Yamatoya honten

AVOID. It is ridiculously overpriced for what you get: the entire place looks old and needing renovation. Rooms look old, outdated and with old furniture. Even the kimonos in the room looked ancient. The public bath smelled like chlorine very strongly so we did not use it. Even the welcoming green tea tasted bad (it had sugar?!?!). Worst was their Kaseki dinner and breakfast: by far the worst food I have eaten in Japan. I would have been disappointed if they had served me that in Europe: tasteless dishes without any explanation from the server of what they were or in what order to eat them. Location is in the heart of Osaka, very lively area. It is great for a hotel but I would prefer a ryocan in a more peaceful environment. This was both our more expensive and worst (actually the only bad) experience regarding food and shelter so far

The hotel was located in the middle of famous market, but I couldn't stand for the cigarette smell. We chose non smoking room,but the smell disturbed me way too much,. Wehad to leave. They said no refund, but still country there. But cost wise, that's fair and not too great, but if you are a cigarret smoker, that's okay hotel.

I want to express my sincere gratitude for the outstanding service provided by the front desk agent during our stay. The lady from Hong Kong went above and beyond to assist us when we inquired about local dining options. Not only did she recommend excellent places to eat, but she also took the extra step of using Google to search for more details and provided us with clear directions. Her kindness, professionalism, and commitment to making our stay enjoyable made a significant positive impact. Exceptional service like hers deserves recognition, and I highly recommend her assistance to any future guests. Thank you for making our stay truly memorable!

It may be a bit of a walk from the nearest metro station, but it's worth it to stay here.||The staff was very helpful in both English and japanese. Check in went smoothly. You can pay cash or card and even split payment of your room between the two, which is what we did.||They have a little gift shop in the lobby. As the local specialty that I hope you'll be gorging yourself on is takoyaki (octopus fritters), get a plush octopus.||Tatami mats and futons awaited us in our room. If you're not a fan of such firm sleeping arrangements, extra quilts and pillows are in the closet.||While we enjoyed plenty of food from Dotonbori just outside, we stocked provisions from the nearest kombini (convenience store) [just one block behind the ryokan] in our in room fridge.||We didn't take advantage of the hotel's restaurant or public bath, so I can't talk about them. The ensuite bathroom was nice, though. If you're 6 feet 3 inches (1.9 meters) like me, be careful or you might hit the celling. Not with your head necessarily but with your hands while shampooing your hair.||A kombini one block behind the ryokan, a tonkatsu sandwich vendor in front and all of Dotonbori right next to it. Stay here and you'll be in the middle of the best parts of Osaka nightlife.

Disappointed by the specially booked Japanese room that had some dust, stains and a whole in the sliding window. We paid 210€ for one night when it’s barely worth 60€. The public bath was also very gloomy and not quite clean. The whole hotel is very old and would need with a good renovation. The neighborhood is very noisy and they let you know on a piece of paper in the room but do not offer earplugs like in a capsule hotel. Very saddened by this experience, expected more from a ryokan.

Very kind, flexible and helpful staff. The rooms are spacious. Loved the takoyaki experience!

I stayed at the Yamatoya Honten for 3 nights from the 8th to the 12th of October 2024. The hotel is ideally located in central Osaka to make it easy to walk to nearby Dotonbori for food or Denden town to do some shopping. The hotel itself is in a more traditional Japanese style and a great experience for it. (Though you don't lack any modern amenities - there is air conditioning for example!) The hotel staff were very helpful and spoke quite a bit of English, which was helpful since my Japanese is still quite basic. The Yamatoya accepts luggage deliveries and my suitcase was waiting for me in my room when I arrived, which was a really nice touch. The front desk staff also helped me book my bag through to my next hotel. The room had enough space for me and sleeping on the traditional futon bed was quite comfortable.

Love this place. Exactly what we were looking for. Cozy tatami room with public bath amenity.

I didn't do much research prior to arriving to Japan since my friend took care of most of the planning. She researched all the hostels we stayed in and took charge of booking, so I can't really delve into the booking process. However, they do have an English website and they do accept credit card for payment! We stayed in the room on the second floor across from the dining room. The room is pretty small and cozy with a bathroom included and a view of the street, which can get pretty noisy if you're a light sleeper. Since we arrived in the evening, our beds were already made when we checked in. They were nice enough to put away and make our beds everyday after we left our rooms. It was one less thing to figure out, haha. The futons are thin, but pretty comfy. The pillows could be firmer, but that's just my preference and the comforter was extremely warm for the cold nights. The restroom was included in our room and it was the first time I ever experienced warm seats and a bidet. Plus, I'm extremely amazed by how close the door was to the toilet when opening or closing. Space is very tiny and can be a little claustrophobic, but that's Japan for ya. For bathing, there's an Onsen on the basement floor. It's a public bath with a spa and it's separated by gender because you're basically naked in front of others, so I guess you would have to be comfortable with that. This was such a lifesaver throughout our stay here considering how much walking we did! What I thought was neat is that you return your key to the front desk before you leave. One less thing to carry or lose! I would recommend this hostel if you would like to stay in a more traditional style room with tatami mats. They also offer traditional Japanese meals for an additional price, but since we were traveling on a budget, we skipped out on that. Since it's located across the street from Dotonbori, we spent most of our lunches and dinner exploring the area.

Stayed two nights here with breakfast and kaiseki dinner included in a Japanese style room. Very disappointed. Furnishings (tables, chairs, sliding doors, walls, plumbing's) in desperate need of replacement or refinishing. Everything very worn and/or broken. Bathroom walls were dingy and yellow. The faucets get stuck and can't turn off water. They were very old and teetered around when we tried to use them. Toiletries were a bare minimum. Very depressing room. Breakfast was Japanese style and was very good. Dinner for the first night was good although the food served was average, nothing fancy. The second dinner had pretty cheap food and wasn't good at all. Plus, there were other parties in other rooms, so service was pretty bad too. We had to wait long periods between courses. Location was excellent right in the center of town. Airport shuttle just across the street. We paid too much for a worn out room and bad dinners. Will not come back. There are many other nicer hotels in same area.