The owner greeted me very kindly upon arrival and gave a detailed tour of the property. This was my first Ryokan experience and exceeded my expectations by a lot. The property was very nicely laid out, and with plenty of details for an enjoyable stay: a gramophone, suikinkutsu, and a beautiful garden/outdoor areas. The most helpful part were the many little labels, in English, Chinese, and Japanese, around the area providing instructions to guide my stay. The Ryokan was also very clean with my suitcase wheels being wiped before entering. Highly recommended!

I wish I had more time in Ise so I could have stayed for longer!

Hoshidekan is a family run Ryokan of exceptional character and beauty - 4 generations ago the same family had this superb building made, and it represents a rare touch stone to Japan's past. With Ghibli-esque feel, wonderfully attentive and kind staff, Hoshidekan is a gem. We highly recommend this for those travellers looking for an athentic and special experience. Traditonal garden at the centre with water feature and more, great baths,excellent home cooked breakfast, library reading room, gramophone in shared living room and more. Thankyou Hoshidekan for your hospitality, we loved being in your amazing Ryokan. Arigatou gozaimasu! Subarashi!

Nothing to dislike

I have a friend who lived in Japan for several years, and when I told her I wanted to visit Ise, she said, 'You have to stay at Hoshidekan!' and I'm so glad she did. The building is beautiful, the courtyard is gorgeous, and the hosts are wonderful. It's a short walk from Iseshi station and several great restaurants. Our room was amazing, and so was the bath. We opted to include breakfast in our stay, and it was delicious and the portions very generous. If you're looking for a lovely ryokan experience, I cannot recommend Hoshidekan enough.

Everything about this ryokan is delightful. The atmosphere of the building itself is incredibly charming, including the beautiful garden and vintage furnishings. The staff are kind and so helpful, and eating a delicious homemade breakfast is the best way to start the day. The bathroom facilities etc are quite retro, which I actually loved - staying here feels like slipping back into a different decade. If you’re interested in history, design or architecture you will definitely enjoy staying here!

I had a wonderful experience. The traditional-style inn was beautiful and had a warm, welcoming atmosphere. The staff were very friendly and the wifi was (surprisingly) pretty good. Everything was clean and tidy, and it felt very peaceful. I wasn't bothered by any noises or any of the other guests. I came to Ise for the purpose of visiting Ise Grand Shrine, and staying here made me feel even more integrated with the local culture.

Due to the nature of the building, there is no elevator, so it may be a little inconvenient when it comes to carrying luggage. In addition, the staff turned off the AC in my room during the day, so when I came back at around 2pm, my room was hot. However, I recognize that this is done to save energy, so I didn't mind so much. (It also helped that I knew where to find the "high-power" button on the AC remote :p)

It was an old guesthouse but pretty well kept, and very authentic experience in staying in the tatami rooms. Host was really friendly and nice, gave all the guests tour around the inn. There's also trinkets of histories peppered around for guests to read and understand the history behind this lodging. Because I was heading to nagoya, host also gave me a brochure of nagoya subway map & list of famous food~ really the nicest host I've ever met.

The innkeepers are very enthusiastic and helpful, making this traditional Japanese inn, which has been passed down through 4 generations, the best place to stay for tourists from all over the world who visit Ise Jingu Shrine. In addition to being able to stay in a traditional building that is nearly 100 years old, listening to the Suikinkutsu in the garden was the biggest surprise, and I hope that the innkeepers will further maintain it so that it can be restored to its full functionality. The breakfast was heartfelt and the Japanese-style family bathroom was very cozy.

The old-fashioned ryokan rooms have been renovated to be quite comfortable and charming, and it would be ideal to have indirect lighting to reduce the dimness of the rooms.

Gorgeous vintage Ryokan, for an authentic experience in Ise. Not far from the train station and from a couple of bus stops that take you to the two big shrines. Beautiful rooms and inner garden, architecture very reminiscent of the merchant houses of Ise. Very friendly and professional staff, old-school courteous service and very nice breakfast, either Japanese of Western. All around great inn.

From the pictures alone I did not know what to expect coming in, especially considering the rather low price per night... but to say I was pleasantly surprised would be an understatement! Hoshidekan is a little oasis in the middle of... well... a pretty empty area. The building is gorgeous, and the rooms fairly sized (the one I stayed in was completely fine for 2 people). Staff was also very friendly and helpful!

The only thing that may turn off some visitors is that toilets, sinks and baths are inside your room. The shower room was also not available, and the baths are fairly small (I wouldn't try to fit more than 3 people at once). Also baths are private and not per gender like most places, so if there too many guests staying you may have to wait a bit for your turn.

Unique old building built around a beautiful central garden, the onsen baths were lovely and I appreciated the kindness and friendliness of the staff. The room was very pretty with tatami floors and a futon mat bed. Also short walking distance to two train stations and the Outer Jingu Shrine, so very convenient.

Everything was great