Hikyou Shirakawagensen Sansou Takefue

I usually do not write reviews let alone create an account on TripAdvisor to do so but I think there needs to be some serious improvement in the hotel staff service for an establishment claiming to be a luxury ryokan. I booked a stay at Takefue from November 16th-17th 2024 with my partner as a special trip. For context, we picked the Amato room and paid ¥210,000 yen for a single night which as of current exchange rates amounts to be around $1,368. Keep in mind, we live in New York and this price exceeds even the most luxurious hotels in Manhattan by a mile. It is extremely disappointing that the service of this ryokan provides is woefully lacking and leaves a lot to be desired. The issues started right as we checked-in. During this check-in process we were asked to seat at the lounge area while they got our rooms ready. Once they got our names down and confirmed our reservation, the gentleman who ushered us in initially proceeded to leave the reception area for almost 20 minutes leaving us confused as to why it was taking so long to get our room ready. Note that no other staff was available in the reception area and we were left wondering what is going on. Even more frustrating is that after 20 minutes, a completely different hotel staff lady approached us and finally took us to our room. I have no idea why the check-in process took so long nor do I understand why there was near zero communication from the hotel staff about how long this would take. If there is a delay with setting up the room at least have the decency to inform your guests about this instead of leaving them in the reception area wondering what the hell is going on. The second issue which bothered me is during the breakfast service. The night before we were asked to pick between the choice of salmon or mackerel for our fish. My partner and I both picked mackerel. I was incredibly displeased to find out that they got my partner's order wrong and served her salmon for her breakfast meal. I know this might be nitpicky but if you are charging exorbitant prices for a one night stay at least get our food requests right. Takefue is supposedly one of the most sought after luxury ryokans in the area but the service that was provided to my partner and I was sorely lacking and is not up to standard with what I expect from paying almost $1,368 PER NIGHT. If this establishment wants to charge top dollar for their rooms then at the very least they should provide a service befitting this price point. There needs to be a serious look into how hotel staff treat their guests here because it is extremely poor. What is the point of having a nice ryokan if the hotel staff do not know basic hospitality skills? To anyone reading this, especially the management of Takefue, ask yourself this: If you paid almost $1,368 PER NIGHT for this experience, would you come back again?

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, 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

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.