Ryutakuzenji 宿坊

A beautiful place with rich history. Even though we arrived late, we were warmly greeted by our host, who is also the temple priest. The next morning, he showed us around his temple (which is 600 years old) and guided us in meditation. The meditation is suitable for all, regardless of religion. Our accommodation was comfortable and spacious. It's a pity we couldn't stay here longer, and we will return if we have a chance.

We drove by rental car. You can also consider a taxi. I'm not sure about public transport.

Ryutakuzenji is run now by a single monk, 35th in line from the Samurai days. The grounds are small but peaceful. We stayed with 3 young kids in the new private detached condo and it was great. Direct walking path to the temple to explore at your leisure, good amount of sleeping and eating space, full kitchen, and updated facilities. + a super NES on a small screen to keep the kids occupied if you're up for it. There's koi ponds which the kids will like, a graveyard on a hill where you can watch the Shinkansen go by. Otherwise, you're on your own to just be with your thoughts. The hospitality is warm, and you can learn a lot about the temple's history from the monk - who serves as the innkeeper in addition to maintaining the grounds and temple devotions by himself. The guy works hard! Food felt like a well-considered and delicious home cooked meal. Restaurant quality for sure with lots of little dishes that each were amazing. If you can't make it to Koya-san or other temple sites and you haven't stayed on temple grounds, it's absolutely worth doing. You get a feel for historical life in Japan. I wouldn't travel just to come here, but it's a worthy stop in the area, and we're glad we made it!

This is not typical, but I wish there was an onsen or onsen style baths. Especially in the winter that would have been amazing.

We were travelling by train so it was very convenient for Tendou-san, the monk, to pick us up from the Takasaki train station for a reasonable additional charge. Tendou-san knew enough English to converse with us on the 30-minute drive to the hotel. The hotel is small and charming, next to the beautiful samurai temple and garden with a koi pond. The deluxe quadruple room was very large for just two people. The kotatsu table was a nice place to relax and be warm. The futons were very comfortable for sleeping. Like other reviews mention, some of the walls don't extend all the way up to the vaulted ceiling/roof, so there is potential for noise to pass in and out of rooms. However, we were the only ones there that night (others were dissuaded by snow forecast) so we had the whole place to ourselves. We had dinner and breakfast; both were delicious with large portions. We participated in the morning meditation. Tendou-san explained some history of the temple, initiated our meditation, and then left us to finish we felt ready to be done. It was a very nice experience that I would recommend to anyone!

Nothing!

Large room and very warm, there's Kotatsu in room.

The ceiling can get through to another room but it's not a big deal, it's very high.

The host was really friendly, and the overall experience staying there, dinner and breakfast, and waking up early to join the meditation is just 10/10! Kids had an extra treat at the game station and even made friends with the pne of the kids from another family. The whole experience was so comfortable and homely. Loved it!

This was our fifth trip to Japan, and this was one of the nicest places we have ever stayed! The room was huge and comfortable, very clean and traditional. The outdoor bath was incredible. The staff were lovely and very accommodating of us. Our one-year old daughter was unfortunately sick while we were there, but it was made so much better by having a spacious lovely room to stay in. The temple next door is beautiful too and set in beautiful gardens. Meals for breakfast and dinner were both fantastic.

It was beautifully maintained and the environment was perfect for relaxation. It was peaceful and people were friendly and welcoming. We liked our stay. Would love to visit again in the future.

Amazing stay! The host, the temple, the garden with the Onsen are all just great! Highly recommended at least one night. The dinner and breakfast as well were very good and freshly done.

Amazing traditional style Japanese ryokan. Relaxing, friendly and extremely hospitable.

It could be a little noisy - paper screens are beautiful and elegant, but they let through a lot of light which makes sleeping sometimes difficult (street and garden lights) and you can definitely hear other patrons and staff in the corridors.