Koshinoyado Takashimaya

“Venerable Japanese Style "Ryokan"”

It is venerable ”Ryokan”, provided in room private dinner. We don't need wearnig tie or dress for dinner. We just wearing Yukata. It is amazing especially all dishes are Japanese cuisine cooked carefully and politery. And the building is important historical property. But clean and beautiful. I ... more

It is venerable ”Ryokan”, provided in room private dinner. We don't need wearnig tie or dress for dinner. We just wearing Yukata. It is amazing especially all dishes are Japanese cuisine cooked carefully and politery. And the building is important historical property. But clean and beautiful. I usually stay in the hotel, so really enjoyed stay at the ryokan. Oh, if you have incovinience to walk you have to know there are many stairs. The hot spring was so hot!! I couldn't sink my body. I need a time for wait until used to heat. In the night we could see firefly near the inn. I love there.

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“Historic, relaxing Japanese inn”

We stayed here for one night while visiting Niigata during our honeymoon. The main building is over two hundred years old and the Meiji emperor himself stayed here back in the 19th century. It feels like entering another era and we loved the history behind it. We stayed in a room with our own pri... more

We stayed here for one night while visiting Niigata during our honeymoon. The main building is over two hundred years old and the Meiji emperor himself stayed here back in the 19th century. It feels like entering another era and we loved the history behind it. We stayed in a room with our own private outdoor hotspring bath, which was very relaxing. The food was wonderful and we enjoyed both dinner and breakfast. The staff spoke a little English, and we spoke a little (broken) Japanese, so we were able to make ourselves understood. They were very friendly and the service was great. Highly recommend if you're looking for a traditional ryokan experience. They also have an English language website that makes it easy to book rooms online.

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“Meiji-Era Inn, with Pluses and Minuses”

The inn is more than 250 years old, and so has an "old world presence" when you walk through the door. The atmosphere is wonderful and you feel like you are stepping back into a bygone time. Everything is quiet and imbued in history. The inn itself is rambling, traveling up a hillside with s... more

The inn is more than 250 years old, and so has an "old world presence" when you walk through the door. The atmosphere is wonderful and you feel like you are stepping back into a bygone time. Everything is quiet and imbued in history. The inn itself is rambling, traveling up a hillside with side passages this way and that. Our room was up a couple of staircases and to the left. It opened to the interior garden and our room was filled with the pleasant (depending on your sensibilities) smell of sulphur from the hot spring bath. This may not be to everyone's liking, but for a hot spring fanatic, this is a bit of authenticity missing from many onsen ryokan. We had several rooms, within our room: a sitting room, tatami (sleeping) room, an indoor bath room and an outdoor hot spring area, as well as a toilet area and hallway. Very special. Meals were served in a separate, private room -- nice, no food preparation smells in your room. And, the food was excellent. We really enjoyed every dinner and breakfast. Dishes were served one at a time and we enjoyed the intimacy of our own company. The reasons why we only rate the property as "average" are as follows: 1. Our server on the first day was a young man. We are not sure if he was angry with his assignment or just angry with the world. Anyway, he was surly and unresponsive, the antithesis of everything Japanese! The next day we requested a new server, and it seemed like the front office women were selected. They were true professionals, but probably wondered why they had to step out beyond their job description. 2. The building and the rooms are old -- 250 years or more. In the bathroom area (not the toilet) we found cockroaches. There was insect spray provided, but we are on holiday, not in the extermination business. 3. Before I mentioned the wonderful smell of sulphur which permeated the room. We arrived on a Thursday, but checked out on a Saturday. For some reason, the temperature of the outdoor bath dropped (from 43 degrees to 39 degrees) and the smell of hot spring water disappeared on the onset of the weekend. Maybe most guests prefer cooler baths and less smelly water.... 4. The inn provided us with vouchers for free coffee or beer. Great, but the coffee was very pedestrian machine coffee and the beer was watery. This is strange since the inn is affiliated with the Swan Lake Brewing Company which produces excellent beer. Bottom line: we might return, but with eyes open.

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