Hotel berhampiran Ikokuya, Takayama

Country Hotel Takayama is the perfect home away from home in Takayama, Gifu Japan.This hotel is located right across the Nohi Bus Terminal which is right beside to Takayama Train Station. When you get off from the bus, you will immediately see the building. Aside from their perfect location, this hotel also has a KONBINI (are Japanese convenience stores) Family Mart at the ground floor, open 24 hours. Morning markets, Sakurayama Hachimangu Shrine, Old Town Street, Hida Kokubunji Temple and Nakabashi bridge are a few tourist location you can easily access by walking (10-15 minutes) from the hotel. I was here last February 24 to 26, 2020. The room is quite spacious for me, got a single room type but I think it can accommodate 2 people in it. I was able to booked it online through Agoda.com for Php 4,024.78, not bad! It has complete basic amenities you can find in a room including a comfy sleeping robe. Room is super clean and smells so good. Considering I wrongly booked the smoking type room. The only downside I had about the room was that the heater was broken. It was so hot inside, thanked God it was winter time so I just slightly opened my window. So cold breeze from the outside can get in. Overall, Country Hotel Takayama is HIGHLY RECOMMEND aside from their perfect location. Staff are very good, speaks English and really helpful and accommodating. Their Manager helped me booked a taxi who is going to picked me up at the highway on my route to Gujo Hachiman. Because taxis in Gujo Hachiman are booked a day before your arrival and they don’t speak English at all. And If you’re a Filipino, you are most likely going to bumped into one of our kababayan who is working on this hotel. So far, she’s the only Pinoy here and she speaks Bisaya, from Davao City. I hope this help post helps you in your future travels to the beautiful City of Takayama.

English to follow: フロントの石井さんが、若い女性二名のお客さんのチェックインを済ませたのにも関わらず、その次に待ってた私は2回ほど「チェックインは3時以降です」と言われました。私が重たい荷物を背負ってた事も気にせず、はっきりとチェックインを断り、私がその場を去ることを石井さんに堂々と受け入れられました。過去に他のホテルを利用した中でもホテルのスタッフからこの様な不親切な対応を受けるのは初めてで、初の高山旅行を楽しみにしていた分かなりショックでした。 Front desk reservation staff Ishii-San had just checked in two young ladies before me. However, when I approached him and asked if I could check in, he said “check in is from 3pm” twice, and happily declined to check me in at this time and simply watched me walk away from the hotel regardless of large luggage I had been carrying around. Very disappointed on how unhelpful this hotel staff was at the time I arrived to see Takayama for first time.

Location is superb, just right in front of JR and bus terminal. Room is well designed with comfortable space. The washing machine with dryer function worked really well, and saved the hassle to queue or monitor for laundry as each room has its own washer dryer. The private bathroom is also good for couples who want to try the onsen bath together.

We were lucky to stay at Mercure Takayami on their opening night. Everything about the hotel was above our expectations. Rooms were a very comfortable with attention to detail. Having USB and USB C charging ports for our electronics next to the bed was very convenient and meant we didn't need to search for our Japan power adaptors. This hotel has been well designed with a focus on local traditional carpentry and joinery skills. When you book this hotel make sure you book a room that includes access to the private Onsen. We had an open-air experience while we watched the snow from our private onsen. Breakfast had an extensive range of Tradition Hida dishes and Western choices, with different options available each day. This was a great way to try Hida Beef Curry and Hida chicken cooked on a traditional grill. Staff were very helpful going above and beyond with their dedicated and personal service, even searching the internet for me to find a store that sold Yama Cola. We will be back to stay again and will try to stay longer next time.

Room was pretty spacious by Japanese standards. I enjoyed that they offered three private onsens that you could use at no additional cost with no reservation required. Free ice cream is available after your bath. There are hotels closer to JR Takayama Station but it’s still a reasonable walking distance.

The room is large, has separate bathroom (with washing machine) and toilet. It also has a small kitchen area. The beds are large and comfortable. The location is also walking distance from the main tourist areas. Highly recommended for family trips.

Staff was excellent, location was off the beaten path which was good, breakfast was excellent, rooms were good size and the two hot baths were great. Private baths were dinky.

This hotel provided great service and clean accommodations. I love that hotels in Japan provide pajamas and toothbrushes. This hotel had two public baths. It's nice that they have one bath where the water is not as hot. We had the dinner buffet. It included American and chinese offerings. You receive a ticket for one serving of the Hida beef. I thought the food was good. I like that the portions are small, so you can try a lot of things. We also had the breakfast buffet which included Takayama specialty items too. There is a large souvenir shop in the hotel, so you are able to pick up gifts. I thought the prices are comparable to other gift shops. The hotel offers a free shuttle to the train station. It is a 7 minute walk to the train station, so it's not so bad. They only have two shuttles that go to Takayama Jinya (government house) which is across the bridge from Sanmachi Suji. Otherwise it's at least a 20-25 minute walk. I wish they had more shuttles to that area. There is not much to look at on the way from the hotel to Sanmachi. As Takayama becomes more popular with tourists, most of the hotel staff and store owners are able to communicate in English. Overall, I enjoyed my time at the hotel and would stay there again.

It's my fault for not upgrading to a superior room because the standard rooms are very small. That said, it was well designed and used every available bit of space. The small double bed was pushed against the wall so not ideal for 2 people. Luckily the corridor/space beside the bathroom was quite wide so I was just able to open my large suitcase. There was a nice light duvet on the bed and hard/seed pillows. The bathroom was compact but allowed for a deepish bath. The air conditioning was powerful. There was a TV but there were no English tv channels. There was a small armchair to sit in and a table, a desk/dressing table, a stool and various ledges to put stuff on. There was no in room safe. The breakfast was ok. Self service with cereal and rolls as well as a lot of Japanese choices. My room was on the ground floor and there was parking outside. The hotel provided a shuttle to get to the town centre which was convenient but allow enough time to find the bus stop for the return. I very nearly missed it because I couldn't make sense of the map provided (you had to go inside the train station and up and over the railway tracks to get to the right bus stop!). It was perfectly adequate for one night but if I was to return I'd chose a hotel in the centre of town so that restaurants and shopping/sightseeing is easier to get to.

Yatsusankan is a traditional ryokan, well established in Hida. It’s located among narrow streets with picturesque Japanese style wooden buildings. Within walking distance of the JR station (they have a shuttle too) and shops. Our room was spacious and comfortable with its own bath. AC in the bedroom. Good wifi. Very clean and well stocked with toiletries, tea, coffee, and cold drinks. Meals are at set times and we enjoyed omikase and shabu shabu during our two night stay. We chose Japanese breakfast which was also delicious, although western style is also available. There’s a very nice communal bath, indoor and outdoor. One for men and one for women. The building has a long history so it’s worth looking around if you have time. Service is warm and attentive with guests being made to feel right at home. If you’re planning a visit to Hida or the area, then Yatsusankan would be a great choice to experience traditional ryokan with great service and a bit of history.