What kind of luxury onsen ryokan is Katsuragi no Sato?
The day before, we stayed at Wanosato near Takayama Station, and this evening we stayed at “Katsuragi no Sato” in Fukuji Onsen. This area was a village that looked like something out of a Japanese folktale. It is probably the most exclusive of the eleven ryokans in Fukuji Onsen resort district. I am going straight to the point, the sophisticated architectural techniques, interior design, furnishings, and decor were attractive, while retaining the traditions and rural setting of Hida Takayama. The room we stayed in, with its private outdoor hot spring bath, was especially amazing. I have wanted to stay here for a long time and finally my wish came true.
After eating a Hida beef lunch near Takayama Station, we took the Hino bus from Takayama Nohi bus center and arrived at Fukuji Onsen bus stop about 70 minutes later. The ryokan where we would be staying tonight was about a three-minute walk from Fukuji Onsen bus stop.
Entering the entrance, we found a parking lot and, near the parking lot, a hut with a traditional sunken hearth called irori. We loved the ambience and decided to go inside and took a break. We could smell the wood burning a little from the irori. It was a bit chilly that day, so we sit by the irori and warm up for a while. The hut was probably built more than 100 years ago, and next to the irori table were two black kettles that were used to cook rice in the old kitchen.
Then, a short walk up a beautiful fresh green pathway with a stream flowing nearby led us to another magnificent gate with “Katsuragi no Sato” written on it, and through the gate to the left was the main hall. We entered through the entranceway with its elegant noren curtain, took off our shoes, and changed into slippers. In front of the entrance was a traditional hearth room surrounded by wooden lattice doors, and next to it was a spacious lobby with a vaulted ceiling up to the second floor.
The lobby was a gassho-style building with massive columns and beams that intersected beautifully. There were comfortable-looking furniture and tasteful decorations, and chairs made of wooden mortars were placed on the terrace. The building is said to be a relocated version of a wealthy farmer’s mansion built about 150 years ago.
The grounds covered an area of 4,000 tsubo about 4,000 ㎡, and the spacious grounds were dotted with the main building, 10 separate guest rooms, hot spring baths, and other facilities. They were connected by corridor-like passageways. Each room was a Japanese traditinal house with annex.
We checked in while sitting on the sofa in the lobby and enjoyed tea and dried persimmon snacks prepared by staff. Even though we had just checked in, we already felt that we would definitely like to come back. That is how much we were smitten with the ambiance and comfort of the ryokan.
After a while, the staff showed us to our room. This time, we stayed in the room No. 603 with the private outdoor hot spring bath called Shikouan “柿香庵”. Probably, the ceiling, doors, walls, and other fittings are coated with persimmon tannin, which are where the name comes from. The room where we stayed, is said to be very popular. We booked it a long time ago too.
Upon entering, we found two beautiful Japanese-style rooms. The back Japanese room, separated by lattice doors and shoji screens, had a wonderful sunken hearth table and a modern chaise lounge. Outside the window, the private outdoor bath made of stone can be seen. We have stayed in many different Japanese-style rooms, but No. 603 we stayed in was surprisingly sophisticated. It truly expressed the uniquely Japanese world of wabi and sabi.
We lit a fire in the sunken hearth and sipped some local sake from a mini-bar while enjoying the wonderful Japanese-style rooms. I sat on the chaise lounge, my eyes often dazzled by the beauty of the fresh greenery that I could see through the yukimi-shoji screen in front of me.
After relaxing here, I changed into the hydrangea-patterned yukata I had selected in the lobby and decided to go to communal hot spring baths. From the corridor on the way to the communal baths, the beautiful fresh greenery and moss shone in the sunlight, making the colors even more vivid.
As I entered the communal hot spring baths, I could smell the aroma of hot spring. The indoor bath was a cypress bath and the outdoor bath was a rock bath. The outdoor bath in particular overlooked fresh green trees, and the sun shone through the trees as if sprinkled with gold dust. I was happy to be able to enjoy the outdoor bath with such a beautiful view of nature.
The sound of hot spring water pouring from a bamboo tube into the outdoor bath, the chirping of warblers, and the sound of grass and trees swaying in the gentle breeze were so pleasant that I found myself taking a long hot bath. It was as if my senses were being sharpened.
When I returned to our room, my husband had already returned from the communal baths and was quenching his thirst with a can beer. Then I realized that I was starting to get hungry. We went to a dining area next to the lobby. After passing through a noren curtain hanging at the entrance, we found ourselves in another quaint sunken hearth called irori. Some bottles of local sake and fruit wine were placed near the irori. The staff then led us to a private room with a sunken hearth table. On the irori, there was already warmed up iwana fish and rice cakes called gohei-mochi, and we could smell the savory aroma of miso baking. The irori table was comfortable to sit at, as it was a horigotatsu.
Then we ordered the char-grilled hida beef tongue course when we booked our room. We had the high-quality Hida beef with wasabi and salt for a refreshing taste. We enjoyed the large and satisfying Hida beef. Overall, the portions are large, so it is best to be hungry. Although the local cuisine did not look special, it was clear that each dish was carefully prepared. All the dishes were delicious, and I couldn’t help but enjoy a few drinks.
After dinner, we decided to go to a private family hot spring bath. There are two private family hot spring baths on the grounds, which can be used free of charge whenever available. The private family baths are located at the end of a corridor next to the lobby with stairs leading up to them. The two private family baths, called “木船” and “石船,” each have their own indoor and outdoor baths. The structure of the indoor baths is almost the same, but the outdoor baths are either hinoki cypress bath or stone bath. The private family bath, called 木船, had a better view.
When we returned to our room from the private family bath, futons were laid out in the Japanese-style room. Then there were rice crackers for the night meal and a pot of cold water on the table. We thought it was time to get into bed, but there was a little library lounge in front of our room, so we decided to take a beer from the room’s mini-bar and relax here with it. Every time we walked by here, we thought, what a cozy space. This lounge had two comfortable modern chairs and a counter table with an elegant stained glass lamp on it. Surrounded by the soft light from the stained glass, we sipped our drinks and engaged in casual conversation, and before we knew it, it was past 10:00 pm. By the way, there are two small library lounges on the grounds, one near the lobby and the other in front of the room No. 603.
The next morning, I woke up a little after 7:00 a.m. and decided to enjoy the private outdoor hot spring bath in my room. From the private outdoor bath, I could see the beautiful fresh green trees of the forest. The grass and trees, wet with night dew, were more vividly colored than usual. As I listened to the sound of the hot spring water slowly pouring from a bamboo tube into the stone bath, breathing the delicious air and smelling the fragrance of the forest, my busy life in Tokyo seemed like a distant memory.
After this, we decided to take a morning walk to a morning market. It was probably a five-minute walk from here. Various local specialties were lined up in a row. When we returned from our walk and went to the dining room for breakfast, the staff showed us to the same private room where we had had dinner yesterday. Listening carefully, I could hear the murmuring of a stream. Freshly harvested vegetables and fruits, dried ayu fish from the nearby river, and homemade hoba miso grilled over an open hearth and served with rice cooked in a kettle made for an exceptional breakfast. After breakfast, we used the communal hot spring baths once more, checked out before 11:00, and left the ryokan.
Overall, the service, facilities, rooms, hot spring baths, environment, scenery, and meals all exceeded my expectations, so it is very difficult to list any faults, but I would venture to say that it is a popular ryokan, so bookings are difficult to get.
Then the only drawback of gassho-zukuri ryokans in Hida Takayama is that they do not have a soundproofing system, so the sounds of daily life echo through rooms, but in this ryokan, each room is separate, so there is no problem at all even with small children. There are also several traditional Japanese houses with spacious floor plans, ideal for families and groups. On the contrary, we would not recommend standard rooms. This is because, although each room has a traditional sunken hearth, interior and furnishings are nothing special. They are very common Japanese-style rooms, so they are not interesting.
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Is the location easy to access?
Take the Nohi Bus for Shinhotaka Ropeway at Takayama Nohi Bus Center in front of Takayama Station. Then, get off at Fukuji Onsen Bus Stop. *HO40 The ryokan is a 3-minute walk from the bus stop. Refer to the timetable.
Then, if you are visiting the Hida Takayama area for the first time and do not know which bus stop to get off at, you may want to show a bus driver the Japanese text below when you get on a bus.
福地温泉のバス停に着いたら、教えてください。
Kindly let me know when you reach Fukuji Onsen bus stop.
If you have any questions about how to get there, please message me anytime below.
Rooms I would recommend?
If you are going to stay here, I would recommend a Japanese-style house with a private outdoor hot spring bath. Then if you don’t want to sleep on Japanese-style mattresses in tatami rooms, you may want to book a room with twin beds on tatami mats.
How about toiletries & in-room amenities?
All of the amenities are taken care of including minimum toiletries, yukatas, bottled water, and a green tea set, etc. There was a drink section near the lobby. Green tea, english tea, and snacks were available free of charge. Free Wifi reception was good in the property. There is a vending machine for soft drinks. There is no convenience store nearby. You may want to buy your necessities before coming here.
How about In-house Facilities?
There are wonderful communal indoor and outdoor hot spring baths. Also, there are two indoor and outdoor private family hot spring baths that you can use for free whenever they are not occupied. The spring quality is awesome, very thick, creamy, and moist. Once you try them, you may become a hot spring freak. *Please note that if you have tattoos, use the private family baths instead.
Then Katsuragi no Sato is not a universal design. There are some steps and the property is large, but I saw a guest in a wheelchair staying there. If you bring people with weak legs, you may want to inform the staff in advance as they can arrange a room near the entrance. A wheelchair is available for borrowing. Also, you may want to book a room with a private outdoor hot spring as you wouldn’t need to move around once you enter your room.
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How about meals?
The local irori food was wonderful. All meals are served in private rooms in the dining area. Breakfast starts at 8:00, 8:30, or 9:00. Dinner starts at 18:00 or 18:30. *Please note that irregular meal times will not be accepted.
Then if you have any food allergies, please write them in a comment box when you book a room with meals. They probably wouldn’t be able to prepare alternative food if you request on that day.
As far as I know, there is no restaurant near the ryokan. It would be a good idea to make a reservation with meals included.
My impressions
Hida Takayama’s beautiful scenery, abundant local sake, delicious local cuisine, quaint iroris, and wonderful hot spring quality all made us forget our daily lives. We love Hida Takayama. We checked out at the lobby, made our next reservation, and headed home.
Have a nice trip! Welcome to receive any questions about Katsuragi no Sato from the below space.
*The ryokan accepts cash only P.S. You can pay by credit card as of 2019.
**You need to inform staff in advance if you check in after 17:00.
Check Availability and Pricing for the property on Agoda
Info about Katsuragi no Sato
| Style | Luxury onsen ryokan |
|---|---|
| Check-in and out times |
15:00/11:00 |
| Estimated Price | 60,000 JPY for 2 adults per room |
| Contact | Call at 0 |
| Internet Connection | Free Wifi in the ryokan |
| Facility Information | Wheelchairs are available Pets are not allowed The free parking lot is available |
| Location | Katsuragi no Sato’s MAP |
| Access | Free shuttle service from Fukuji Onsen-guchi Bus Stop Need to book in advance |
| Address and TEL | Tel +81 |
| Official Homepage | Katsuragi no Sato’s HP *Japanese Only |
*All information above is as of the date that I posted on my blog.
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