Yamagata the Takinami

施設、料理、スタッフ皆んなのホスピタリティと全て素晴らしい。六代目当主による早朝のミステリーツアーも最高です、皆さんにおすすめします。

When you go to Japan, you must stay at a ryokan and if you can only go to 1 ryokan, go to Takinami. The service could not be more thoughtful and kind. Thank you especially to Mr. Suto for his help. The food is absolutely delicious. And I appreciate the chef’s ability to accommodate a celiac in our family who needs to be gluten free. The beds were very comfortable and the private onsen is wonderful. There are interesting things to do on the property and nearby. It is an easy 3 hr bullet train ride from Tokyo. It is a memorable experience. Everything is 10 star. Don’t miss it.

We stayed for three nights, and it was a fantastic experience. The hotel owner and staffs were exceptionally friendly and took great care of us. The hot spring was incredible—while soaking in the warm water, all you could think was, this is life. Highly recommend!

山形、良かった 思い切ったリニューアルがしてあり、歴史ある旅館とホテルのいいとこ取り。 食事や、ホスピタリティ、お風呂(部屋付き)に満足しました。

The best meal we had for this trip, just the meal is worth the price.

If you are only able to have one luxury experience in life, make it a stay at the Takinami Ryokan, for as many nights as you can. It is easily accessible by train from Tokyo or Sendai, and this provides many opportunities to explore the local area. I can’t give more than five stars for the service, and the staff deserves it. Visiting from outside Japan, we were very glad that all of the staff was happy to interact with us. Even before we arrived, the staff reached out to us to confirm details and to ensure our stay would be spectacular. A shuttle was provided to pick us up at the station, and our shuttle driver was the President’s brother, who told us about the town and history of the area and the ryokan. We instantly felt welcome! We were warmly greeted upon arrival and provided several options for a welcome drink and a snack as we reviewed our check-in details and selected the times for our activities during our stay. We were then given a tour of the facility as we were shown to our rooms. The room was clean and as beautiful as the pictures from the website. We had a private onsen for the room, which was incredibly convenient and enjoyable. There is a public onsen available for guests as well. The beds were very comfortable and the facility has been beautifully renovated while maintaining its historical beauty and charm. Lounge clothes of two different styles (several designs/colors for each) were provided for use throughout our stay. The food was phenomenal, and I ate every bite. I cannot say enough about our dining experiences for dinner and breakfast (both included), so I will just say it was some of the best food I’ve had in my life, and the counter dining experience was beyond amazing. I have been looking for a “chef’s table” type experience and this exceeded my expectations. I did not expect to be provided so many opportunities for experience during our stay, but they provided many. We got to see the soba noodles (very special flour) made for us before we were served them for dinner. We were provided a site seeing tour the following morning (spoken in Japanese) on their beautiful bus, with a stop atop the mountain for some coffee and juice in the clouds. While I don’t speak Japanese (my wife is my translator) the experience was one I will cherish for the rest of my life, and the joy and passion with which the stories were shared makes me wish I did understand Japanese (time was taken to ensure important details were provided in English, and I’d never have expected everything to be repeated for me). President Minami-san took a lot of time throughout our stay to speak with us and the other guests, so we felt very cared for. If you’re looking for an amazing time in Japan, look no further. We will be back on our next trip and for a longer stay, and while we have a lot more time in Japan now, our next visit can’t come soon enough. To everyone at Takinami Ryokan, thank you so much for this magical experience!