Nishimuraya Honkan

Nishimuraya Honkan is an absolutely superb ryokan and amongst the top ryokans I have visited across many onsen towns in Japan. We stayed 3 nights. The atmosphere was beautiful and peaceful, the staff and service top notch, and the food is exquisite. Not all staff speak fluent English, but we had no issues communicating. We had the half board so dinners are served in our room while breakfasts are in a common room, with different menus every day. Every meal was meticulously prepared and a feast. We had the large Japanese style Horai room that had an open air bath (as well as open air shower - some may find it a bit cold in cooler months but it was fine for us in Spring), which was very enjoyable and relaxing. Don't miss the coffee/tea/juice area on the first floor that looks out to a lovely garden, and taking a walk in the garden to see their beautiful koi fish. Although the ryokan is about a 12 minute walk from Kinosakionsen Station, there is a bus from the station that can take you directly to the ryokan, and we were also able to get on the hotel's shuttle back to the station when we left. An amazing and highly recommended experience that's not to be missed if you ever visit Kinosaki Onsen.

Loved everything about this ryokan, from the room to the food to the services provided. We had a Japanese suite room which was at the top of the ryokan and had a lovely view overlooking the ropeway and the garden. The room and ryokan were both clean, offered Yukata and geta to use for the duration of your stay, and comes with access to the many onsens in the town. There are two onsens within the ryokan, too, which are worth checking out that switch genders each night, so it's worth going at night and in the morning to experience both (one is Japanese-themed, the other is Greco-Roman). The food is lovely, both dinner and breakfast are plentiful with a wide selection of seafood, noodles, and other ingredients. The crab is exquisite. Service from all hotel staff, from the receptionists to the servers to even the maintenance staff were all so polite and helpful. Loved every thing about our stay.

While pricey I'd say it's 100% worth the value through the beautiful garden-view rooms, INCREDIBLE five-star dinner and breakfast experience and the service + you have the best onsen in town right in the hotel. Even though their sister hotel was closed - the staff went above and beyond to accommodate a morning private onsen before we left which is exceptional service. This stay be a lifetime memory for us, we loved it.

This Honkan has perfect location in Kinosaki Onsen, it is an traditional Japanese property, more like a museum, with beautiful Japanese Garden and hot spring baths. Our room had this amazing view over the garden, it has been traditional Japanese experience, with sitting on tatami mats, futons, beautiful yakutas that were changed frequently, all possible amenities, afternoon matcha and absolutely delicious kaiseki dinners prepared of highest quality products. Breakfast was served in a beautiful room and has been out of this world (we chose Japanese breakfast). Service provided by the personal, was exceptional and diligent.

My teenage son and I wanted to book a ryokan (traditional Japanese inn) and also visit some onsen at the beginning of our time in Japan. This ryokan exceeded our expectations. Such gracious service by the entire staff. The yukata that was presented to us to wear during our stay was a wonderful surprise. Juice, coffee and water are available all day long, in a quiet, beautifully furnished lounge. We enjoyed an incredible breakfast both mornings - the first morning we chose the Japanese breakfast, and the next day we tried the Western breakfast.