Hanare Matsushimakaku

If you are coming to the tranquil town of Aizu-Wakamatsu, you must stay in Higashiyama Onsen. Furthermore, Mukaitaki was the absolute highlight of my 3 week japan trip. Staying here for even just the 1 night, the experience was second to none. The staff met us at the door and gracefully took our luggage to our rooms, despite our fairly early arrival. My Japanese is serviceable at best, but the effort made by all staff members to communicate and meet in the middle despite the barrier was incredible. Shuji-san greeted us once we arrived at our room, and he took amazing care of us throughout our stay. Incredibly humorous, gracious and informative. Customer service throughout the less than 24 hour stay was superb from all. The 160 year old ryokan is absolutely stunning, so much so that coming back during a different season is certainly on my bucket list. The gardens are lush and walkable, and the rustic aesthetic was instantly soothing after a tiring commute. This ryokan is more than worth the price. When I reminiscence about my whole trip, I will think of Mukaitaki first every single time. 👍🏻

The best ryokan experience ever! 😊 It was such a treat spending my birthday here, felt so spoilt and relaxed. They were waiting outside for us when we arrived and showed us around the place and the garden was so peace and beautiful. The food we had was amazing and the service was impeccable! I used the private onsen and you can add cold water if it’s too hot. Everything felt clean even though this ryokan had been around a long time. We walked around the gardens in our robes after a soak in the onsen and it was just perfect. I took off my jewellery for the onsen and it got wet so I stupidly left it wrapped up in a tissue on a side table so it looked like trash. After leaving the onsen for a few hours I panicked when I realised I had left my jewellery behind and emailed them. They had thrown the tissue out and had to go through the trash and look for it. They found it and had it delivered to my next hotel and I had it back the following day! They even called the hotel to make sure they knew it was coming. I am so grateful and thankful for their amazing service and how kind they all were. Can’t wait to go back next time! 🥰❤️

Very nice interiors and exterior architecture, with many hot springs. Private baths are free to reserve. Sadly, the meal was disappointing. It’s a cultural thing, some parts of the fish like the heart and stomach is not part of my diet. Also the stairs were steep to climb. There’s a nice running river nearby with night light up of bamboo.