Negiya Ryofukaku

The kaiseki dinner had delicate flavors and was beautifully prepared, and breakfast the next morning was just as thoughtful and satisfying. The outdoor bath surrounded by nature was especially relaxing after a day exploring town. At Negiya Ryofukaku, the tatami rooms and soft lighting add to the calm, traditional feel. Nishioka-san welcomed me warmly and explained everything in clear English, so I had no worries during my stay. She kindly walked me through all the details of the ryokan. I felt at home from the moment I arrived, and left refreshed and grateful. It was a highlight of my Arima Onsen trip, and I’d love to return.

The dinner was a big disappointment for the price, and the extra-cost private indoor onsen was an ugly space that didn’t feel worth it. Our room was in the more modern east wing, but it was basic, charmless compared with the main building, and far from everything, with lots of ramps and stairs along the way. The place also feels dated, not always in a good way. On the plus side, the staff helped us plan train travel to our next hotel, the library called “the perch” was lovely and we spent a lot of time there, and the shuttle was good. Public baths were nice, though open for limited hours, and the Japanese breakfast was good.

The private bath made for a really relaxing stay, and we enjoyed using our private onsen a lot. We booked a room with the bath and both dinner and breakfast. For the price, though, I didn’t find dinner that impressive, while breakfast was better. I’d suggest booking the private bath and getting dinner in town.

The staff were friendly and professional, but seemed understaffed. That’s not their fault, though at this price I expected more. We felt devastated and ripped off. When we raised our concerns, we were offered two slots in the private onsen, which costs 3300 yen for 45 minutes here and is free at other ryokan. That’s about 3% of the more than 100’000 yen per night we paid. We stayed in four ryokan in Japan, and this one was the most expensive by far, three times the next highest price. We hoped to treat ourselves, but the rooms felt empty, bland, and boring, with ugly walls, poor insulation, and dinged-up old furniture. The in-room bath wasn’t worth the upgrade price, especially since it wasn’t even onsen water and doubled the already expensive room cost. The food didn’t compare well with other kaiseki meals we had at a third of the price. Shrimp and rice were overcooked, the sashimi was so hard it might still have been frozen, the chicken soup tasted like pork, and the pork had almost no taste. At least two courses were too bland to remember. The beef was good once grilled, but the plate was too hot for the butter, which burned, and the meat was unsalted. At around $650 a night, I expected much better. For that money, you could stay at a cheaper ryokan with a better room and eat at a Michelin star restaurant. If you want a nice ryokan with good food, pick somewhere else and save your money.