Yumotokan

This was by far the favourite part of our Japan visit. This was exactly what we needed after the overstimulating activity and crowds of Tokyo.||Our family of four -- two adults with two adult children stayed in a Semi Suite Japanese Style Room at Hanare Karoi. We had the half board which provided fabulous multi-course breakfasts and dinners. Food was spectacular. Service was top-notch.||As the hotel is not accessible by public transport, the hotel bus picked us up from the train station and took as back on departure day. During our stay, there was another bus available for hotel guests. One took us to the cable car for sightseeing the next day. But because of miscommunication due to language, we ended up getting off the bus at the wrong stop and had to walk a great distance to where we were supposed to get off. This turned out to be a blessing as we walked through residential neighbourhoods that we otherwise wouldn't have seen. We also visited a lovely garden that we discovered by chance, and enjoyed a soba lunch at a 300-year-old soba restaurant recommended by our hotel server.||The hotel is not directly on the lake so the scenery wasn't spectacular. ||Two nights were good but I would be happy to spend a third night to enjoy one more fabulous dinner and more soaks in the onsens. Our server for all our meals was ideal. Friendly, polite, engaged in conversation when we invited it, but was silent and unobtrusive otherwise.||Our room had two beds and while at dinner, housekeeping pushed the chairs in the sitting area aside to set up two futons. The toilet was in a separate room from the shower which is ideal for four adults sharing a room. The shower was spacious and a door led out to our balcony with a private onsen. Heavenly.||We thoroughly enjoyed our stay and would highly recommend. We wouldn't hesitate to return but it wasn't an easy place to get to.

My partner and I stayed at Yumotokan for 2 nights in May 2025. This review is in the context of us paying over JPY150,000 (AUD1600) for the 2 nights for the room, breakfast and dinner.||||When we arrived there was no concierge offering to take our bags to the room. We had to sort that ourselves. Not the easiest task over thick carpet.||||We arrived at the room, nice but nothing special. The bed was essentially pushed against the wall, so if you had mobility issues, getting in and out of bed would be a challenge.||||The onsen was nice however was very hot and you couldn’t adjust the temperature.||||We attended the banquet type dinner in a private room that night, which was lovely. It was however a challenge to know what we were eating until we were provided an English version of the menu. That helped to some degree, however provided no insight into how to eat each of the dishes (ie:, what order to eat them, sauces to use, etc). To add to the difficulty the person serving us essentially spoke no English.||||Following the dinner I became very ill and had food poisoning like symptoms, which I can only conclude was from the dinner as I had only eaten some bread for breakfast that day and had felt fine the entire day.||||My partner went and ate breakfast around 8.30am and subsequently went and told management of my state and that I wouldn’t be having breakfast the next morning and we wouldn’t be having dinner that night. They informed her that dinner has already been prepared and could not be cancelled. They kept referring to their terms and conditions. They stated that they would only provide a credit for one breakfast for JPY3000 !||||The most disappointing aspect is how the situation was handled, focused on denial and hiding behind terms and conditions. Not what I would expect from a hotel promising and charging so much.||||I suggest there will be better experiences for that price.

This was an incredible surprise that allowed me to experience a traditional room, private hot spring and a Kaiseki dinner that was truly a visual and delightful experience - the flavors, the way it was presented, all 9 courses and to have it different on each night was stunning, the buffet was also full of amazing options. All of the staff truly did their best to ensure I felt welcome, taken care of and to bridge the language barrier. The shuttle to the station made it so easy to come and go. I would return to Japan to experience this gem again.

It was a relaxing and nice stay to spend our anniversary. The staff are so welcoming and nice, they do accommodate you and are there for questions you may have. The room and the private onsen bath in our room is clean and modern. The dinner was really delicious, we were so full by the time it came to dessert. It was multiple courses tasting local produce. Thank you again to everyone at Yumotokan for your hospitality. I wish you guys all the best/success in the future!

Plan:Grand opening in December 2024: "Hanare KAROI Luxury Floor" Room:[KAROI Luxury Floor] Japanese-style room with double bed and open-air hot spring bath Meals:Breakfast and dinner included Open first enter the room, a light scent of fresh wood welcome us to a beautiful Japan theme room that has a wonderful view of lake biwa As the place was newly renovated, everything is nice and clean. The onsen bath has a clear view the lake as well. The Onsen water is always running and ready at all times. Both dinner and breakfast looks and tastes great. They have English speaking staff (good enough to communicate) that are friendly and attentive The place feels welcoming to tourists Already planning of coming back again

A traditional ryokan with wonderful onsen inside and out and delicious food. I asked for a gluten free meal and they went out of their way to make sure they prepared the right menu for me. Thank you for preparing a delicious meal! The room, public areas and onsen were super clean with a good choice of amenities. Some lovely touches throughout the hotel. You don't feel that it is as big as it is. The staff are super helpful and friendly. We had a great stay!

Really nice hotel room, nice private onsen as well. The one on the 11th floor I believe? was an open roof top onsen and was so relaxing. It’s open till midnight and at 11pm I was the only one there - it was so peaceful. The staff are really friendly and welcoming. The whole place seemed really cleaned and it was only a 20 minute train ride from Kyoto and they come and pick you up from the station which was nice. One thing that I think they could improve on is the vegetarian meals - if you are vegetarian don’t expect a huge lot as it was mainly tofu and mushrooms. It’s still nice but compare to what my partner had it wasn’t as great as what he had. And we paid the same price. So definitely vegetarian option needs improvement but everything else was great and really relaxing

Mr. IMANISHI took such great care of us from check-in, dinner right through to check-out. He spoke English well and made our stay personable and special. I even called the hotel operator to get picked up at the train station and it all worked out wonderfully. It is a massive 3 building resort with exquisite public and private onsens. There are even private soaking tubs in some rooms. Many restaurants and dining rooms to choose from. We had their kaiseki dinners twice and I always tasted a new ingredient, dish or flavor. Master Chef Kazumasa Ohhiro is a true original creater of outstanding preparations. The beautiful dishes the food are served in are a great compliment to their food creations. A wonderful classic representation of warm Japanese hospitality, exceptional onsen experience and delectable restaurants.

Excellent and affordable Ryokan. We had a private bath in the room, which was super impressive. Also, there are multiple public spaces in the building with great amenities. I tried a public onsen, which was open with an outdoors feeling, and it was great. They teach proper etiquette before going to the public one. They gave us a ton of free drinks and snacks in the room. They also give you a yukata to wear for dinner and breakfast buffet or to walk around the property. The food was incredible. It felt like fine dining, and the buffet in the morning had amazing options, too.

There are a handful of ryokans in or around Kyoto. We chose this ryokan for our Japan trip after seeing the pictures of their onsen baths on their website. We were equally impressed when seeing them in person. They have 3 floors of baths: - 1 floor with a fully indoor bath with different colored pools for different health purposes. - 1 floor with an indoor/outdoor bath. The female outdoor bath is on the 2nd storey with partially covered view of the city - 1 floor with a fully outdoor baths with stunning views of the lake & mountains or a city view. They switch the gender of this floor's bath every day so you can get to experience both baths. This is my favorite floor. Meals: I highly recommend adding a meal plan to your stay. You get a kaiseki dinner and breakfast served in a private dining room. The highlight of the meal is their ohmi beef. Room: Clean tatami rooms. They set your futon beds when you have your dinner. There is English speaking staff on the front desk. They also offer pickup and dropoff bus service to/from JR ogotoonsen station.

S E R V I C E Service here is top notch. - They pick you up from the station. - They carry your bags. - They open your door. - They explain every single little thing. - Roof top bath house view was amazing. - 5th bath house was gorgeous. - We were usually the only ones in the baths. - Plenty of showers. - Combs, towels, shoes, yukata are all provided. - Food is amazing. - Waitress is super intuitive. - Everything was super clean. - Best of all you don't even have to tip after being treated like royalty!

We stayed at this ryokan hotel to experience the "Hot springs" in Kyoto. All first time tourists will usually stay at a ryokan (inn) and enjoy the evening feast, karaoke, and hot spring baths. You'll usually get to sleep on tatami style beds as well. :) What an experience, it was very fun! All the hot springs in this hotel were clean and spacious. I was often the only one out of 2-3 other ladies that were there. I love the top floor the best, as the rooftop has a view of Biwa Lake. Fabulous panorama displays of Biwa Lake and surrounding areas. :) The food inside the room (preserved small shrimps) was the best I've had when it comes to tiny salted shrimp. Wish I knew where to buy that! I kept trying to find it at all the local Japanese shops afterwards, but found nothing comparable. I wonder if they made it specifically at the hotel, in their restaurant? It was a fun experience to stay at a ryokan and experience an onsen. It takes getting used to (at least for the onsen), and an open mind!!! :)