Kuriya Yasohachi

The absolute highlight of our 2-week trip. The experience was beyond expectations, with the staff being very warm and friendly (Hiroko and Naomi!), an absolute banquet of flavors for breakfast and dinner, and a relaxing private onsen overlooking only bamboos and the river.. Everyone tried their best to accommodate us, from the shuttle bus to the luggage service (from Kyoto and to Tokyo). Walking distance to Yamanaka, a lovely town with very friendly people and wonderful ceramics, and ideal for gorgeous nature hikes at the Kakusenkei Gorge. Highly recommended experience, particularly for couples!

We went to Yamanaka for the Kaga Spa UTMB race and booked the room with a private onsen on the balcony, which was very nice (particularly post race). The view of the river through the bamboo was beautiful. The dinner’s alone were well worth the experience. The chef and waitstaff (Aiko), were excellent and the quality, taste and freshness of each intricately prepared dish was amazing. The hotel maintenance needs some improvement, there was electrical tape around one of the taps in the washroom of our room and the washroom bench was in a poor state. There were many instances of wallpaper either peeling off or having been taken off. You only get two 500ml bottles of water, if you request more you need to pay. Interestingly, in the reception lounge, there is a sake and wine dispenser, along with a bean to cup coffee machine that is all unlimited use. The locals were very friendly and polite. Most importantly, the trails around Yamanaka were incredibly beautiful. We are planning on returning for the 2026 Kaga Spa UTMB.

The hotel is below my expectation 1. The hotel was under renovation during my stay, and there was no prior notice. The view from the hotel’s living area was completely blocked, and the worst part is that there was no compensation offered for the inconvenience. 2. I originally booked a standard room but emailed the hotel to request an upgrade to a room with a private onsen. However, they charged me extra for the last-minute change, so I had to pay a little more. On a positive note, the hotel staff were very friendly and helpful. What frustrated me most was the lack of prior notice about the renovation and no discount or compensation, yet they charged extra for a last-minute room change.