Sakahijiri Nikko

The traditional central Japanese garden with pond and fish is superbly designed and is visible once inside, from the lobby, the lounge and the dining room with all the rooms directly above (at least 3 floors). The service desk is only open for check-in from 3-6pm (English spoken), though I arrived earlier (before noon) and left my luggage & went for a walk. Unless you book meals (breakfast plus dinner combined) ahead of your stay, meals are not available due to the the need to prepare them). I stayed 3 nights but hadn't booked meals so it was too late to enjoy a meal the first day or following morning. The next 2 nights I ate there OK. I highly recommend Ikari Restaurant (5 mins walk away) as an alternative also, because the Sakahijiri meals are VERY expensive ( ¥6,600) but the Sakahijiri dinner in itself is an extraordinary experience in Japanese cuisine by a seriously skilled chef that may be worthwhile having. The rooms are spacious and with traditional Japanese elements.The town is smaller and lacks much to see for some but it was a great respite for me due to the quietness that I sought. I used the in/outdoor onsen each day too. Access from the Railway Station is an easy, generally flat, 10-15 min walk. I've read some silly complaints about a few holes in some sliding paper windows caused by careless tourist/s. Sakahijiri is so pleasing overall and restful that criticism such as this misses the point of it uniqueness.

Good service. The room could use some dust removal, but it's spacious.

Stayed here on a weekday. It was really quiet and peaceful and we basically had the entire place to ourselves + 1 other guest. Definitely need a car to get here from Nikko Station unless you time your itinerary perfectly.

Great experience but a bit remote and no room cleaning

Room needs repair everywhere…windows and ceiling as it’s ‘taped’. Onsen amenities needs to be improved and only two seats for drying hair. No lotion nor cleanser etc which is provided in normal ryokan. Service and Lobby considered ok though, as well as the meals…normal standard . Reason to be at that location would be for a good rest and onsen soak, so onsen facilities needs to be improved and should start from changing their yukatas and they are really ‘over washed’ 😅.