Hikyou Shirakawagensen Sansou Takefue

I could see Takefue being a stunner of a ryokan in its heyday, but currently it just feels tired and is WAY too expensive for what is being offered. In the middle of March, for nearly $2,000 a night we'd expect a world-class, meticulously maintained property with impeccable service. Our experience was not that. There was very loud construction happening during most waking hours. Management clearly made a business decision to keep operating a property and collecting large sums of money from customers while construction is taking place. The whole point of a ryokan is rest and relaxation, and the construction (both audibly and visually—you could see construction materials piled about, workers milling around, etc.) completely takes away from that ambience. That's something I might expect from a property in say, Mexico or maybe Portugal... not a luxury ryokan charging top dollar. Inside, it felt a bit like an old, unprofessionally run Airbnb where you'd open a cabinet and find clutter behind closed doors. There were random devices and books strewn about our room. The bathroom smelled slightly sewagey. Outside of our room, there was zero common space available to read, grab a tea/coffee, etc.—so we felt a bit trapped. My husband ordered sake during our kaiseki dinner, and it didn't arrive until 30+ minutes into the meal. For maybe closer to $600/night, this experience would have been acceptable. For what we paid—this was not worth it at all. My positive notes: the outdoor onsen that you could book by the hour was nice and our nakai-san was very sweet.

The room is very spacious. You can feel quaint, beautiful Japanese atmosphere. The open-air bath in my room was large. We can spend relaxing time with beautiful green and natural sound. The spring quality is very good. Food is Japanese cuisine. The amount is large, so I recommend not to eat lunch to ready for this very delicious dinner, This hotel offers us a lot of fun things, so you can enjoy all day long in this hotel.

The room, the meals, and the service were all brimming with hospitality, making it a highly satisfying and wonderful journey. If given the chance, I would definitely love to visit again. I highly recommend for those looking for hidden gem in Japan. I want to come back again for my future visit to Japan.

tried to inquire about room change and adding guests by calling the numbers on google, their website and everything I can find. But either no one answer the phone, or it says the phone number does not work. Slow in responding to email as well

I have been experiencing ryokans in Japan for many years and Takefue is the best all around in my opinion. It’s nestled in a beautiful bamboo forest with access to rooms and baths by way of winding covered wooden walkways. Our room was modern yet faithful to ryokan tradition. Both indoor and outdoor baths you can enjoy without leaving your room. The bathroom has all the toiletries you need including luxury name brand products. Large bedroom with comfy beds and bathrobes. Soft drinks in the refrigerator are included as well as fresh coffee. The in room dining is in the same league as the finest restaurants and we enjoyed a wonderful omakase meal one night and sukiyaki our second night. The seafood was incredibly fresh including the best uni I think I’ve ever had! Taka san kept us well looked after and has the astounding ability to anticipate every need from the time he picked us up until we were dropped of. The service he provided was absolutely outstanding in every way. We enjoyed two of the property’s hot springs, which are reserved in 45 minute periods. Soaking under the bamboo forest with the sounds of birds and insects is unforgettable. In addition there was live music at night and we enjoyed it very much sitting on our patio. The tasty parting gift was also very much appreciated (and thoroughly enjoyed). I could continue at length about how much we enjoyed our stay but I will end by suggesting that if you are considering a ryokan getaway, then take it from an experienced ryokan aficionado and reserve at Takefue!

There are so many charming Ryokans to choose from in Japan and after much research, my heart was set on Takefue due to the fact the property was surrounded by a beautiful bamboo forest. I had high expectations as this was one of the more expensive options and I can tell you our expectations were totally surpassed. We stayed for two nights and found we wished we could have stayed longer as this was the most memorable and relaxing experience of our Japan trip. As soon as you arrive, you’ll feel like you’re in another world. We were warmly greeted by Mr. Tomonari Ishii, the property’s general manager, with only 12 rooms at Takefue, exclusivity and privacy was guaranteed! The design of the entire property is traditional Japanese but it’s done in a very luxurious and contemporary way, accommodation was very spacious with each room having their own private onsens but it was also well worth to experience “Chikujo No Ma”, their private onsite onsen which was beautiful when lit-up at night. It was truly a unique and memorable private onsen experience for us. Takefue has one of the most beautiful garden grounds I have ever set eyes on, in the afternoon, they had a pianist playing amongst a group of cute ducks which perfectly matches the environment and had a relaxing vibe to the overall grounds. But the sheer beauty of Takefue is definitely in the evenings when the entire property is subtly lit up, it was breath-taking! Guests were serenaded by a professional flute player in the evenings which really complimented the overall ambience and creating a very enchanting mood, it was picture perfect and very romantic. The service was also exceptional. It was excellent from the moment our car arrived and the staff greeted us to when they farewell us! Our attendant, Ms. Asami Hamada was courteous and accommodating. She was so helpful in many ways. She made sure that everything was prepared well during breakfast and dinner and introduced the dishes so we know what we were eating! The food served at Takefue was exceptional and the presentation flawless. We were also surprised and impress by the amazing Kumamon bear birthday cake presented on the first night, so cute and delicious too! Hamada waved us goodbye when we left Takefue and we would like to express our appreciation to her, she went above and beyond to take care of us and make sure we had a great experience in Takefue – Thank you Hamada! Takefue is beautiful, relaxing and peaceful, a truly magical place to stay where everything was done to perfection…

This is a most unforgettable ryokan experience. It is luxurious treatment all the way and all your creature comforts are thoughtfully taken care of; from welcoming and greeting you when you are about to check in, carrying your luggage down the rocky steps to your room, a welcome afternoon tea,setting up your table for your meals, a "magical" presentation of your dessert,free ice creams, free juices,milk,yoghurt,can drinks, Nespresso,Yuzu for your onsen, saying goodbye at the end of your stay to the beautiful gifts of coffee table book of Takafue, beautifully crafted boxes of batons and chococlates. Tomino our service staff provided outstanding service. The property has alot of character and is very instagrammable. The food was aesthetically presented, deliciously fresh and more than enough for any appetite. Kudos to the chef. Toiletries from Hermes, L'occitane and Aesop were provided.Dyson hair dryer was available for use. We were staying in Amato and Sasane. I would highly highly recommend anyone to come and experience Takefue hospitality. And I would return for the experience again in a heartbeat.

Loved everything from this Onsen. We checked in with a selection of Yukata for everyone and headed to our room. Each room is different (we stayed in 2 different rooms this trip) and the hot spring was great. We spent New Year there and they had the New Year Rice Cake making tradition and everyone was invited to participate. They also have a flute player at night and it was just around dinner time when people are done with dinner or soaking in the hot spring which really completed the whole experience. Food was amazing, every meal we had more than enough and the service was exceptional.

It’s my second stay there and it won’t be my last. Attentive service started after I made a reservation. I received an email from them, making me believe that I would be in good hands. The driver arrived the pick up point before the agreed time. Our cheerful nakai, MARIKO, did a great job ensuring our stay was satisfactory. She spoke good English so no communication problem. We were happy to have her take care of us. Service, atmosphere. room decor as well as the baths were more or less the same as my last stay. Quality of the meals were good. I was happy to see that the Alain milliat juice was still available at breakfast. We were especially impressed by the chestnut dessert as well as the pre-ordered 3D kumamon cake. Not only were they instagramable but also delectable. Kudos to chef and his team for creating those wonderful desserts, we loved them! We received a 2-hour Zen spa treatment. The masseuses demonstrated good manual dexterity and rigorous physical effort. Not the best I have ever had but it’s comfortable and relaxing. However, i found that, to my dismay, the property’s hardware looked a little run-down. The toiletries provided were not the best among the newly opened ryokans. The cushions and the wooden fixtures showed signs of wear and tear. No ice-cream was available during my stay. The outdoor gas heater had no supply of gas until requested. The pyjamas were torn. Still the same old dyson hairdryer, I wish I could see a new model or something like an Airwrap. Looking closer to the containers and baskets in the changing room, they all looked dilapidated. Without autumn leaves or winter snow, the environment was less scenic and appealing. However, the flute performance at night saved the day. I just couldn’t praise the musician enough. The music pieces he played matched perfectly with the environment, extremely atmospheric, creating a distinctive mood in that rainy day. There’s also a flute performance during my last stay but for unknown reasons, it was less impressive. We were offered small gifts of sweets upon our checkout, which we appreciated. They were delicious. Not sure if they are for sale, good souvenir ideas indeed. The property is in need of a serious refurbishment. i think it’ll be really difficult since it is fully booked all year round. I would like to return soon and hope that the property can restore to its peak condition then.