iwaso

The hotel overall is very nice and conveys the old traditional Japanese way of living. The cabins are stunning and the food is traditional too, to fully immerse you in Japanese culture. The beds can result a bit rigid compared to a mattress, so I would suggest asking staff for extra base mattresses. The cabins are stunning but might be slightly dusty. The hotel provides a useful shuttle service. The onsens are quite unique and are worth visiting.

Old traditional ryokan at a UNESCO Heritage site, so you expect you pay the price for it. What I did not expect it is overrun by Western tourists. Both times I visited the onsen there were young boys running around and jumping in and out of the onsens. Not really the serene onsen experience I was looking forward to. I enjoyed the food at the dinner, but the experience was somewhat offset by a large loud Italian family complaining they cannot possible eat this or that. The positive aspects were the service, which was always impeccable, and the location at the start of the hiking trails up the mountain.

Stay here for an incredible experience on Miyajima island. All the staff are incredibly kind and wonderful. The rooms are on the older side, but well maintained. There is transport to and from the ryokan and pier. Dinner and breakfast were delicious albeit a bit on the salty side. We had a corner room that overlooked a river and the Torri gate, it was so relaxing to hear the river flowing as you sleep. There is a public onsen that opens to the mountain, with an indoor and outdoor bath. Pajamas are provided and you sleep on a traditional tatami mat. Dinner is served in the hall and not the rooms if you are staying in the main building. The area around the ryokan is incredibly scenic and makes for a very lovely evening stroll. Felt incredibly refreshed after staying here a night.

It was a wonderful way to experience a traditional ryokan. We were warmly welcomed with a shuttle pickup, tea service, and a clear explanation of the facilities. The staff was very kind and attentive. The location is perfect, right by the shrine and nature. The onsen was relaxing, and the whole atmosphere was peaceful.

My first experience in a ryokan and it was through the roof. Perfect service, awesome dinner and breakfast, clean and spacious room and an amazing onsen. The price is quite high but still lower than some other high-class ryokans. It was totally worth the price!

Fantastic island and a fun experience! Definitely worth staying overnight. Very overpriced, even though you’re paying for the location. Inedible food – possibly the worst we “ate” in Japan. Eat before or after if your stay includes food, and go there for a glass of wine instead, which was drinkable. The food consisted only of inedible fish.

Highly recommend! I had a wonderful experience at iWaso. Most importantly they were able to accommodate my dietary needs (gluten free). I booked my stay with breakfast and dinner, since nearby options open late (9/10 am) and close early (5 pm/17:00). The staff is wonderful. If you're looking for a renovated ryoken experience, iWaso is the place to stay.

Good ryokan with traditional Japanese fare for dinner and breakfast. Good service and a lovely place. I found it a little underwhelming for the price we paid which is the only reason for deducting a star. But still a nice experience overall and great to stay on Miyajima Island and beat the crowds by visiting the key sites in the early AM.

We stayed two nights at this ryokan and it was close to the end of our Japan travels. The island is a must visit ... so bustling, friendly and easy to get around. It is known for the floating shrine where depending on high/low tide you can walk right up to it. The location of the Inn has beautiful gardens with friendly deer. The onsen part of the Inn is luxurious. The changing room has a lot of amenities and clear instructions in English (as well as other languages). There is both an indoor and outdoor onsen, which are soothing and relaxing. I enjoyed the outdoor onsen with it's incredible scenery and sounds. Truly magical. The food, as with many ryokan's is generous. There are a lot of course and many, many small plates. It was all light and healthy, which was great as it was still humid/hot. The servers were all so friendly and helpful in explaining the dishes and offering refills of ocha (tea) or mizu (water). They are also practicing their English and happy to converse. It is traditional Japanese food so pickled vegetables, miso soup, natto, sea bream, etc is served. The rooms are more traditional with tatami mats, however there is a side room that is very western ... couch, arm chair, table, mini fridge, etc so that you can enjoy refreshments in the room. There is the soda that is known in the area as well as some sweet Japanese treats. I would highly recommend this place. There's a lot to explore on the island and it feels right in the heart of it all.

From the moment we were greeted by a car driver at the ferry station, I knew the stay here was going to be wonderful. Short car ride to the hotel, he took narrow curvy road, thinking how far away is the hotel? Hotel is actually a few minutes walk to the Itsukushima Shrine, it just the car can't go through town during a day, so he had to take a long way to get to the hotel. Check in time is 3pm and even if a room is ready, they won't let you in. I kept thinking about why they enforce the check in time while wondering around the island. A maid is assigned to your room and upon arrival, she has a lot of work to do for showing you around, preparing a tea and sweets. She also served dinner at each guest room, I figured it must be their break time until 3pm. Hot spring onsen water was very nice. Outside bath offers very nice view of small creek and abundant of natures. 9 course dinner served was very delicious, it was just right amount of portion, I surly enjoyed my dinner. I picked this hotel for proximity to the torii gate. I got up at 4am and left the hotel by 4:30am to catch sunrise. Only a few minutes walk, sunrise was breathtakingly beautiful. Huge breakfast portion was served at a main dining hall, I was full until passed lunch time after eating breakfast here. This hotel is filled with history, price was high but just one night, it was worth it for the experience.

Ryokans are amazing experiences in Japan. It's hard to rate any Ryokan a 3-star a-ok experience. But I'm giving this rating purely because I've been to other ryokans for the same price or lower and the service/food has been better. I think Iwaso is extremely touristy and can charge higher prices because of their popular location. They're also a much larger japanese hotel so they have more budget which gives them the ability to market to a larger crowd. When comparing the service, food, and attention of detail here to smaller family-run ryokans, Iwaso falls short in so many ways. For the same price, the rooms are smaller, more run-down, and the service is good, but they're not as careful and precise as others. I think this is because they cater to a more western crowd and foreigners are not as picky as local japanese clients. If you are new to Japan and feel more comfortable staying at a larger establishment (especially if you have a language barrier) you really can't go wrong with Iwaso. However, if you're curious about what the best Ryokans in Japan are actually like and have the ability to venture out to more rural parts, skip this ryokan and opt for one that caters more to locals.

It's hard to separate the review of the inn and the general feelings of the area, so I'm reviewing both below with the note that they both affect each other. Itinerary Ferry to the island, walk to the hotel View the big torii in the daytime (low tide) Watch deer harassing people and eating their maps Check-in to the hotel, eat dinner, check out the torii at night (high tide) Eat breakfast, walk around, leave the island Area - 5/5 There was something about this area that I just loved. For me this was one of the areas I wish I had another day in. The town itself had a sleepy, casual, peaceful, family feel to it. I don't believe there is too much to do but that is kind of the beauty of this area. After such a busy trip (I believe this was around day 11), this area was a nice place to recharge. Inn - 4/5 This was my second ryokan stay. The previous was the Buddhist temple in the Koya area. I had a normal ryokan style room, I believe there was a/c, tv, bathroom/shower, patio rest area with sink/mirror. This inn was less strict than the temple in regards to what you wear at the facility so not many people were in the traditional clothes. Service was great, food was good. Price was comparable to the temple. I believe there was an onsen but I didn't make use of it. Also, there was a little boat festival on our inn grounds during our stay. School kids created paper boats, a festival with music/food was held to show them, then everyone walked the boats to the torii where they lit the candles on the boats and sailed them in the water around the torii. Overall - 5/5 When planning the trip I didn't see the appeal of taking a day to see a big torii in the ocean. But the location and the inn are well worth the time and money. If I changed one thing I would have spent another day here.

I feel badly for not loving this ryokan, and I know that it may be because I don't fully appreciate all of the cultural nuances, and I don't know what kind of a value this is at this price point ($460 USD/night). My overall gut feeling is 3 stars, but please take it with a grain of salt given my lack of authority in this realm. Our previous hotel called ahead to let Iwaso know when our ferry would be arriving, and indeed a van was waiting for us at the pier on Miyajima. It was drizzling, and we were glad to have use of complimentary umbrellas from the ryokan. After a short drive to the ryokan, we completed check-in easily; the receptionist spoke excellent English and was very helpful. He even gave us tips on things to do in the area. Another staff member showed us to our room and gave us a brief tour of the property. Our room was quite different from typical hotel rooms that I have encountered. Similar to pictures of other ryokans I have seen, the floor is covered in tatami mats, and in the center of the room is a table where dinner is served. After dinner, the staff moves the table to the side and brings out futons and sheets for sleeping; I found the bedding to be comfortable enough and not too firm. There is also a seating area by the window where you can enjoy the view. Other room amenities include a hot water kettle and tea. I enjoyed the experience of eating dinner in our room. The food was fine, and probably the thing that was most underwhelming. It was generally good, but the flavors and variety did not blow me away. I did think the famous Miyajima oysters were pretty good and not too fishy, and generally I do not like oysters. I read a review somewhere that the meal was Michelin-star quality, but sadly I do not agree. On a more positive note, the grounds are beautiful, in the midst of Momijidani Park. The foliage is lovely, even though we were a bit too early to see lots of cherry blossoms. There are also many deer wandering around, which are cute to see, but be careful! They may try to eat your maps or plastic bags! Again, I may be underappreciating this place. For me, it was not worth the $$$. I did enjoy Miyajima Island and found it to be beautiful; hiking Mount Misen, browsing the local shops, and eating some tasty anago are definitely reasons to bring me back to the island, but I think I will save my money next time.

I strongly recommend a night on Miyajima Island, if your itinerary allows it. It's designated a World Heritage site, and Iwaso is a wonderful complement to the visit. By the time we travelled here from the south and caught the ferry to access the island, they were very kind to accommodate our late arrival with a shuttle. Iwaso is a short drive from the ferry station and a nice, short walk from the famous Itsukushima Shrine. We made several stops between Tokyo and here, and this was by far the most serene branch of the journey. The staff speaks sufficient English at Iwaso. Iwaso is on the more expensive side of traditional Japanese-style lodging we came across, but considering it's the only one we stayed in the whole two weeks, we didn't mind paying a little more for what seems to be a very traditional, peaceful, and serene experience. Iwaso was built in 1893, but it has been kept very well. It will probably feel "old" to you if you're much accustomed to Western-style hotels, but hopefully you will appreciate the traditional Japanese culture evident on Miyajima and at this ryokan. The surrounding gardens and park makes for a superb nighttime stroll in the area and up to Itsukushima Shrine. I can't speak to the food, because I had to depart very early the following morning. I wish I had another night to spend here. Essentially, it's a little overpriced, but I recommend splurging here, if you're going to anywhere in Japan.

Easily the most wonderful hotel (ryokan) I will ever stay in. The room service is delightful. Everyone is so absolutely polite and attentive. They know really basic English so communication may prove difficult, however, pointing at stuff and doing signs gets the message through, as they are so willing to make your stay incredible. The rooms are beautiful. The view is just perfect, the tatami and beds are so comfortable that I want to get home and refurbish my whole house and way of life. The dinner is so goddamn exquisite that no fancy restaurant will ever match it. The onsen is fantastic. However, I cannot account on the acceptance of tattoos in it. I'm a heavily bearded and tattooed man, and I only went when there was no one bathing. However, as gaijins/foreigners, I really doubt they would deny entrance to it. However, I'd recommend you to ask beforehand. Really close to the centre of the city and at the same time, on the edge of the forest, the surroundings are absolutely gorgeous. There are even many wild deer around, and are very tame and "social" (you can pet them a bit and they certainly won't run away as soon they see you). Would I recommend coming here? Most certainly. It's not a cheap place, but if you can afford a few days here, get your credit card and do it!