Ryokan Kato

We stayed at Ryokan Kato at the end of December in one of their log house rooms and really appreciated the welcoming and friendly atmosphere. There is a small onsen indoors and outdoors which can be used in the mornings and evenings. Wonderful. Yoshinoyama is a really exceptional place and we very much enjoyed being there in off season. It was so nice to be in a completely quiet place. Excellent for hiking. Breakfast was sumptuous, really, really delicious and we had a great view over the valley. Thank you so much for your warm hospitality!!!

My boyfriend and I recently stayed here for two nights in May (the off season) and it was one of the highlights of our trip. The ryokan itself is absolutely beautiful and very well maintained. ||||On our first night since it was low season we did not realize all the restaurants would close before dinner time so we were stuck until the owner drove us into town to buy some food. Then once we returned they came to our room with some lovely snacks and two glasses of wine for us. ||||The onsen are gorgeous and clean and it was so relaxing to soak outside and in. The staff are incredibly friendly and kind and they will go out of their way to make your stay perfect. The food also was delicious and I highly recommend having dinner there one night, very reasonably priced and worth it! ||||Can’t recommend this place enough if you will be in Yoshino, we both left feeling refreshed.

We stayed here for a few days in the off season (i.e. outside hanami). The hotel was nearly deserted, as was the town itself. The hotel is at the end of the town, quite some walk from the majority of shops & restaurants Our room was a huge open rectangle filled with nothing more than tatami mats & small table, the walls literally logs, comfortable futons being rolled out a night. Nice view out towards a rich green forest. Small attached toilet with sink, but no actual bathroom (shower/bath). Instead, the onsen is used for bathing. Two onsen spaces, which are interchanged daily. One quite small & would feel crowed with more guests, the other OK. We had it mostly to ourselves, which was great. Breakfasts are served in a woody cabin across the road - great views. Friendly & attentive service with just enough English to get by. Our host lent us her own child’s yukatas for our children which was appreciated, and threw some wet gear into her own dryer for a quick blast - welcome personal touches. WiFi however was problematic - an unreliable & slow connection that reaches only as far as the lobby in any case. There is an extension built at the back of the older house which has a floor-to-ceilng window, with great views of the forest, nice place to sit & relax. Kaiseki is served in a quite formal room and is both delicious and filling. Overall we quite liked this place, though like any ryokan it wasn’t especially cheap. The location could be an issue for some, or perhaps an asset (i.e. away from the thick of the action in high season). If ever in the town again, I would consider staying here again but also be open to other possibilities.

During a 9-day visit to Japan, my adult daughter and I stayed at moderately-priced hotels in Tokyo, Osaka and Yokohama and at Ryokan Kato, which was considerably more expensive than the hotels. Unlike the hotels, which were bright and cheery, the ambiance of Ryokan Kato was dull. While the facilities were clean and not in need of repair, they lacked freshness despite being in the countryside. And this issue extended to the food. It was attractive in appearance, but lacked the freshness we had expected based on tripadvisor reviews. Even the onsen seemed tired. It was physically attractive, but the almost empty containers of liquid soap and shampoo of different manufacture suggested a lack of attention. I compared this with the onsen in our moderately-priced hotel (Hotel Sobial) in Osaka, which had nicely displayed standardized containers of soap, shampoo and conditioner.|||| The staff was generally very attentive, but there were a couple of instances in which the personal attention failed. After arriving at the Yoshino train station we went to take the ropeway up the steep hill leading to the ryokan. It was not in service. I called the ryokan to find out what we should do and was told we could wait for a bus. I had no idea how long that would take and recalled tripadvisor reviewers mentioning the ryokan had provided transport. Such transport was provided, but only after I requested it. And on departure, I was given a receipt belonging to another guest even though the ryokan had only a handful of guests.|||| In sum, my daughter and I agreed Ryokan Kato was not good value and while we would gladly return to the hotels in Tokyo, Osaka and Yokohama, and would like to visit Yoshino again, neither of us would care to return to Ryokan Kato.

Had a wonderful time at Ryokan Kato. We went right after Cherry blossom season which is the low season on the mountain. So we get in at around 5pm and are greeted so warmly. We are shown to our room, get our stuff settled in then head out around 6pm to walk about the village. We start to realize that most shops and restaurants close at 6pm. We were fairly hungry for travelling so we were looking for somewhere to grab a bite. Eventually we decide that's not happening and head back to the Ryokan to purchase something there. Well not only are the hosts so incredibly kind; they're incredibly accommodating. They ask us if we would like a drive into the town to grab something to eat. They drive us 15 minutes out of the way to go to a fresh grocery store. Incredibly selfless and kind. The whole trip was about 30 minutes and it was all to help us out. Incredible. Once we get back to our room we hear a knock on the door and it's our host, yet again, reading our minds. In comes snacks and 2 delicious glasses of wine. We were thrilled. The next day we asked last minute is we could have dinner at the Ryokan. Of course they accepted. That know we enjoyed a delicious traditional Japanese meal. It was wonderful and we were so happy to enjoy the meal and experience. Another thing, the actual hotel and grounds are beautiful. There's an incredible view from a common area with large windows. The baths are also unbelievable. We took advantage of it and loved it. It really helped us relax after a crazy busy start to our vacation. This is a fantastic Ryokan run by an equally fantastic family. I will never hesitate to recommend a stay here.

Room and facilities overall spacious and wonderful. Off season very quiet on weekdays but onsen in good shape and food was simply wonderful and tasty. Very reasonably priced compared to other Ryokan's I visited in Japan for value and Yoshino is very attractive both in terms of town and surroundings, especially with autumn colors. ||My travel companion lost his wallet in vicinity of Ryokan Kato and staff left no stone unturned, literally, nor any neighbor uninformed. When we returned that evening for the day, the wallet had not surfaced and we were simply resigned to the loss, but team convinced my friend to have them drive him to police station at 8 PM where they mediated and translated for a police report to be produced for travel insurance. Simply amazing staff and a wonderful stay.

We have just spent 2 nights at the Ryokan Kato and I can honestly say, hand on heart, it is one of the best places I have ever stayed. ||We arrived late afternoon, having caught the cable car up the mountain after getting off the train at Yoshino. We were delighted to see our names written up outside the ryokan, so we knew we were in the right place! We were then welcomed with tea and local sweets before being shown to our room. This was really spacious and extremely comfortable, with lovely mountain views. As is usually the case with ryokans, we didn't have our own bathroom, but we did have a sink in the room. The futons were extremely comfortable and I really liked the pillows (which were filled with buckwheat husks, I believe). The baths (onsen) were gorgeous, spotlessly clean and the outdoor area was articularly lovely at night, looking up at the stars while soaking in the tub. ||The food was amazing, I can't really come up with enough superlatives to describe it! I have never had food like it and I'm not going to lie, to Western eyes some of it was bit unusual (but beautiful!) but we were game for trying everything and we were well rewarded for doing so - it was all delicious. The multi course japanese traditional dinner in particular was stunning, the dishes just kept on coming...! The breakfasts were excellent, too, and we loved the breakfast area with the view over the mountains. We had the Japanese breakfast one morning and the Western one the other morning - both really set us up for the day. ||I loved the whole ryokan experience, from slipping into my yukata to the wonderful Japanese food to the relaxing outdoor bath (Honestly, I thought I'd be a bit freaked out by communal bathing, but really it's no big deal!)||On the final morning, it was chucking down with rain and the hostess of the ryokan actually insisted on driving us back down the hill to the station herself, rather than letting us walk back to the ropeway in the rain. She was so kind, and was absolutely lovely with our little boy. ||We would love to come back to this ryokan one day and will certainly be recommending it to our friends. Yoshino is a beautiful place to visit and we are so glad we added it to our itinerary.||If you want to know what real hospitality is like, stay here! Thank you to all the staff for a wonderful weekend.

+ Attractive lower mountain area with lots of easy to follow walking around an attractive traditional village with a few temples, & plenty of shops & restos||+ Very good location for walking around the much larger than expected village||+ Lovely views over the hills from breakfast room||+ Very big bedroom with own toilet||+ Kindly doubled up the futons to make more comfortable (without being asked)||+ Very quiet. Slept v well||+ As usual in Japan, very clean||+ Nice indoor / outdoor onsen, separate M/F.||+ Nice evening meal and breakfast||+ Only 100m turn right from the top of the Yoshino cable car (At Nov 16: 4 / hr, last up 5-40pm). Also next to top of footpath.||- not enough clothes storage space, but thats normal. the same as most other hotels / ryokan ||- friendly staff. Some seemed a little inexperienced, but they all tried hard to please||- Only aircon based heating||- Old fashioned design / furniture