We had a great experience in the 宙 room in winter . On arrival, our hosts were friendly and helpful with the check in process. The rooms were well equipped and we loved the rustic feel and traditional tatami. There were clean towels, bath robes and toiletries. Views from the open air private Onsen were beautiful. Food was also a highlight of the experience. Would recommend a visit along with a ski trip and not forgetting to visit the ropeway nearby. Would love to be back another time.

My husband and I stayed for 1 night in October 2024. Here’s our thoughts: Service- 4/5 , we received amazing service the moment we arrived, especially with the reception girl. She was very attentive and listened to our itinerary. At the end of our visit she even gave us advice for our routes. Food- 3/5. Honestly other than the hida beef , everything else felt like below average especially for the price we paid. The vegetables were cut thinly, the miso soup was overly salty, though there is variety, the flavour is lacking. Room- 2/5. This part was the most disappointing. Other reviews about the towel is true. It’s thin and old. Needs to be replaced. We stayed in 301. The indoor bath was VERY unmaintained. Algae growth all over the bath and floor. The window was broken, we couldn’t close it. There were also spider webs. The baths have so much potential but is so poorly maintained that it made me feel uncomfortable going in it because I worried about sanitation. Not to mention a part of the washroom roof was peeling…. The vibe is old and rustic which is what this ryokan is going for and that’s great but it can be better maintained. To get here, there’s a bus that runs hourly, so no issue if you don’t have a car. Just plan accordingly. No convenience store nearby. Also. There are mosquitos, bring repellent. The rooftop outdoor bath is a highlight. Definitely book both. We really enjoyed the morning because of the cool mist and mountain views. I hope the owners give this building a little more love and attention.

My family of four stayed one night at this wonderful ryoken (SORA room) and we highly recommend it. We arrived about 30 minutes before check-in and our host assisted with the check-in process. In addition to the indoor and outdoor onsen in the room, they also have two rooftop onsens, one made from stone and another from wood. As part of the check-in, we booked the wooden one for before dinner and stone one for after. Kaiseki was served in the dining area and the multi course dinner was delicious and actually very filling. Both rooftop onsen with the mountain view was beautiful with the snow falling. The water temperature was balanced nicely with the freezing air temperature allowing us to relax in the onsen. We had a traditional breakfast before check out and then caught the bus to Takayama Station. Additional notes for other travellers: For those arriving from Tokyo like we did, we caught the highway bus from Shinjuku Expressway Bus Terminal to Hirayu Onsen (https://www.highwaybus.com/gp/inbound/inbPlanList?lineId=180). This is about a 4.5 hour journey with 2 break stops and costs Y5,800 pp. At Hirayu Onsen (HO37) we caught the local bus to Shinhotaka Onsen guchi (H55) (https://www.nouhibus.co.jp/route_bus/shinhotaka-line-en/). Fare was Y690pp and note that this local bus is packed and we had to sit on the fold out seats in the aisle. Thankfully, after the first or second stop, a lot of people got off and we got normal seats. You can store luggages (we had 4) on the local bus, but it's self service. The journey from Hirayu was about 30 minutes and we paid the fare when we got off. Yurimurasaki is directly across the road from the drop off bus stop. Parking is available at Yurimuraski if you chose to drive. On departure, we caught the return local bus all the way to Takayama Station. This bus was almost full by the time it got to our stop at Shinhotaka Onsen guchi (H55). Timetable link as per above. Cost is Y2,050pp

Overall it was a decent experience. customer service was the biggest let down. Staff member barged into our room that was locked, yelled at us for keeping our back door open (due to us in a panic from him barging in) He muttered to himself in anger the whole time while preparing our beds (which should have been done in the 1.5 hours during dinner) then we were short like 150 yen upon checkout for an onsen tax (despite being told it was free of charge when checking in) where we were told to use our bus money as it would be fine to be short when departing the bus (it wasnt and a lady behind had to cover the 150 we were short for the bus as we were holding up everyone else) staff would provide service and put up a fake smile for one second then pout as leaving. for 560 aud for one night it wasnt nice to feel unwelcomed.

Stayed there early September at an onsen room (an indoor and an outdoor onsen just to oursevles!). Food, service and room were amazing. Free parking is available--definitely rent a car--as the place is quite remote and it's fairly easy to drive there if you rent a small car.