this was my second stay because I like it very much. It is a traditional building with very nice onsen, including the rotenburo (the bath outside), good food and reasonable price. I came before the Autumn season so there were not too many people, the room was great with the view on the inner garden. The staff is very friendly. The dinner and breakfast are traditional Japanese meals, so do not expect coffee and toasts. The house is a bit old, but that is the whole charm. The walk to the bus stop, around 15min. is great, among the fields and the old type of village, the countryside. Very quite at night, only the sound of the stream.

Nothing for me to complain.

The inn is nestled on a narrow mountain road in the village. The owner and staff greeted us and made us feel comfortable from the start. The food is meticulously prepared and is delicious. Locally grown vegetables, mushrooms, homemade pickle, and potato noodles were sweet and crunchy! The rooms are traditional tatami mat with sliding doors. The view from any window is of the wooded areas, gardens, and village views. The natural onsen hot spring pools are a great way to relax at the end of the day after exploring Kyoto. We wish we could stay longer and hope to return soon.

This is a fantastic place for those who want to experience the traditional Japan for a reasonable price. As the staff informs in the mail just after the reservation, the place is a bit run out. But this is the minshuku style (not ryokan). I love the atmosphere of the old style. The staff very friendly and casual (not so formal as it might be in ryokans). The single room is small but has everything what is necessary. The bath and toiled are shared, and that is why the price is so much lower. The baths/onsen are great. I especially love the rotenburo, the onsen outside! The place is in remote part of Ohara (1 hr bus ride from Kyoto station). Very close to a great temple, Jakkoin, 5 min. walk. I was there first at 9am, and so had the temple for myself :) Walkable distance (15min) from the bus station across beautiful rural area. The food was great, nabe style, with many miso types to try (buffet style). I am definitely going back there.

Some of the guests with kids were a bit noisy but that is not the hotel's fault, I guess. I love the place.

It's the best choice you can ever make of you want to experience a real japaneese onsen ryokan. Surrounded by mountains, the place is so wonderful that I canceled all other plans to stay there longer. The onsen is fantastic, indoor and outdoor. They cook you breakfast and dinner, very foreneirs friendly staff, they make this place even better by their kind approach. I miss the place already and can't wait to come back during my next trip. For all 5 trips to Japan, this is forever number one for me. My 7yo son loved it as well. We want to thank Ohara no Sato staff for their kindness and the way they waived us when we were driving away🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏❤️

Even though I had originally booked without meals, the staff set a place at dinner for everyone, including me, and I was only charged for what I participated in. Prices were reasonable and the experience was wonderful.

The hotel cannot accommodate early arrivals, so try to arrive as close to check-in as possible. On good weather days this isn't an issue as you can explore the village, the shrines, and (if you've got the cardio for it) wander down into town and visit a konbini. But in my specific instance it was raining, cold, and a weekday. So I spent hours in a town where almost everything I could have done to get me out of the rain was closed, and my booking couldn't accommodate my early arrive or provide me shelter from the rain.

Everything on our stay gave us very authentic feeling - just what we wanted! It's easy to take a bus from Kyoto to Ohara and then there is a nice little scenic walk to this accommodation. They offer shuttle transfer also, but I recommend the walk if you don't carry big luggages. Accommodation itself was huge and has very nice old, japanese onsen feeling. We enjoyed the food and hospitality. Futon was actually pretty comfortable and we didn't mind the shared toilet because it was right outside our room and we didn't even see anybody else using them. There are plenty of toilets scattered around this accommodation. We were so tired of our travel so we didn't even try the onsen, so sorry, no review of that.

There wasn't anything I didn't like. Except I recommend arriving to Ohara earlier than check in time if you want to see temples and other places. Because they close early.

- helpful staff … I saw many bad comments about the one male staff. It turns out that he is actually helpful ( from picking me up at the bus station, reminding me about dinner time, ..). His manner is straightforward in taking care of the guests ( unlike others I experienced at other ryokans) but I didn’t feel any bad intentions from him. So, please keep up the good work. - food…portion is more than enough with refilled side dishes , rice and soup - location…peaceful and easy to each by bus

- the room and onsen is outdated and has old design ( but temperature is comfy)…the overall services are below than expected for 3-star ryokan ( especially when I used to visit the 4-star one in Kyushu).

Ohara is an absolutely gorgeous place. I wish we could have stayed longer. So green and serene. The dinner and breakfast were so delicious and wholesome. A wonderful, fresh homegrown and generous meal, best enjoyed in the hotel's provided yukatas (robes) and slippers. The miso was fantastic and staff were very helpful and accomodating (frying the raw egg for our daughter, for ex). It felt more like dining in a home, rather than having a fancy kaiseki. But that was fine with us. Our Japanese-style room was comfortable and there were plenty of futons and blankets. Onsen was clean and water was a great temperature. Beautiful forest to look up into from the outdoor pool, and sound of frogs and rain at night. The view to the garden from our room was sublime. We also were able to get rides to and from the bus station. A short walk around the hotel revealed a beautiful and fascinating little neighborhood.

Bus 17 from Kyoto was a little hard to figure out...but we were helped by a local. Apparently there are two Bus 17s? Once we boarded the bus, it was easy. Just ask the driver if it's going to Ohara, then you'll be fine. We caught the bus in downtown. Ohara is the final stop, so that part was easy!

It's a true traditional inn, but it's equipped with some modern facilities making the say more comfortable: lighting, air conditioner, bathrooms (on the floor, not in the room), wifi and even vending machines. The location is pretty distant, but in exchange the traveller gets a nice view and calm surroundings. It's not totally in the middle of nowhere though, it's a village with several houses and similar inns around. The personnel is extremely friendly. When they can't express themselves in English, they're ready to use smartphone with a translation app. Both the dinner and breakfast are traditional. May be unusual for a western taste, but are good. The inn accepts bank card payments.

It's difficult to desire more from a traditional inn. This one is a very good balance between traditional experience and convenience. If you travel with kids who are not willing to try unusual food, it would be best to grab some snacks though. Just in case.

Ohara is absolutely gorgeous, the little gardens were well maintained and lovely. I used one of the onsens, and it was very relaxing. We got lost on the trains, and we arrived much later than anticipated. It was pouring rain, and my whole family was exhausted. The staff were gracious enough to hold dinner for us even though we were so late. I really appreciated it, because we were just too tired and miserable to tromp down to the combini for food. All of the staff were very helpful and kind.

Just in general, things were a little tired and worn down. It didn’t necessarily bother me, but I expected a little more since this was the most expensive place we booked during our trip. The futons were also the least comfortable of all the futons we slept on during our trip to Japan, and that was a bit disappointing. I found the meal process a little confusing and intimidating, but mainly because this was our first time at an onsen. It would have been nice to have something in writing to explain the process, what things were and what should be eaten with what. - But the food was delicious, even if we felt a little awkward at meal times.