Hoshino Resorts KAI Kawaji

Wonderful place - great staff and the restaurant is amazing. Rooms are very nice. Onsen is nice and clean but a little tired.

We were the only foreigners at this very cool onsen inn. The meals( halfboard) were very fancy and very Japanese, which was fun for us as a family. Our Japanese-style room with tatami mats, a living area, balcony overlooking the river was comfortable and relaxing. The staff was super friendly and helpful. We loved our waiter, Tiger or Tiga, most of all. It was about 45 minutes drive to the main shrine in Nikko, and we found a nice hike in a canyon near our inn the second day. Three nights felt like the right amount of time to stay before moving on.

Absolutely stunning hotel with very friendly staff and lovely onsen!

Great

Amazing experience - food, onsen and experiences (such as paper making)! Staff is incredibly friendly and helpful. The place is really stunning, especially at night where the atmosphere is just incredible. In particular, bathing in their open air onsen while snowing was just a dream. We loved every second! A suggestion to travellers from Tokyo: the most convenient way to get there (despite what google maps says) is the Tobu line service from Asakusa station to Kinagawaonsen, changing with a local service to Kawajii-Yumoto (the hotel will pick you up at the station). It may be slightly longer than other options but it’s very comfortable and easy.

It's our fault for booking a non-refundable hotel but given our cat got a blood clot and required daily supervision, we had to cancel our trip. Hoshino Resorts KAI Kawaji, with almost a month in advance, did not care about our situation and wouldn't even give us a voucher to reschedule and happily pocketed our $700. Again, it is our fault, but we will not do business with non-refundable hotels again. Lesson learned.

Good food Good Onsen ..Employees were rather weak at speaking English but were very helpful and polite

This place is amazing! The view from my room was why I initially chose this ryokan, and the outside onsen is a must. The foot bath was a lovely surprise as it gives you a breathtaking view of the running stream and mountains in the distance. The half board was the best I’ve ever had—such thoughtful flavors (I especially liked the pickles)! Plus, the people are so nice here! (I was happy to hear there was a shuttle offered to go back to the Kawaji Yumoto train station though I did walk about 11 minutes going.) I would definitely come back to this ryokan if I’m ever in the Nikko area again. Thank you so much! Some things to note: there are some medium sized flying bugs that will glue themselves to the sliding door. Be careful opening/closing the door if you don’t want them to get in. (I hate bugs but I reminded myself that I am in nature and visiting their territory. ;p) Also, my intended train going back to Tokyo from Kawaji Yumoto was fully booked, so the station agent explained that I had to transfer a few times to get back to Tokyo. A minor inconvenience since I arrived 40 minutes later than my intended time. Not a lot of trains come through though, so you might want to keep this in mind when booking your stay.

Great and memorable stay!

Absolutely 5-star service, great environment, our room was facing the mountains, giving us a calm and relaxing vibe, the hot spring experience was amazing with tasty lemon water, tea and popsicles. Definitely get the half board option, great food with a good variety each day, and there aren't many restaurants nearby. Amenities were kinda old but super clean.

Beautifully quiet isolated resort. Limited train service to the area and no taxis. Food service and onsen were excellent, after they initially could not find our reservation.

Great place to stay in for relaxation, the city around is abandoned

The staff are very friendly and provides personal recommendations for sightseeing and dining. Food is delicious and thoughtful, with a great selection of sake at affordable prices. Room is spacious.

Great Onsen Ryokan! I meant to book Nikko but ended up booking here by mistake but I feel like I found another great Onsen Ryokan! Transportation was bit inconvenient and communication about the shuttle bus to the station was amiss but overall, this place was a great place to get away and to rest and enjoy the natural springs and the nature.

Very nice onsen hotel. We love the one night stay there.

Friendly staff and clean surroundings.

It was amazing, quiet surrounding

Beautiful hotel in a beautiful natural surrounding. Excellent food and staffs go out of their way to help and provides amazing experiences to guests. Will definitely stay here again and will look for all other KAI hotels when I visit other parts of Japan.

Great stay beautiful location

Fantastic Onsen with friendly staff and authentic Japanese food all wrapped up into one amazing package in a small village with nice day walks around. Best place to getaway from it all for a few days and a perfect contrast to large city experiences, you could not ask for more, an amazing place to unwind, loved every minute and hope to get back one day.