Ryokan Experience at Hanaikada, Arashiyama

Staying at a Ryokan will be the highlight of your trip to Japan. A ryokan is for travelers who wish to experience Japanese culture and enjoy the comforts of Japanese hospitality and service. Ryokans have been a part of Japanese culture for centuries. Some of the earliest ryokans were (and some still are) located on the Tokaido Highway which connected the capital city of Edo (current day Tokyo) and the Imperial Palace in Kyoto. It was a very busy highway as samurai, traders, and others made their way between the two popular destinations in the country. Ryokans were built to welcome these weary travelers who needed to rest before continuing on their long journey. Some ryokans were very simple and offered extra rooms in their homes for travelers while others were more elaborate and served the higher ranks of the government. In any case the owners worked hard to make their guests feel as welcome as possible as they still do today.

I chose my Ryokan experience at Hanaikada which is located close to Togetsukyo Bridge, the symbol of the Arashiyama Area in Kyoto, Hanaikada is an authentic Japanese style ryokan hotel. The baths, including a private bath, are all fed with 100% natural hot springs. Arashiyama Sagano Area is distinct from other areas in Kyoto, offering visitors a traditional atmosphere of Kyoto. Many Japanese repeat visitors to Kyoto prefer to stay in Arashiyama. The area is conveniently accessible to famous sightseeing spots, such as Tenryu-ji Temple (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), bamboo groves, and Hozugawa Kudari river boat ride.

The moment when we arrived at Hanaikada, I can saw my name written on a piece of board like what you have see on the picture above. This board is placed outside of the premise. To see my name on the board like this, it seems like welcoming me. I am already excited! To get to here: you can take Keifuku Dentetsu - Arashiyama line to Arashiyama Station

1. Take Keifuku Dentetsu - Arashiyama Line to Arashiyama Station and walk about 5 minutes and you will be crossing the famous Togetsukyo Bridge. This train is an old fashion train that will share the same road with other vehicles and you pay inside the train.
2. Take the JR San-in Line to Saga Arashiyama Station and then make a call to the hotel and they will have free hotel transfer service for you. 

Before checking-in, we get to choose the fragrance we want in our room. The fragrant is on the paper and they will just leave the paper in the room. I really couldn't imagine how a normal fragrance paper like this will fragrant the whole room. But it did. 

Staying at a typical ryokan is a traditional Japanese cultural experience, and it is not like staying at a Western-style hotel. For example ryokans do not have central heating and in the winter this means you will be staying in a room with a portable heater (kerosene, gas, electric). While your room may be heated, your private bathroom (if you have one) will probably not have a separate heater. In the summer time, your room may have an air conditioning unit but again your private bathroom (if you have one) will probably not have one. 

Many ryokan owners wish to preserve the traditional atmosphere of their ryokan, and this means maintaining old fashioned heating systems in order to preserve the traditional architecture, design, and atmosphere of the ryokan. If you prefer to sleep in a double room with twin queen-size beds and have: a full modern bathroom, carpeted rooms, perfect room temperature, insulated silence, the latest high tech gadgets, and every member of the staff speaking fluent English then a ryokan might not be for you. However, if you wish to see, taste, touch, and feel traditional Japanese culture then a night at a typical ryokan is just the thing for you. While most of the staff at ryokans speak very little English, this authenticity adds to the experience. Ryokans are only available in Japan and it is an experience not to be missed.

I chose their Japanese style room 7.5 tatami which costs at 21,600 yen/night (approximately RM800). This room has an incredible view over a river. We can see the sunrise from here. The room price here starts from 21,600 yen up to 27,000 yen per night. This is the most expensive hotel I have stayed so far in my life and I stayed for two nights. The package comes with a breakfast and a Kyo-kaiseki dinner. 

We have to book the time we want to have our dinner which starts from 6.00pm - 9.00pm. All the food here are freshly made and cook. Kyo-Kaiseki (traditional Kyoto cuisine) which is served for dinner is prepared with seasonal ingredients from Kyoto carefully selected by the chef and the menu that changes monthly consists of 12 dishes. There is a waitress that purposely serve us dish by dish. The service is amazing. The experience is unforgettable. 

For my Muslim friend, it is near impossible to find a halal Ryokan in Japan. Usually it comes with alcohol and all their utensils are sterilized using alcohol too. That's their traditional way. As for the food, they do not serve a lot of pork dishes but most of their food comes with pork seasoning. 

I have to pay a minimum of 2 adult price even though I am here with a kid. So instead of changing his course to a kids menu, I rather choose to have both adult menu. The traditional Kyoto cuisine really unique and you don't experience it anywhere in Malaysia. I truly enjoyed it especially I can enjoy two sets of meal.

There is no shower inside our room so we have to use their public onsen or known as Japanese hot spring. I still cannot except bathing nakedly together with strangers so opted for their private onsen. There is an additional charges of 1,500 yen for a maximum of 40 minutes usage. I have to book in advance. That's the disadvantages of not willing to share the hot springs. Anyway, the experience is really great especially the type of spring water that's used here is hypotonic alkalescent water. 

After we had taken our shower, our room has changed into a tatami bed. Awesome service! We really enjoyed sleeping on a tatami bed. It is so comfortable and cozy. There is an air dehumidifier inside the room which will keeps the room clean.

We have to inform the front desk earlier about what time we would like to have our breakfast. Their breakfast starts at 7.00am and ends at 10.00am. The breakfast location is at the lobby area instead of inside the room like the dinner. Breakfast consists of Oboro-dofu (tofu made by adding Nigari to soy milk) that you make by yourself and a choice of 3 types of fish that you cook by yourself!

Overall, it is highly recommended to experience at least once in a Ryokan. This unique experience is only available in Japan. There are a lot of types of Ryokan which ranging from 7,000 yen per night up until 100,000 yen per night. So at Hanaikada, the price is below average because if you calculate thoroughly, the luxurious Japanese breakfast and dinner will cost easily RM300/pax in Malaysia. So for 2 pax, it would be RM600 and the accommodation is just cost you RM200/night. So it is not expensive really that expensive. It is rather reasonable. If you still wouldn't want to spend too much on such experience, just do more survey about Ryokan. You probably able to find 7000 yen/night but advanced booking is highly needed.

Total Damage: 21,600 yen/night
Ambiance: 5/5
Service: 5/5
Price: 3/5
Cleanliness: 5/5
Recommended?: Yes

Kyoto Arashiyama Onsen
Ryokan Hanaikada
Minami-tsume, Togetsu-kyo, Arashiyama, 
Nishikyo-ku, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture, 616-0004
Tel: 075-861-0228