Takefue

“A very special place”

This is my second/third favourite ryokan. It is old fashioned and rustic but beautifully organised, our room onsen was just gorgeous and the largest outdoor onsen also with breathtaking scenery. We had our dinner served in our room by Moto San who was very kind with great sense of humour, you do no… more

This is my second/third favourite ryokan. It is old fashioned and rustic but beautifully organised, our room onsen was just gorgeous and the largest outdoor onsen also with breathtaking scenery. We had our dinner served in our room by Moto San who was very kind with great sense of humour, you do not get that kind of individual attention in most places now. So we were happy and grateful for the excellent care and service. Dinner and breakfast sumptuously organised. Our going away cake was so delicious! And we will cherish our photo! Takefue is close to many walks and Aso mountain. A very special place

less

“Still the one”

See my review from March 2021 for my original impressions of Takefue. This review only features my additional insights. This was our third visit to our favorite Onsen ryokan in the country, and stayed for 2 nights. We brought along some friends this time - we had the couple stay at Shien-an (one o… more

See my review from March 2021 for my original impressions of Takefue. This review only features my additional insights. This was our third visit to our favorite Onsen ryokan in the country, and stayed for 2 nights. We brought along some friends this time - we had the couple stay at Shien-an (one of the four "special" rooms, along with Tenku, Sayo and Kokyuan) and we went with Omachian, a unit that will definitely appeal to those seeking "old-world" ryokan aesthetics. We would've preferred Kokyuan or Tenku, but both were booked by the time we decided to visit. The fabulous Nakai-san (room attendant) from last time - Ms. Yasuyo Funama, was recently promoted to GM. Upon finding out that we were visiting, however, she decided to tend to us personally once again. Unlike just about every other ryokan, Takefue's Nakai-san is responsible for everything. All meals, all Onsen bookings, all escorted visits to various parts of the property (such as the rental Onsen baths), all tourism advice. You name it, they do it. Most ryokans have the Nakai-san serve dinner, but not breakfast, and also do not serve as your in-property chaperone; the only recent exceptions (off-hand) include Shinsen, Gora Kadan and Myoken Ishiharaso. Omachian was nice, but with Tenku and Shien-an still firmly in our memory, it was - to us - a slight step down in accommodation quality. Compared to top rooms at other ryokans Omachian would more than hold its own, however. There's an indoor Onsen bath, a giant, open-air outdoor bath, a footbath with a table for four and a large outdoor deck. Inside, it's very Japanese... the dining room is similar to Shien-an - it has an Irori hearth at the center, and the floor is cut open so you can place your foot down (and it's heated, too.) The tatami-floored room serves as both the living room and bedroom - in the evening, the move the coffee table and chairs off to the side and bring out the futons. This is unlike Shien-an, which has an additional lounge area as well as a dedicated bedroom, and are Western contemporary in its decor and furnishings. We also preferred the larger, "rocky" main outdoor bath in Shien-an to the square-ish shaped wooden one in Omachian. The indoor bath at Shien-an is also far more charming - it's a cave-like rock Onsen bath whereas it's the standard, rectangular-shaped Hinoki wood bath in Omachian. Everyone's tastes are different, but to us, we'd go with Shien-an every time, all the time, if it was available. As mentioned upthread, of the three rental ("family") Onsens, one (Chikujo No Ma) is limited to guests staying in one of the four special rooms (Shien-an, Kokyuan, Tenku and Sayo.) Don't make the mistake of booking one of the special rooms just for access to this Onsen - it's a huge, pool-sized Onsen and is surrounded by a pretty bamboo forest, but Chikurin No Yu has it all over Chikujo No Ma. And since Chikurin No Yu is bookable to guests staying in all 11 guests rooms, make sure to make it a priority to reserve Chikurin No Yu, and manage your other activities around its availability. Both are definitely better experienced at night, when the forest is lit up to create a hauntingly beautiful atmosphere. We chose to have Onsen in the dark, and asked Ms. Funama to prepare a 21-year Hibiki Whiskey for our one hour in Chikujo No Ma, and they prepared the glasses in a floating tray so we could have the drinks while enjoying the Onsen. One other thing.. Takefue does not require people to bathe in the buff - you are free to wear swimsuits in the Onsen. They also have bathing suits for guests to rent. Mind you, with Onsens in both one's room as well as in private rental baths, it's not like anyone will notice anyway. Just don't tell others you did that at other properties - it isn't behavior that's condoned in this country. What's changed since last time? For starters - judging by our own experiences, the food quality has improved a bit. The Kaiseki course was better than we remembered, and the dessert choices were to die for - it's definitely the most elaborate of all offerings we've had at any ryokan. Takefue now has FIVE dedicated, on-site pastry chefs (at a ryokan that has only 11 rooms!), and both the Strawberry Parfait and the Mont-blanc were exceptional. We were stuffed beyond belief after both meals but couldn't stop eating the desserts. In addition - and THIS might be the reason to get one of the special rooms - an elaborate buffet of small sweets are available to guests staying in one of the special rooms, and we benefitted from having our friends stay at Shien-an. There were no less than 20 total choices, with half of them being Japanese (i.e. Mochi, Manju, Dorayaki, Fruits) and the other half being creative Western (Baumkuchen, Chestnut Cream Puff, Eclaire, Fruit Tart, etc.) Ms. Funama mentioned their desire to make the buffet available to all guests, but even with five pastry chefs on the payroll, at present they're not able to sufficiently scale the operations - so special rooms only for now. For the second evening's dinner we once again went for the Suppon (Soft-shelled Turtle) course. Suppon is a major delicacy in Japan - much more so than Fugu (poisonous puffer fish), and is absolutely an acquired taste and will not suit the palate of people that are not inherently adventurous in their cuisine ambitions, regardless of country of origin. For me, I find it to be a neat indulgence that I'd like to try out once every few years; however, for Mrs. KI-NRT she thought Takefue's Suppon kaiseki course was one the best meals she's ever had. As I said, different strokes! Note that it's Suppon from start to finish - Suppon blood sake; Sashimi of Suppon leg, eggs and liver; Suppon Terrine; Suimono (clear soup) with Suppon egg, intestines, heart, neck & liver; Suppon karaage; Suppon hot pot; Suppon sushi; Suppon rice porridge... and that's just scratching the surface. If the handful of course descriptions have you salivating, go for it (but you need to stay at least 2 nights for the privilege of ordering it.) For those about to heave at the thought... well... don't worry, it's available on a special order basis (at extra charge), and needs to be requested at least six days in advance to prepare the Suppon course. This was the first time we opted for the Western breakfast - we typically forgo it because... at least in our minds, it's hard to be particularly unique and creative with bread baskets, eggs, bacon/ham and pancakes (yes, I'm generalizing here somewhat.) But we are absolutely glad we went Western for our second morning meal... all of the bread is homemade, and the French Toast was out of this world - light, fluffy, egg-y, melt-in-your-mouth soft. The French Toast alone was worth going for the Western option, and our friends agreed with us. The Souffle Pancakes were also incredible, but since all of us on are on a mission to restrict our carb intakes, we mostly budgeted for the French Toast. Takefue is truly a legitimate "destination ryokan." It's a place where you'll have a blissful time without ever setting foot outside of the property. Given that we partly chose Takefue as a location to allow our friends to recover from jetlag, I'm sure they appreciated the ryokan choice as well. Note also that - unlike many ryokans - they offer a variety of dining options for lunch, including Soba, boxed lunches, and even BBQ in the Takezono Garden area. So you really are good to go if Takefue... and only Takefue... is what's on your itinerary. P.S. - Regarding the comments about construction noise from the previous reviewer... I don't notice any construction noise at all. From talking with the GM, until recently there was indeed construction. The four rooms (the entry-level ones) closest to the reception area were being renovated. The indoor baths in those rooms were being enlarged to double as an indoor/open-air type, and the interior was also being refreshed. I was told they made a concerted effort to minimize any noise during the renovation, and limit the construction hours between check-out and check-in times. However, she acknowledged that some noise may have permeated to the nearby rooms, especially for people staying for multiple nights. As of April 1st, the renovation has been completed and the four renovated rooms have once again become bookable.

less

“Construction all over ryokan, dated property, & terrible value”

I could see Takefue being a stunner of a ryokan in its heyday, but currently it just feels tired and is WAY too expensive for what is being offered. In the middle of March, for nearly $2,000 a night we'd expect a world-class, meticulously maintained property with impeccable service. Our experience… more

I could see Takefue being a stunner of a ryokan in its heyday, but currently it just feels tired and is WAY too expensive for what is being offered. In the middle of March, for nearly $2,000 a night we'd expect a world-class, meticulously maintained property with impeccable service. Our experience was not that. There was very loud construction happening during most waking hours. Management clearly made a business decision to keep operating a property and collecting large sums of money from customers while construction is taking place. The whole point of a ryokan is rest and relaxation, and the construction (both audibly and visually—you could see construction materials piled about, workers milling around, etc.) completely takes away from that ambience. That's something I might expect from a property in say, Mexico or maybe Portugal... not a luxury ryokan charging top dollar. Inside, it felt a bit like an old, unprofessionally run Airbnb where you'd open a cabinet and find clutter behind closed doors. There were random devices and books strewn about our room. The bathroom smelled slightly sewagey. Outside of our room, there was zero common space available to read, grab a tea/coffee, etc.—so we felt a bit trapped. My husband ordered sake during our kaiseki dinner, and it didn't arrive until 30+ minutes into the meal. For maybe closer to $600/night, this experience would have been acceptable. For what we paid—this was not worth it at all. My positive notes: the outdoor onsen that you could book by the hour was nice and our nakai-san was very sweet.

less