We stayed in this hotel for only one night, the day before heading to the Takayama Spring Festival. What can I say? I wish I stayed there longer. This wonderful ryokan is near others in a remote location in the Japanese Alps, about an hour and a half drive from Takayama. It's super easy to reach it with the bus departing from the Takayama Station (although there are not many departing each day, so I recommend studying the schedule well and arranging the trip well in advance). The ryokan is wonderfully restored, offering all the modern comforts while maintaining the mysterious vibes that you would expect from such a place. There are only about 10 rooms, each of large size with the traditional futon beds prepared before sleeping. Most importantly, each room has its private outdoor hot spring bath. Besides the private hot spring baths in each room, the ryokan also has two common hot springs that one room per time can occupy. The only small complaint I have is that when we were there (April 2023) there were some workers on the opposite side of the garden who could very clearly see into the hot spring, so we didn't use them. I strongly recommend building a bamboo fence or something similar to ensure privacy. The reservation also includes one dinner and one breakfast, which are both amazing, both as a setting and as food quality. During our staying there we also managed to go for a hike in the nearby mountain and try a local izakaya down the road, both fun experiences!

The only tiny thing is the workers on the opposite side of the public hot spring, which prevented us from using them (although we may anyway have stayed more in the room's private one).

We had an absolutely amazing stay at Hidaji — a truly guest-centered and luxurious ryokan experience. The rooms were spacious and comfortable, the food was always plentiful, varied, and delicious, and both the indoor and outdoor onsen were a delight to use. The setting in a small village felt perfect for escaping the buzz of the big city and enjoying the beauty of the Japanese Alps. The staff were consistently helpful and attentive, and the amenities were excellent. Honestly, in terms of hospitality, I cannot fault them on anything.

My only suggestion for improvement would be to offer a pick-up service from Hirayu Onsen. The transportation network in the region is not very convenient, so a regular shuttle service to the main hub would make arrivals smoother. Without a car, there are simply too many bus changes.

The room was incredible! Stunningly beautiful but calm, cosy and serene. Thoughtful amenities like a Bluetooth speaker, huge TV with soundbar, a V60 with fresh coffee and matcha in your room, plus an incredibly well stocked bathroom with not just the basics, but a comprehensive set of very high quality cosmetics, soaps etc. Outstanding! Even the mini bar was very reasonable and based on an honesty system. Our evening meal was exquisitely prepared, delicious and rooted firmly in the unique local produce of the area, including vegetables and river fish. We had Hida beef cooked on a lava stone and it was immense. Breakfast was also amazing with some brand new flavours and discoveries. The onsen was beautiful, the indoor bath was amazing. We didn’t get a chance to go to the larger shared (but still private) onsen but they looked beautiful too. The staff were all very kind, considerate and helpful. At all times you felt how deeply they all cared for what they were doing and how legitimately they wanted you to enjoy your stay. Faultless.

Bus access is annoying and the busses do not run as punctually as they could, some standardised instructions on how to get there would be useful, though asking the staff and they were always very clear and VERY helpful with helping us. To be clear this is not an issue with Hidaji really, more a consequence of where it is.

One of the best hotelling experiences of our life. You feel fully submerged in a cultural trip to Japan/Hida's traditional lifestyle and culture: The hotel is beautiful, from the hall to the restaurant and of course the rooms. Eveything felt traditional, thoughtful and pleasant, with the hotel providing you with all the necessary amenities, including sandals, housewear and yukata (I think thats the name) for you to use throughout the stay. The dinner was such an impressive experience, with a wide variety of dishes and flavours to discover, including obviously the famous Hida beef. Hope to return one day.

Could be more flexible in some timings/schedules, such as check-in/breakfast/dinner, but this had almost no impact on our stay and we understand that this could be part of the experience.

I stayed at this hotel in 2018 and was amazed. During the COVID-19 epidemic, we were unable to travel abroad, and occasionally missed this hotel, hoping that one day the epidemic would end and we could visit here again. This year, we finally realized our wish. The hotel still maintains a high standard, and the food is not only visually artistic, but also really delicious. The room size and facilities are impeccable, and the public hot springs offer unparalleled views of the forest and waterfalls. The environment is unparalleled, and there is no need to use them with strangers at the same time, ensuring maximum privacy. We know that the hotel is fully booked every day, but the smooth service and arrangements make it rare for us to encounter other guests, and every place is quiet and comfortable. The morning market next to the hotel is so lovely. If possible, I would like to have time to sit quietly there for a few hours. We have stayed in many excellent hotels in Asia and Europe, and this hotel has definitely performed exceptionally well with irreplaceable advantages.

The hair dryer in the room is heavy and has weak wind, making it difficult to dry girls' long hair; We were arranged to have breakfast and dinner in the same room for two days, and it would be better if we had the opportunity to experience the dining area by the window.

Stop 8 of 9 on our honeymoon tour of Japan but yet another highlight and unforgettable stay. The staff were, unsurprisingly, extremely attentive and always genuinely happy to help at any given time or moment. The area was extremely quiet, given it being June and the area first and foremost being a Ski resort in the winter. We hired a car and drove from Osaka to Tokyo which made getting here far easier than I believe the only other way, a bus. You may struggle to get around without transport. Thank you for a genuinely unforgettable stay.

Not still being there.

This ryokan is phenomenal every step of the way. The staff are wonderful, kind, and very helpful. The hotel itself is beautiful and in a majestic location surrounded by mountains and rivers. The kaiseki breakfast and dinner are also delicious and everything was such amazing quality. Last but not least, the onsens were incredible and left us feeling refreshed and relaxed after long days of hiking. It was by far our favorite stay on our honeymoon!

The Ryokan is fairly traditional and old, which we enjoyed; however, that means that the beds were quite hard and the rooms were not very sound proofed. This isn’t a problem if you have quiet neighbors, but ours were very noisy. Just bring ear plugs in case! Also, since it is very scheduled, the location can be quite complicated to get to, so make sure to plan ahead!

Absolutely incredible accommodation! The highlight of our trip! From the moment we arrived, we were greeted with the best service we have ever encountered. Most of the staff spoke great English. The hotel is absolutely beautiful and a tasteful mix of modern and traditional Japanese styles. The hot spring in our room was so luxurious, but the private onsens were incredible. There are two, and they do not need to be reserved. The tablet provided in our room told us if they were occupied which made it easy. The views from these are spectacular, overlooking the mountains and a stream. Dinner and breakfast were made using local ingredients and were delicious. We had personal service during both meals and every item was described very thoroughly.

Everything was great! The private onsens were busy right before dinnertime, but we went early enough that it wasn't an issue!

Very authentic experience. A nest in the Moutain with wonderful private garden and onsen. Authentic Kaiseki food

Very difficult to access without your own car. The hotel does not have any car service despite being very remote. As a result, to move around, you need to fit into several complex bus schedules that rarely coincide. We spent 3/4 hours per day moving in and out of the hotel (e.g, to Kamikochi for instance)

I wrote a bit about my experience with Hidaji in this article: https://www.porchandparish.com/2024/12/19/517106/travel-thursday-japan To expand upon it, let me just say that Hidaji exceeded our expectations. The accommodations were luxurious and comfortable. We enjoyed both in-room and private onsens and found the system to use the latter to be very simple and intuitive. The views from the private onsen were breath-taking. The snow on the river made the whole scene quiet and serene. The food was all top notch. Every meal had variety and interest, with a focus on local river fish, hida beef and milk, and vegetables. We also really enjoyed the juice! The apple was the best we'd ever had. The sake recommendations were all superb and we very much appreciated being sent back to our room after dinner with a "midnight snack." The hosts were friendly and engaging and all spoke English. We had no trouble communicating our needs. We appreciated the provided boots and coats to explore the surrounding town as well as their assistance with getting our luggage shipped to and from the location. Every night at dinner, the hosts asked us about our plans for the following day so that our room could be cleaned and made up appropriately. This was much appreciated. We also enjoyed an in-room massage that was very relaxing. The inn is about an hour from Takayama by the very convenient bus line. Just make sure to check the timelines carefully to make sure it is making a stop at "Fukuji Onsen". The same bus also takes you to the Shin-hotaka Ropeway, which I highly recommend. You can get discounted tickets to the ropeway combined with a multi-day bus pass at the Nohi Bus depot located adjacent to Takayama Train Station.

I can't think of anything