Ryoriryokan kinshokan

The wine was absolutely delicious! 😍😍 My wife says thank you for everything. We loved the luxurious meals, the beautiful room and the relaxing atmosphere, and were glad to hear so many stories about the dragon god in the garden and the inn. I only wish we'd been able to see the autumn leaves lit up! 😁

We happened to be the only guests on Sunday, which made the inn feel like it was ours for the stay. We were a little past cherry blossom season, but the location was still picturesque. Huge windows along the hallways gave us lovely views, and in the guest room, glass ran all the way down to the floor, without the usual balcony-like feature, so we could look straight down at the pond. Our spacious room felt homey, and the bath had a handy stool. The place was spotless and clearly well cared for, with sparkling glass art around the inn and a sofa table in the hall where we could relax after dinner. From our room we watched carp and ducks in the pond. You can buy carp food at the front desk for 100 yen a bag; the friendly ducks came up onto land and followed us, and it was adorable seeing them eat it too. The meal was delicious from beginning to end: Hida beef sashimi, yuzu chawanmushi, soy milk hot pot and fried yellowtail, with sea bream ochazuke as the standout. It was so finely prepared that calling it ochazuke hardly does it justice. Five stars don't feel like enough, and I'd love to return. Thanks for the hospitality. PS: I later realized that the man who greeted us at check-in, cooked and served our meal, then sent us off smiling at check-out was the owner. One person doing all those jobs is amazing ✨ I'd give it 10 stars.

My room was on the second floor, but sat about five stories above the pond, with an amazing view. I preferred the window seat to the room's table and cushions. In the morning, sitting there and looking out at wild ducks flying in and swimming on the pond, with kingfishers passing by, was soothing. The inn sits beside Ryujin Pond, surrounded by nature and far from Yahata's bustle. Dinner was a sweetfish kaiseki course, and I enjoyed reading the menu as I ate. The head chef invited me to ask questions, so I did. It was my first time trying sweetfish sashimi, and it had no odor at all, very different from the sweetfish I'd had before. The season had only recently opened, so the wild-caught sweetfish grilled with salt was small, but still tasty, and I was full. I'd stay here again if I return to Gujo. Someone named AT wrote that nobody greeted or saw them off, and I wonder how they checked in, paid and checked out. Did they leave without paying? In their other posts, they say they were glad to make the effort to stay at a hotel costing over 30,000 yen per person, but isn't that to be expected? Service is different at hotels costing half as much. Maybe they mean being greeted at the car and watched until it drives away. I prefer a hotel with a front desk. When I leave in the morning, I want time to set up the navigation and sort my luggage, so staff waiting right in front of me at departure would get in the way. Lately there have been lots of reviews by people acting like critics despite being inexperienced travelers.