Hirayukan

I visited in September 2025, and this was one of the best onsen hotel stays I've had. The place was clean, comfortable, and well maintained, though some rooms involve using stairs. The outdoor bath was spacious and beautiful. They switched the men's and women's baths the next morning, so I got to try both. I also received a ticket to use the bath at the hotel next door. I don't know if that's a permanent arrangement, but it was a nice surprise. The food was excellent, with good selection and quality. The buffet had hot pot and grilling, and they served free noodles from 10:00 to 10:30 at night. There was one hiccup: the fire alarm went off in the middle of the night, and even the staff didn't know what had happened. About half the guests woke up and milled around in the lobby. It was probably an accident and unlikely to happen again, so I'll let it slide. I'll definitely come back.

It's an easy, short walk from the Hirayu Onsen bus terminal to Okuhida Hot Spring Hirayukan. There's a small shop next door selling snacks and drinks, handy during the quieter evenings. Check-in went smoothly, and the ryokan had our Expedia reservations. They copied our passports, as is common at Japanese ryokan. We booked the Japanese Style Room, Sengakuso, Non Smoking, 35 sqm. Shoes come off in the lobby, where you switch to the house slippers. Our room was some distance from the lobby and up two flights of stairs, with no lift. It had no shower, which is typical of many traditional ryokan. The baths are in the main building, and the men's and women's areas switch once a day. Dinner at the buffet cost Y4400 per person and started at 6pm. It was enjoyable and good value, with plenty of options including seafood. Each table had two fuel stoves, and you could cook the raw ingredients by grilling, using the hotplate, or making hotpot. After a soak, the free ramen at the main lobby from 10pm to 10.30pm was a nice light supper.

We spent two nights here over the New Year break, on December 31 and January 1, 2026. The place was well maintained and the staff were very friendly, with many speaking decent English. We enjoyed both dinner and breakfast, and the winter view over the outdoor garden was fantastic. It was a perfect stop on our Japan trip.

The front desk staff were polite and helpful, but the rest of our stay left me frustrated. For the price and reputation, the place felt like it was running on autopilot. I wouldn't recommend it, especially with better onsen options in the Takayama area that seem to care more about guests. The buffet dinner was the worst part. The food wasn't impressive and dishes were refilled painfully slowly. There were still crab legs, but no proper tools left. When I asked, a staff member shrugged and told me, “It's finished, please settle with your hands.” Washing a few more tools or taking a request wouldn't have been hard. It felt careless. The WiFi was shockingly slow and unusable, even worse than the cheapest Airbnb. Room soundproofing was terrible too. I could hear children running and shouting in the corridors all evening, so there was no peace. The hair dryer was poor and took ages to dry my hair. I came in hoping for a relaxing stay at a large, well-known onsen hotel in the Takayama area, but it seemed like they couldn't be bothered with the small things that make a difference.