A really gem. An original tryokan, complete with onsen. The building is over 200 years old and full of antiques. There is an original Noh stage, which the dining room overlooks. Dinner and breakfast are included in the price and are Japanese set menus. Be aware that the beds are Japanese futon, but they may have rooms with western style beds. That would have to be reserved when booking. The menu for both meals is set. The emails are very clear on that point. The staff were lovely and attentive. Many do not speak english very well, but the reception and dining room staff normally have fairly good english. (Better than my Japanese). The onsen is lovely. There are views out to the gardens practically down every corridor. They are a little remote. You can get a taxi from Kanazawa. I caught a local train to Morimoto station and took a taxi from there. (About 1800 yen). There is also an bus option but that's slower and involves either a walk or another taxi. If you want an authentic ryokan experience, than I highly recommend Motoyu Ishiya.

As far as traditional ryokans go, this could not have been more special. Each meal was like a tasting menu, the onsen with its natural coffee-colored mineral water was rejuvenating and the architecture was beautiful. The staff was incredibly kind to us when they found out it was our honeymoon. Although this was more expensive than we were used to paying for our trip, it was worth it!

If you are looking to go to Kanazawa everyday, there is one only bus at 9:19am that goes to Kanazawa and only one which returns around 4pm, which can feel like a bit of a fixed schedule.

Breakfast and Dinners were amazing. The service of course was excellent and the food was very good. The amount of food is excessive but I think it was authentic in the types of food that would normally be eaten. You don't have to be adventurous to enjoy the food but if you are really picky I would not recommend getting the dinners there. The Onsen can be overwhelming if you are not used to them but I would say I really enjoyed the experience. Kanazawa itself has some amazing gardens and a really fun market to go to. There is plenty of different types of shopping available as well.

It is a long distance into Kanazawa. I would recommend having a car if you plan to sightsee. There is public transportation available but it is not very convenient.

The staff was incredibly warm and welcoming, always there to take care of every detail. It’s a small team so the same people that greet you when you arrive with hot tea will likely be serving you dinner or breakfast. The breakfasts and dinners that we had were outstanding! Very traditional with many small dishes designed to work well together. Fresh fish, grilled fish, pickles, 2 types of miso soup, all served in your own private dining room. The onsen was also fantastic. The men’s area had 2 hot indoor tubs and one outside as well as a cold plunge. Outside of the main buildings is a beautiful, lush garden surrounded by a natural landscape of large trees. A very peaceful setting. We also spend a couple days wondering Kanazawa. There’s a free shuttle bus every morning that runs from the onsen to Morimoto station which is just one stop away from the main Kanazawa station. Very handy and saves on taxi fare1

As noted elsewhere, there are some areas that look a bit dated and could use some updates. That said, nothing that took away from the overall experience.

This most beautiful property was a wonderful introduction to staying in a ryokan for me and my son, coming from Australia. It typified everything about a family run ryokan: every corner of this expansive property was comfortable, clean, with library and sitting rooms full of historical artefacts looking out on exquisite snowy gardens. utterly peaceful, with a luxurious onsen. The breakfasts and dinners were served in individual dining areas looking over gardens and a historic performance stage- utterly memorable

It's been a wonderful experience staying here. It's an histoeical building in a very quiet zone, that has a special kind of thermal water. There's lots of small courtyards with green scenery all around, and the whole thing is just so beautiful! The staff and service overall was nothing short of perfect, very attentive. The kaiseki dinner was very good, very filling and felt like it was a very curated experience. Same with breakfast. I had high expectations for this place and it went beyond what I imagined. If you wanna spend at least one night in a ryokan, come here! It's going to be one of my favorite memories of this trip to japan

Very warm welcome at the arrival, they took the baggage to the room and offered tea while completely bureoucracy. Room in perfect Japanise traditional style, lots of amenities in ther (thoothbrush, shower caps, slippers, towel, yukata -also for children) Onsen open for 17 hours per day, great Japanese experience. Breakfast and Dinner in perfect Japanese style, unique chance to eat great Japanese food (be prepared for lots of food and some of them really exotic for a western person). Ryokan personnel extremely kind and available.

Actually everything was really good, the only point is that the bathroom fixutures are a bit dated (even if perfectly functioning)

Beautiful location and building and the traditional ryokan trappings felt sincere and authentic. Staff were wonderful - kind, polite and incredibly accommodating - my partner cannot eat gluten and though we emailed before and they didn’t commit to adapting the menu, when we arrived and explained her dietary requirements, they adapted both dinner and breakfast without sacrificing anything. Onsen was lovely too.

It is a little bit out of the way which is a struggle in and out without suitcases but bus in morning gets you into town. Traditional bedding not the most comfortable but that was our choice to book and experience.

The staff are exceptional. Over our stay they made every effort to make us feel comfortable and even with the language barrier, we felt welcomed. One of the gentleman kindly walked my husband onto the morning bus to ensure he was set the first day. My husband enjoyed the onsen each night, but as a never-nude, I took advantage of the in-room tub nightly for relaxation. We did the half board with breakfast and dinner. Each meal was an adventure of items, not every item our taste, but the presentation and authenticity was heartfelt and a great experience. The first night's dinner view of the gardens, stage, and piles of snow was so special. The staff arranged for our taxi to station at check out, and thoughtfully set up shoes for departure, took our photo, and waved us off. It's a special place.

The property is visually quite pleasing outside. But the area can be challenging for transportation. Though it's not many kilometers from town, it's a pricey taxi ride ($35-$50usd - have cash yen) and limited bus option at 919a and I believe only 1-2 return busses in afternoon. So, when I elected to stay in one morning and later wanted to go into town, I felt a bit conflicted. Hindsight, we should have gotten a car for the 2 days.

Meal service (both dinner and breakfast) was wonderful and an experience one would struggle to find elsewhere as a tourist in your typical restaurant. Staff were very mindful and their semi-broken English didn't hurt communication at all. Overall a very positive experience!

Forewarning of a small charge of about 5,000 yen (between the two of us) at the end of our stay in the form of an 'onsen tax'. Perhaps we missed it in the ToS but its an extra unwelcome fee (I would've gladly paid in bulk at the time of our booking) to be wary of. Don't let it put you off though as the overall experience was still very positive.