is the location of the property. It is more on the outskirts of the city next to the main road/highway into town. Although, rural Japanese highways aren't too busy, so I didn't find any issue with it. The city center/JR station is a good few kilometers from the property, but again, Tai offers a shuttle service whenever you need (if you don't want to walk).

Soy Guesthouse was one of the best places we stayed on our honeymoon. The house is beautiful and has a really special atmosphere, with jazz playing in the communal room and a cat sleeping on a chair, and we loved staying in a traditional tatami mat room and having the amazing breakfast looking over the garden. Tai is a fantastic host - picking us from the station and dropping us back into town to explore, booking us dinner in advance as it was the tail end of Golden Week and answering any questions we had. Thank you to the whole family!

Nothing - the guesthouse is short drive from Takayama but Tai clearly communicated this to us the moment we booked and it didn't bother us at all, especially as he kindly provides lifts.

Great host, Tai and family were great to stay with. Tai would promptly pick you up and drop off anywhere you need to go in takayama. He would also give you suggestions for dinners and make reservations for you. They treat you like family and provide you with excellent breakfast. The beds were comfortable and I had a laundry machine in the unit. Bath tubs were really nice after long days of walking.

Upstairs has a kitchen which is a bit impractical to use when you’re a traveler. Distance from the old town - but Tai drops you off at the old town at any time you need so it didn’t bother me at all.

From our arrival to our departure it was a great experience to stay at SOY. Tai was so kind to pick up our luggage from the station so that we could enjoy directly Takayama. He gave us tips and great recommendations for sightseeing and coffee ☺️. He helped us with everything and the Japanese breakfast was just amazing. Thanks so much to Tai and his parents to let us feel like at home and that we could stay in this wonderful place with them. Our room ( Duplex) was great - very comfy beds - top bathroom and top amenities. The common area which you can use until 09:30 pm is decorated with a lot of charm and the open fire makes it even cosier. Once again thanks so much for everything and for sure - whenever we are back in Takayama we would stay again at Soy. Tara the home cat will be missed 🙃

Soy was a beautiful experience! The Kogawa family was so friendly--for example, Kei drove us to our destinations and came to pick us up as well. He even brought our luggage to the station for us after we did some last-minute sightseeing, hours after we checked out. The breakfasts were delicious (we had a choice between Western and Japanese, both fantastic), and the rooms were full of comfort and charm. The Kura Room we stayed in had a beautiful wooden bathtub that was a wonderful hot soak, as well as a whole entertainment room on the second floor. I highly recommend it. And of course I have to mention Tara, the adorable and sweet Soy cat! Hanging out in front of the warm stove and drinking tea after a day of sightseeing while admiring Tara will always be a happy memory for me.

If you look at the map, you might notice that Soy is located very close to the freeway. I worried about it as well, and it's not ideal--if you're a very light sleeper, it might be a problem. However, my husband slept soundly and even I (a much lighter sleeper) could sleep fine simply by running some white noise on my device.

Our stay here in Takayama was wonderful. We are so glad that we chose to stay with Tai and his family. Tai’s home is beautiful. It felt comfortable and homey, with common rooms to socialize with other guests if you choose, yet spacious enough to keep to yourself if desired. Our booking even included a private room upstairs with a projector screen where we watched a movie one night. We had the Japanese style breakfast twice and both agree that it was the best we had during our two weeks in Japan. Tai and his parents are so accommodating and helpful. They provided me with tools to fix my broken suitcase. Tai drove us to town every morning and back home every evening. He gave us hand warmers and umbrellas every time we left the house. He even came with us to the bus station to help us buy tickets on a local bus to go to our next stop in the onsen town. Beds are comfy, rooms were warm, shower was spacious. You will not regret staying at Soy!

For us, everything was perfect!

SOY impressed us on many levels. First of all our host Tai was very helpful long before we even flew to Japan. He spoke to us using the chat feature on Booking.com and helped coordinate some plans. When we arrived, he welcomed us warmly into his living room (with a nice fire going and a cute cat awaiting us). The room we stayed in was great (we got the one that had two floors). We stayed during the winter but our rooms was always warm and comfy. The food his family made was really nice and they even offer you two different styles of meal. I could go on and on about how much we enjoyed this stay. The location for us was great, but that could have been because we rented a car. Tai offers shuttle rides, but we never needed one, as we drove everywhere.