When we close our eyes and imagine the quintessential Japanese luxury ryokan, Takachiho Ryokan Shinsen is among the first properties that springs to our mind. It represents everything awesome about the best ryokans with almost zero drawbacks, and we departed from Shinsen awestruck at how perfect every aspect of our stay was. From the incredible Omotenashi service, gorgeous gardens, architectural elegance, spacious and beautiful villa room, mind-blowing kaiseki cuisine to the terrific private open-air Onsen bath, everything about Shinsen emphatically screams ”destination ryokan.” Shinsen is a family-owned property with a total of just 15 rooms among 3 separate areas: the Honkan (main), Bekkan and Hanare. They are within 1-minute walking distance form one another, and each area has its own unique character - the landscaping is fascinating, as well as the various private dining rooms that are in each building. For instance, in front of the Honkan main entrance is a dry rock garden that is reminiscent of the famed Ryoan-ji in Kyoto, while in the Bekkan it has that plus a variety of perfectly manicured vegetation as well as a small, red-painted traditional-style bridge. The private dining rooms each have its own character as well as views out of the window; we especially loved the view from one of the Bekkan ”Ko****su” rooms during our dinner on the second evening - the window faces the garden, which is lit up from the ground, resulting in a mesmerizing view of the rock garden patterns, mysterious trees and the pretty red bridge. For every meal (whether it's for breakfast or dinner), they escorted us from our room to a different private dining room located in various locations throughout the property. We spent all 3 nights in a room called ”Manyo,” a detached villa that was located in the Hanare section of Shinsen. Ms. Kumi Sato, the charming and elegant ”Okami-san” (Proprietress) mentioned that Manyo is the best room at the property. It's a generous 100m² in size, and thoroughly modern with all of the creature comforts that one would expect at a top-flight luxury hotel. Manyo's room consisted of a bedroom with two double Western-style beds, a living room with a sofa, coffee table and a large, flat-screen television, and a Japanese-style tatami room as well. It's an open floor plan, although each section of the room can be closed off by sliding the walls shut for privacy (or peace and quiet.) Very versatile! The Villa had a large patio with a beautiful zen-style rock garden beyond it. Off to the side is an outdoor, free-flowing Onsen (hot springs) bath made of Hinoki wood. Next to the Onsen (and inside the Villa) is the vanity, toilet and indoor (regular) bath and shower. The layout of the Villa, as well as the furnishings and decor was all top-notch - the perfect setting to have a lengthy, relaxing stay in the Villa should you opt not to explore the Takachiho area. If there is one minor nitpick, it has to do with the lack of dual sinks,
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