It is an awesome place. when we arrived, it was almost 6pm and the sky was completely dark. When we saw the room, we were completely impressed by the snowy landscape outside. The service was impeccable and the attention to details was amazing. The food experience was also out of this world with many local customary dishes made from local produce. The place was very well maintained despite being 160 years-old.

For the price we paid, I thought the quantity of food was on the small side. For small eaters, it may be ok. For bigger eaters, it may be a challenge.

We were looking for the quintessential Ryokan experience - as this was likely to be our one and only opportunity to be in one. Wanosato met that expectation. The "room" was actually 4 rooms looking directly out on a lovely river. The onsen (baths) were perfect (although in-doors - no outdoor baths). A bath is reserved after dinner for mixed bathing (i.e.,. only you and your partner in the bath) which was special. The food was spectacuiar. Staff was terrfiic. Overall, very relaxing - you feel pampered. You pay a lot for all of this luxury - but it was worth it for us.

What a wonderful experience! Before even entering the ryokan, we were met in the parking lot, and it felt like they were happily awaiting us. While we were escorted into the building, other staff members carried our suitcases to our room. The ryokan was stunning in its comfort, beauty, warmth, and the smell of burning wood in the fireplace. The room itself was breathtaking, with a breathtaking view of the river and forest from the window. The mattress and pillows were very comfortable – we slept wonderfully! Everything was thought out to the smallest detail and was incredibly comfortable. The onsen was large and wonderful, and dinner and breakfast were works of art. All the staff were attentive, and everything was incredibly clean. We were delighted! It was a magical experience, and we sincerely wish everyone the same joy as we did.

Even one night at Wanosato is an incredible experience. This ryokan is a bit far from Takayama's city centre, but it was not a problem at all since we were brought there and back by a shuttle bus provided by Wanosato. We were greeted with a tea and delicious manjuu and stayed at the Ichinomiya room. The room was spacious and had a beautiful view. The furniture was full of soul. There was a matcha making set with instructions but also a nespresso coffee maker. We were provided with a cute set of yukata, haori, belt, socks, and a little bag with bathroom necessities, all in lovely autumn colors. The staff was very kind and welcoming, we could communicate easily in English and my very much broken Japanese. We had dinner and breakfast. The dinner was a 10-course exquisite feast. The hida beef steak was delicious, but we could also experience things we never did, like eating a grilled fish straight from a stick and miso soup with mussels. Afterwards we could barely move, we were so full. However, we still found riceballs wrapped in a leaf in our room afterwards, in case we were still hungry. We weren't, but we ate them anyway - they were delicious. The breakfast was also incredible and very filling - we really enjoyed the tofu and fresh melon. There were two different baths available to us - one wooden and one made with stone. We could experience both of them since the genders attached to them switched every day and also because we were given an hour of private bath time - we could then choose which one we prefer and split into gendered groups. Personally, I liked the wooden one the most because of the tranquill view and soothing scent. The stone one also had a bath with cold water, which was very refreshing. We have spent 18 days in Japan already and were very tired. After spending a night, I think either my feet stopped being swollen or my blisters healed quite a bit because walking doesn't hurt anymore.

We stayed in the Deluxe Japanese Style House, or Garyu Villa. The entire experience was amazing. The staff were all incredibly friendly and patient, and every moment seemed carefully choreographed to make our stay peaceful and relaxing. The food at both dinner and breakfast were delicious and presented so beautifully, and the private time in the onsen after dinner was lovely (you sign up for dinner time and private onsen time during check-in). Our villa was beautiful, as were the rest of the grounds. Every little space in the villa was delicately designed and comfortable, either with lovely art or a gorgeous view of the river. The lighting in every space was either beautifully dramatic or gentle and tranquil. The beds were more like western mattresses than futon, and very comfortable. Even the bathtowels were notably glorious! The gentleman serving hot sake and magic tricks around the fire in the lobby after dinner should be designated as a national treasure!

Literally the only downside was that there wasn't simple green tea in the villa itself... black tea bags and fancy matcha, with instructions for making matcha in a traditional way that we failed at. :-) We had to enjoy the provided sake instead!

Both the kaiseki dinner and the breakfast were exceptional. Onsen rooms for men and women were switched as usual between one day and the next, so we were able to enjoy both room styles: a large, simple hinoki bath and a rock garden style bath. The reception area's large traditional iro seating area was comfortable, and the complimentary warmed sake and impromptu magic show provide some evening amusement. It's not close to anything, which is great, but also something to be aware of. The cluster of relocated traditional buildings including two thatched roof gassho zukuri kominka, were very impressive.

It would be great to also provide a rotemburo (outside bath) with visibility to the river. The kaiseki meals were served in a screened dining room instead of in our rooms, which was fine, but not expected. I understand that it's logistically more practical, but serving in our room at the table overlooking the river would have been just a bit better, especially in such an otherwise traditional place.

Beautiful traditional ryokan set in the forest next to a river. Staff took great effort to provide excellent service.

Smell of the smoke from the fire place (irori ?) in the reception area was very strong and permeated the corridors and lobby. I think it would be very difficult for asthmatic people to stay here if the fire is going. It was beautiful to see, but we could not stay any longer than five minutes in this area of the building. We also thought that the dining area was too bright and not very private. For a property of this caliber, we would expect to have more privacy and better ambience. Compared to several other luxury ryokans we have stayed at, the kaiseki dinner was mediocre and the individual courses did not have the level of presentation that we were used to. Breakfast, though, was good and well presented, and helped us to leave on a bit more of a positive note.

We very much enjoyed our one night stay here as two couples in one villa. Yes, this is a pricy stay for one night, but considering how much and great food you get, how nice and comfy rooms you get, and how nice the baths are, it's worth every penny. The staff was very accommodating and incredibly nice. We even got a bamboo-sake infused magic show after dinner! The house we stayed in was clean and very large. The beds were amazing! And the baths were so relaxing! This place is like out of a ghibli film.

The meals were sublime and the onsen was great. The river view cannot be beat, it's truly a great way to feel immersed in nature and at peace. I loved that they provided tea for you to make in your room. Yukata is provided which was fun to wear. The shuttle pickup service to/from the station was very convenient as we did not have a car.

There is a bit of a smoky smell to the property but that is because of the traditional hearth "irori". The hallways are colder in winter as there is no "central heating" but it didn't bother me at all. The rooms have heaters and are very warm. I am not sure if the high price of the booking is worth it, but I don't regret my stay there.

Stayed for 2 nights in November. Traditional ryokan, with an excellent Onsen. The whole place radiates quality and style. service level and both dinner and Breakfast are top notch. Rooms are spacious and location/ view from the room - Especially in autumn time - is to die for. We choose for 2 nights to be able to fully absorb the atmosphere. Although still steep in price, quality, atmosphere and service level is much higher than a top ranked - nearly twice as expensive - ryokan we stayed at in 2018

Nothing. Reading the reviews people have to realize this is a traditional ryokan in an over 100 years old building with all its quirks. In our opinion that’s a part of its charms