Ryokan Kurashiki

My wife and I had an excellent 2 night stay at Ryokan Kurashiki in October, 2024. This ryokan is exceptionally well appointed with beautiful gardens, an attentive staff and outstanding meals. We had a recently renovated room which had a large sitting are; a nice, small kitchen; a very modern and updated bath; and comfortable western style beds. The only negative for the two of us, as older travelers, was that our room, Kura, had the bedroom area upstairs and the bath downstairs on the lower level. This was a bit of a challenge in the middle of the night. However, we would definitely return to this ryokan if in the area again, but would request a room all on one level.||The food and service were truly outstanding. We had a wonderful but different 9 course dinner both nights, worthy of at least one Michelin star in our opinion. We have eaten at three star Michelin restaurants in the past, and Ryokan Kurashiki's menu would certainly rank high among them. The attention to detail, the dishes used, and the food itself was all first class; The service was flawless. Breakfast was also excellent; we had western style breakfasts overlooking the beautiful garden.||There are only 8 rooms and 2 residences, so book early and enjoy the experience! We also met some lovely people who were staying here.

This was a traditional Ryokan! Our room was massive with a cedar bath! There was an Onsen downstairs. To me the highlight of this small hotel was its dinner! We had a great Kaiseki and the breakfast next day was delicious. I enjoyed the Japanese garden and the traditional building, Service was great! ||I did not realise that we were on the main touristy street! Our room was not noisy at all and in some ways the hotel made it an oasis on tranquility vs all the tourists outside. ||The town was too busy for me! I was surprised at the number of people shopping etc. But I guess it is a very traditional old Japanese town so a major tourist attraction.

We spent 2 nights at Ryokan Kurashiki and wow. Yes, it is a beautiful (and recently renovated) Ryokan, and yes, the meals are astonishing, but what really sets it apart is the service. The staff could not have been more helpful, caring and wonderful to us. This was particularly helpful to us as Typhoon Shanshan was impacting our trip, and they went out of their way (unprompted) to check train services and keep us updated (Arti - thank you so much!). We highly recommend.

Kurashiki is a touristy place(when we were there all Japanese tourists..) but it is truly beautiful and we really enjoyed it. In addition to being incredibly picturesque, it is home to a good art museum(Ohara Museum) which is well worth a visit.| Kurashiki Ryokan is very traditional but has all amenities for a comfortable stay. General Manager Ritsuko Nakamura took the time to come to our table at dinner and recommend activities and lunch dining options in town. She called a very good okonomiyaki restaurant and made sure we were seated in front of the chef so we could see him make our lunch.. It was a fun experience. Thank you !| The food at our two dinners was good, but the ryokan has problem with personnel. They don't appear to have enough servers in the restaurant(where they encourage you to take your meals) and the service is extraordinarily uneven. Food was brought in rapid succession with very little explanation The second night we felt like they were trying to get us fed and out in record time even after we asked them to slow down.. This could be a post pandemic issue and I would not let it stop me from coming back.| All in all we would highly recommend a stay here..

Spectacular traditional Japanese Inn in middle of picturesque old Kurashki. Architecture and interior decor sublime. Tatami floors and futons are beautiful.||You are served your choice of cuisine, western or japanese. My wife had the western and I had the Japnese menu for both breakfast and dinner. Both were delicious sophisticated gourmet cuisine. ||The staff is amazing. The highest end Japanese hospitality. They are willing to do whatever you ask. The manager Nakamura San personally supervises and ensures you are comfortable.||A menorable experience. Highly recommend it.

We were traveling through Japan for 14 days and stayed in various hotels and ryokans. This was the most expensive ryokan and by far the worst.||1) Room: We were very disappointed with our stay and in particular with our room. It was cold at night (even with heaters on), loud because of the kitchen next door, the heaters and the neighbors above. No windows that one could open; only the window at the roof, which does not work in case it rains. ||2) Location: This is the only good thing about the restaurant, if you want to visit Kurashiki. Irrespectively of the Hotel, Kurashiki is not really worth a trip.||3) Restaurant / Food: Below average e.g. quality of the sashimi wasn’t great; we were the only people in the restaurant. ||I believe that c. ¥100,000 for one night in this Kura room (I don’t know about the other rooms) is not a fair price. We have asked the owners for a refund given our experience but they were not helpful. ||To sum it up, please do not stay in this ryokan if you want to visit Kurashiki. It is not worth the money.

Enjoyed two nights booked into the Okuzashiki room. Yes, it takes a ||few tries to navigate the facility. But it's worth the effort. The ryokan is ||located along the canal which is a fun place to wander during the day. ||Pretty quiet at night except for the few photographers crouching for a ||special shot in the moonlight. We enjoyed our room which was actually ||a series of rooms and quite comfortable. Two bathrooms were a nice ||surprise. Meals were excellent. Breakfast and dinner are served at a ||specific time that you select and you are required to be there as they ||prepare your initial course based on this start time. We had our first ||dinner in their lovely dining room and our second dinner in the restaurant ||area. English is spoken by some staff members but not all and can ||present a challenge. We managed to make our wishes understood ||and actually enjoyed that part of the dining experience. The garden area ||is lovely and we enjoyed wandering along the path listening to the birds. ||All staff members were friendly and helpful and we left with a feeling that ||we had stayed at a special place. Thank you for the great memory.

Located in the historic district, right along a canal, this ryokan has perfect views and is a great base for exploration. Our room was spacious and clean. Dinner service was one of the best meals we had on our trip.