Araya Totoan

The place is well kept and has character, the lady who runs it is very kind and attentive. We liked the location, if you want peace and quiet. The hot springs experience is very pleasant. Our rooms were spacious and had amazing attention to details. Kaiseki and breakfast were served in a private room. Food the second night was much better than the first night, (I had some problems the first night). I was given a lovely continental breakfast, or if you want you can have Japanese breakfast. Lovely place! I would go back.

Our itinerary planner, Scott Gilman, of JapanQuest Journeys booked us in this ryokan for 2 nights during our private tour of the interior of Japan. Experiencing this unique Japanese experience was so lovely. Our room was huge and we had our own private open air bath fed by a mineral spring. The futons were very comfortable. At 76 and 91 sleeping on the floor would have been difficult. The attention to beautiful Japanese detail and service made for lovely meals and, when we asked for “Western Breakfast” on day 2, it was provided happily so we didn’t have to waste food that was not to our liking. Here, in the land of tea, the lattes from the Nespresso machine were wonderful. Even more special was the tour of the magnificent renovated quarters where the Imperial family stayed long ago conducted by the senior member of the family who has run this inn for generations. We were treated as friends and honored guests. We so highly recommend two things…have Scott plan your Japanese holiday and have him book you at this beautiful historic and serene ryokan.