Kenneth from Singapore

08,Apr 2015 Reviews

I stayed at Kifu No Sato recently in March. It is a most lovely ryokan with the most beautiful garden and flower arrangements i have seen. That said, I have been to many ryokans. From the outside, and even from google maps, the surroundings looks like the ryokan is in a commercialised area, but far from it being the truth, the ryokan sits in a very quiet area of mimasaka city in yunogo onsen. Once you enter into the ryokan, you have also entered into another atmosphere of what i describe as impeccable Omotenashi. The service is perhaps the best i have stayed so far. The people are warm, friendly and there is a culture of family amongst the staff. Junko san for example made it a point that i was comfortable and looked after especially being a single traveller. She offered to take me to himeji and made sure ryoto san looked after me for my lunches in the city. They arranged for transportation to Sayo station so i was more comfortable and made sure i had lunch at the ryokan which was the best tempura udon i had. I was also looked after so well by michiko chan and her colleagues for meals and they would take pains to go to the kitchen to check with the itamae the origins of the kaiseki i had. the kaiseki was good and gave me many ideas on how i could improve on my own cooking. Kifu no sato sets new standards for me to judge ryokan’s by. the gift shop was well stocked, generous with many manju, daifuku to try. more so my experience in seeing the last winter’s snow amidst Kifu no sato beautiful sakura and ume trees has etched forever in my memories. Opening the windows of my rooms, i could see the beautiful of the mountains surrounding the quaint and quiet town, watching little kids go to their school and the locals running in and out of the izakayas. But never once, i felt i was in a urban place, my stress oozing out in the pristine onsen, and cool mountain air. i miss this ryokan already and i do turn to my photos to remind me of my time there. I highly recommend Kifu no sato and i would say you will be looked after well by the grand dame, Okami Hiroko san too. the property booked with luxury ryokan collection is amongst the top in japan and the value is exceptional. They accept single visitors but this would be a place you want to bring your family to. It was easy to reach, and the journey was beautiful through the countryside. So thank you Kifu No Sato for a most lovely and memorable stay.

the rivers in the city, okayama observatory, fruit jelly, ice cream and milk from marui super market, gyu sugi kasu jiru from a sushi ya is not to be missed. please ask them about this soup, they will be happy to tell you too.

Thank you once again for a most enjoyable stay.