Kotohira Kadan

First of all, I must say the service was absolutely fantastic!! They really work hard and did a really great job, especially the lady with a pair of glasses! So sorry I didn’t get the name, please transfer my big thank you for the assistance for checking in, picking up my baggage and driving me from the hotel to JR station. You are very cute by the way lolSecondly, although the price is a bit high, I do recommended it if you come here for a rest, a celebration or even with friends. A quiet, spacious hotel which must try once in a lifetime.

As one of the top onsen hotels in Kotohira, we were expecting authentic Japanese dine-in experience with quality services from Kotohira Kadan as much as we enjoyed from other hotels with similar price (we paid 63,000yen for 2pax a night, in early Apr 2025) and class. Unfortunately the dinner was quite a disappointing one. The restaurant is furnished with western style, not the traditional Japanese which brought us a little surprise. The staff there were all friendly but not proactively provided services, no hot tea no hot towel were served until we requested twice. We had high expectation for this dinner beforehand as this hotel got superb online reviews. Yet it came to a big surprise for us with the so-so ingredients, presentation and taste of food. Honestly we were upset after the dinner, until we found our room and private onsen were decent and nicely built to make our stay at Kotohira Kadan better.

Spacious premium room suitable for non-Japanese customers, with separate dining and living areas, private hot spring, and with fluent English-speaking staff. Food reasonably good yet privacy of private hot spring could be enhanced. Some 'spots' can be seen from other locations within the hotel.

What a gem of a hotel. My husband and I stayed at this lovely hotel in a Japanese room overlooking the river below and the valley beyond. A stunning viewscape. This is a gorgeous property. Our room had no bed but in the evening the staff came to the room and set up two futons on the tatami floor. It was a good experience but if I were to stay again I would stay in room similar to 302. I believe they had a similar view but they also had a western style bed. The room was quite large, with beautiful shoji screens covering the windows. The ceilings were made of wide plank cedar and gorgeous. The bathroom was a good size and well stocked with toiletries and very nice facial products.|We enjoyed two mind blowing breakfasts served in a private dining room. The meals went on forever, each course served in beautiful crockery or pottery. Being a vegetarian, I was unsure about what I would be served but the Western meals were tasty and beautifully presented. The staff at this hotel are very friendly and accommodating. There is a shuttle to the train station. |There is a very nice guest lounge for reading plus a complementary massage chair. |My husband used the Onsen and raved about it. |Eat at the Hemp Restaurant in town, you will not be disappointed. |This was a great stay which allowed for fairly access for a day trip to the beautiful Ritsurin Garden and another day trip to the Iya Valley which was stunningly beautiful. This hotel is a very special place.

This hotel is situated 15 min walk to town. Parking is free and just outside the hotel up a very steep slope. |The hotel employs a lot of different staff from Sri Lanka , Nepal etc hence getting yourself understood in English is not much of a problem . You are greeted at the car park and checked in at reception with tea and a hot towel and then led to your room with someone wheeling the luggage . |The twin room is luxurious with a sofa set and very comfortable beds . Wifi is excellent . Our room faced town and we could see the glorious sunset . |Onsen was at another building . There was an indoor and outdoor onsen . The outdoor onsen faced the canal and was surrounded by bamboo trees . It was very peaceful soaking there . |Dinner was kaiseiki style , cuisine was exquisitely prepared and was delicious . |Breakfast was also exquisitely prepared but with fewer dishes and included a small grilled flatfish . |Overall a luxurious stay

We stayed in Japanese style room with private Onsen. I sincerely recommend it! Great experience. The staff was very kind and helpful. The location is great, hotel provides recommendations for sightseeing and dinners. You can also get a massage which was amazing!

We stayed at Kotohira Kadan in September 2024, in the Izumi-tei house. It was around 50,000yen for two people for one night, including dinner and breakfast. The house was very quaint - traditional Japanese house, but with a canopy western style bed which was quite odd. There was a hinoki bathtub and a really cute seating area overlooking the garden. The toilet room was VERY hot as the AC doesn't reach there. If you book the Izumi-tei or any other "premium rooms", you get to reserve the private onsen for 45 minutes, which was a nice plus. You also get free tea and coffee in the lounge, as well as a sparkling wine at night. I found the dinner to be just okay, I thought the breakfast tasted better. The service is not on par with other ryokans I've been to. There was no explanation of the food and other than placing the dishes down, the servers did not do much else. However, the service when checking in was superb - you're sat down privately with an employee to go over every detail of your stay, given a cold towel and plum juice while you wait. The location was great though! A bit difficult to park and easily missed the sign so drive slowly when approaching the hotel. It's about a 10 minute walk to the promenade leading up to Konpira-san - plenty of paid parking options if you don't want to walk.

My stay at Kotohira Kadan was fantastic. The view from the hotel is truly beautiful, adding a special touch to the overall experience. The private onsen in the room was a highlight, providing a relaxing and luxurious escape. The food was exceptional, with a variety of delicious dishes that left me very satisfied. The staff were incredibly friendly and grateful, always attentive and making me feel very welcome. Additionally, the hotel’s location is very convenient, making it easy to walk to Kotohira-gu Shrine. This made exploring the area very enjoyable and hassle-free.