Ryokan Tanabe

The hotel is lovely, small, and pleasant. The rooms are very spacious. When we arrived, they escorted us to the room, seated us in the room’s “living room,” and served us tea. We received the room before check-in time. The hotel is really charming and comfortable, and it is located in a very central area! Nothing to mention

The staff was very kind and polite, and the room itself was also very nice. For me, this was the most disappointing experience in Japan, maybe also because of the expectations I had. But the dinner was a huge disappointment. If you compare the photos from the past with what we were actually served, they have nothing in common. But the biggest surprise was that, in what should have been the most Japanese dinner possible - in a ryokan, which was exactly the reason why I chose this place, to enjoy an authentic Japanese experience - our main dish was basically a hamburger steak. I was honestly speechless. If you search anywhere, in any region of Japan, a hamburger patty is not something you would expect as the main dish of a traditional Kaiseki dinner. And considering the price we paid to stay at this ryokan, which was actually our most expensive stay in Japan, it was especially disappointing, because I had consciously chosen this place specifically to experience a memorable traditional Kaiseki dinner. Unfortunately, it felt more like a “tourist Kaiseki” than a real Japanese one, with a hamburger steak as the main course. I’m extremely disappointed and honestly cannot recommend it. We ate in a far more authentic and local way in every small restaurant around Takayama than we did here. I truly hope they reconsider this approach in the future, because it feels like a shame.

Ryokan Tanabe is right in the middle of takayama with access to the old town and morning market. It is very traditional but everything is brand new inside, elevator, stunning rooms, and food is served in your room! Menu and staff are terrific! Would highly recommend. Onsen is delightful too. It can be a bit noisy at night due to road noise.

Clean and location was easy to get to.

The staff were very helpful. Excellent meals with the choice of Japanese breakfast and dinner or American breakfast and dinner. Coffee in the lobby. Farmers market just a few blocks away and craft market too. Old town just up the block and charm. Location is great. Just a few blocks from the Takayama Bus and Train Station.

A great place to experience Ryokan style accommodations. Fabulous dinners and Japanese breakfast. Clean if simple onsen facilities and spacious Japanese style room with semi open tub.

I chose Ryokan Tanabe because I was looking for a classic ryokan experience close to tourist attractions in the area and it did not disappoint. It was only a 10 minute easy walk from Takayama station. The check-in procedure was smooth and available in English. My room was quiet and comfortable. A delicious kaiseki dinner and breakfast were served in my room. The public onsen was so relaxing! Of course, the service was excellent in every way. They even accommodated my early check-out with an early breakfast so that I could catch a tour to Shirakawago.

location service and Food

Great food, the place is so beautifull and the staff is very helpfull. It also has an onsen, usually empty since its for guests!

We loved the warmth of the staff and their obvious attention to detail. The food was beautifully presented and delicious! One of us has an egg allergy and the chef was creative and attentive to that, and provided alternate dishes for breakfast and dinner. We enjoyed the complimentary saké and the onsen was exactly what travel-weary bodies needed. It was perfect! Can't think of a thing!

Incredible Ryokan experience with indoor / outdoor onsen.

Friendly staff and cleanliness Dinner menu was ok

Top notch service, the environment is serene and refreshing. Love the onsen, it helped a lot that it’s tattoo friendly! Breakfast time is a bit too early

Our first and only Ryokan experience in Japan, overall food was good (with vegegerian option) and Onsen was nice (separate of course) but facilties was okay

Location and Meal Should have dining room

Wonderful location, quiet, clean, and the onsen was always empty. The food was from our perspective very average for Japanese standards, and perhaps not even as good as what was available from the grocery store two doors down. Recommend only getting the breakfast if you have never had a Japanese breakfast in a Ryokan before, and then only get it for one day. Same for the dinner. In addition, the staff member we most interacted with seemed overly focused on the rules and timings of things (perhaps since she was not native Japanese and perhaps took things too far.). We also found the futons laking and not up to modern standards.

there was a bug in the onsen, shower handle was turning off

Food a bit overpriced

The property is central and easy to get to. The carparking was great. The staff were friendly but they werent Japanese. The meals were sometimes okay and sometimes not good. For example, we were served pizza once which was poorly made and not what we expected. We expected a Japanese Ryokan experience but the staff werent locals and the food seemed like it was cooked by someone who wasnt japanese.

The staff kindness and courtesy during our stay was superb. They outdo themselves in cordiality and assistance. The ryokan rooms were beautifully decorated and maintained. Hida beef dinner for two was a delight and marvelously served, as well as the japanese breakfast. Private onsen is cozy and well equipped and very quiet. Overall experience make you enjoy Takayama beyond our expectations plus it gives you the feeling of being in a real japanese home. Congratulations, and keep the hard work! Everything was at the right place.