Hoshino Resorts KAI Kinugawa

Location: 308 Kinugawa Onsen Taki, Nikko, Tochigi, 321-2526, Nikko, JP

Star Rating: 4 Stars

Property Type: Ryokans

About this Property

Important Information

Policies

Check-in: 03:00 PM - 06:00 PM

Check-out: 12:00 PM

Instructions: The front desk is open daily from 7:00 AM - 10:00 PM. The front desk is staffed during limited hours. For any questions, please contact the property using the information on the booking confirmation.

Amenities & Facilities

• Free breakfast
• Free WiFi
• Garden
• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Library
• Free breakfast
• Front desk (limited hours)
• Smoke-free property
• Free self parking
• Free breakfast (local cuisine)
• Kaiseki meal

Rooms Available

• Japanese-style Room with Outdoor Bath RA3

  2 Twin Beds

  538-sq-foot room, balcony with mountain views

  
  

  Internet - Free WiFi

  Entertainment - Flat-screen TV

  Food & Drink - Refrigerator, coffee/tea maker, and free bottled water

  Bathroom - Private bathroom, spring water bathtub and separate shower

  Practical - Safe

  Comfort - Air conditioning and daily housekeeping

  Need to Know - Bed sheets not available

  Non-Smoking

  Max Occupancy: 3 (3 Adults)

  • Coffee/tea maker
  • Safety deposit box
  • TV
  • Air conditioning
  • Hair dryer
  • Refrigerator
  • Private bathroom
  • Slippers
  • Bidet
  • Bottle of water
  • Daily housekeeping
  • Separate bathtub and shower
  • Free WiFi
  • Separate bedroom
  • Spring water bathtub
  • Bed sheets not available

• Japanese-style Room TA3

  2 Twin Beds

  538-sq-foot room, balcony with mountain views

  
  

  Internet - Free WiFi

  Entertainment - Flat-screen TV

  Food & Drink - Refrigerator, coffee/tea maker, and free bottled water

  Bathroom - Private bathroom, slippers, free toiletries, and a hair dryer

  Practical - Safe

  Comfort - Air conditioning and daily housekeeping

  Need to Know - Bed sheets not available

  Non-Smoking

  Max Occupancy: 3 (3 Adults)

  • Coffee/tea maker
  • Safety deposit box
  • TV
  • Air conditioning
  • Hair dryer
  • Refrigerator
  • Private bathroom
  • Slippers
  • Bidet
  • Bottle of water
  • Daily housekeeping
  • Free WiFi
  • Separate bedroom
  • Bed sheets not available

Guest Reviews

• Mario (10/5): - This retreat in the village was tranquil and restorative. The traditional japanese room with private onsen bath was the perfect complement to arriving from Tokyo and restorative after a day of rafting and canyooning (shout out to NOAC). The half board option was a great addition. Breakfast and dinner menus were exciting, sophisticated and simoky delicious. The staff are attentive to detail, accomodating and very polite. Thanks for the wonderful stay.
• Kazuko (10/5): - Excellent servuce
• Lindsey (10/5): - What a lovely break from the busy day to day of Tokyo. We did this resort on a quick trip from Tokyo and the onsen and food were amazing.
• thomas (10/5): - A hidden gem.
• Verified traveler (10/5): - The room is very nice. Quiet, spacious and clean. The package included dinner and breakfast both are delicious. Outdoor Onsen is the best.
• Verified traveler (10/5): Birthday getaway - It was an amazing experience—everything was absolutely perfect! I had a fantastic time celebrating my birthday there and truly enjoyed every moment.
• IRIS (8/5): - Everything was great except for a few issues: 1. The front door was hard to find. We had to walk about five minutes on an unpaved road to reach the "entrance," where we then had to take a lift to the reception. 2. The dinner and breakfast were decent, but for a rate of $620 per night for two people, we expected better quality. 3. The nightly rate on Expedia was listed for one person, even though we entered two guests for one room. This was misleading, and had we known, we might have reconsidered booking the resort.
• PI-JUNG (8/5): - 很星野 我和先生穿他們的外套出現過敏症狀，沒穿就沒狀況，我們是不想說衣服不乾淨，但好像就是這樣 食物好吃，很有創意，2天的食物都不一樣 旅館環境也很優美作人員服務很好，感覺賓至如歸 只是鬼怒川本身沒甚麼好玩，住2天只能待在飯店吃飯，泡湯，還好最後一天晚上去湯西川溫看雪祭點燈，ㄧ切的不虛此行了
• Verified traveler (10/5): Very nice getaway - Very spacious room. Perfect, quiet location. Hospitable staff and great food. Onsen is awesome.
• CHING-CHIEN (4/5): Not worth the money spent. - I actually don't know how to review such hotel. I think their service are excellent, but does'nt seem to care exactly what customers want. Very friendly and try to provide service, but they lack of communication skills with foreign languages and not able to adapt to customer's requests. Everything looks very good but don't think it's worth the money paid. Also, to access to the hotel is a big problem concerning you are carring a lot of luggages under late night bad weather condition.
• Maria Cecilia (10/5): - The property offered a welcome respite from the hustle of Tokyo. Getting there is easier via express train but not necessary. You don’t need to bring a lot with you because they provide extremely comfortable clothes, slippers, and even socks while you’re on the property. Same with toiletries. They have everything you could possibly need. Excursions are wonderful but not necessary if you’re going there to relax. The food is beautiful and nutritious. There are limited snacks and drinks available if you need anything between the planned meals. If you do decide to do excursions, plan for the later dinner as getting around Nikko takes time. I suggest taking a taxi to and from the property if you have bags. But the walk to the train station from the hotel is downhill and easy—about 20 minutes. The staff is wonderful and friendly and is so very kind. They make effort to speak English but everyone mostly speaks Japanese. We visited during New Year and they had lovely celebration meals and decor to commemorate the occasion. It even snowed during our stay and the property somehow became even more beautiful. It was snowing when I went to the onsen and it was unreal. I highly recommend staying here. I would just book well in advance to ensure the time of year you would like to be there. I imagine that Fall is also a beautiful time of year to visit.
• Singap0reTraveller (10/5): Beautiful retreat - What a wonderful surprise to stay in this sanctuary. It was a beautifully designed resort and the entry into the lobby is stunning. The food served was also excellent. The onsen quiet and nice. Overall a fantastic retreat which is highly recommended
• ChiuChun (10/5): - 非常棒
• kevincA1004NX (10/5): A Good Value Onsen Resort in Nikko - An unique arrival experience and the layout of the resort is customer friendly. The bedroom layout is nice and comfortable, and the cuisine ( dinner and bfast ) were nicely presented. Good Value for money property . The public onsen place is clean and comfortable.
• Ythien (10/5): - Beautiful resort and delicious kaiseki dinner.
• Luk (10/5): - 環境舒適，晚餐早餐都岀色
• HsinFei (10/5): - 第一次遇到搭纜車才能夠到達Lobby的飯店，非常新鮮有趣，整體而言只能說一句不愧是星野 界系列，房間舒適寬闊，房內的湯池是半露天，秋天泡起來非常舒服，晚餐精緻豐富，早餐是簡單的日式早餐，下次有來鬼怒川還會再來入住
• Laurie (8/5): - Très bel hôtel, chambres spacieuses et confortables. Repas élaborés avec soin et copieux. Personnel attentif et conciliant. Le seul bémol reste l'accès avec des valises, il faut être véhiculé et aux dires du réceptionniste il n'y a que peu de taxis dans la ville...
• BornVivant (10/5): Gorgeous property - Spent one night on a oad trip about the Nagano onsen area. The area around here is great for Autumn foliage. The first impression is unique because you take a tram up to the hotel!! The onsen is beautifully laid out with views of the trees. The rooms are larg and well appointed. Our balcony overlooked a forest and mountain view. We also booked dinner which I highly recommend. 9 courses including locally sourced food. Breakfast is a good quality Japanese set including natto! All in all a great experience.
• Julie Hsiu Yun (10/5): - Very good hot springs facility.
• Aki (10/5): - Such a nice hotel to relax and enjoy the stay.
• chattemer (4/5): Not worth it unfortunately - Staff was all very friendly, attentive, and accommodating. Location is not ideal but it’s a nice escape surrounded by nature. Would only recommend going if you have some other reason to be in Nikko area and if you can book a room with a private onsen bath. Avoid the food. It was not good and disappointing considering the hype and price of Hoshinho resorts. After eating the “premium” kaiseki dinner of sweet cod fish (bottom feeder fish) and steak (which seemed old and frozen), I got sick going on 3 days now. Again, the staff and rooms were wonderful—the food not so much.
• Verified traveler (10/5): - 服務人員服務態度非常好，溫泉區的環境亦維護得很棒，吹風機是Dyson的。美中不足的是臥室的照明非常暗。
• Wen Chieh (6/5): - 一行人抵達旅館時行李都下好了才被告知旅館的接駁車故障要我們把行李重新上車帶我們走另一個入口，結果把行李重新上車後又被告知接駁車修好了又再把行李搬下車，搞得大家還沒進旅館就已經灰頭土臉。晚餐時有一人的鍋物顏色較深味道也特別鹹，向服務生反應後得到的答覆是「所有人的湯都是同一鍋料煮出來的」，這個答案有點令人無語也不應該是這麼高級的旅館該有的答覆吧？感覺挺掉漆的…
• William (10/5): - Beautiful property. Highly recommend for a peaceful experience.
• Ayaka (10/5): - This is a true luxury experience that you feel it is away from busy life. The breakfast and dinner is real high end japanese style. Every dish is delicious , delicate, with good dashi flavor. Hot spring is plus too if you like the experience.
• Verified traveler (8/5): - 객실베란다문에 모기망이 설치되어있지않아 밤에 문을 열수가없었음.자연속이니 벌레가많은건 어쩔수없지만 다른숙소는 모기등 않오게 친환경적으로 신경쓰는 호텔이있으니 호시노야도 신경써줬으면한다.전화를해도 연결이안된다.식사는 맛있었음.
• 953uriw (2/5): Forget about this and other Hoshino Resorts - Indifference, arrogance and cheapness, that is my takeaway after visiting a few Hoshino Resorts across Japan. The location of this resort is far and difficult to reach, and there was no warning that there is a long and arduous gravel road leading to the resort, and there are no clear signs on how to reach the resort. When you arrive the staff don't seem to care very much, and we were actually ignored point blank when we complained about the journey! The resort is actually quite nice but the service is atrocious! We notice that most Hoshino Resorts hire a lot of young people who have no clue what good service is, let alone what Omotenashi is all about! The service we received at the nearby Kinugawa Kanaya ryokan is so very much more better! Heaven and Hell difference! Hoshino is just a waste of money!
• Verified traveler (10/5): 完美！ - 十分滿意。
• CHI HO (10/5): - Hotel is in a remote area, weather is relatively cold, but the room didn’t offer the cover clothes in the room. You need to ask the staff in front desk for cover clothes for keeping warm. Bath tube in my room is very dangerous! The temperature safety lock is fail. I’m almost getting burn by the hot water.
• Falene (10/5): Best place to stay - Amazing place to stay. Not only was breakfast included but also an eight course dinner. We choose the room style with a private onsen bath on the balcony, and it was absolutely what we needed.
• Jeanette (10/5): - The food was incredible. Wonderful staff
• LIEN (10/5): - Nature
• dicksonl2015 (2/5): Not recommended, spend your money elsewhere! - After numerous stays at various Hoshino Resorts KAI (Aso, Kaga, Alps, etc.), Hoshinoya properties and other premium onsen ryokans across Japan, our experience at KAI Kinugawa was profoundly disappointing, to the point where it has made us reconsider patronizing the Hoshino chain in the future. The accommodations at KAI Kinugawa were sorely lacking, with rooms that felt outdated and worn, a far cry from the polished and serene environments we've come to associate with Hoshino resorts. This significant dip in quality was both surprising and unwelcome, detracting greatly from our overall enjoyment. Dining, typically a highlight at Hoshino properties, was even more underwhelming. The dinner presented as "kaiseki" was nothing of the sort, resembling more a basic set menu than the intricate, multi-course meal expected of such a claim. The dinners lacking in quality, refinement, fine ingredient and skill. For example, in my honest opinion, even the chain restaurant Ootaya serves much better-cooked rice than here. After our first lacklustre dinner, we opted to upgrade to the premium kaiseki in hopes of a better experience. After talking to a few other guests, we found out that we weren't the only ones who had a desire for better meals. However, the so-called premium kaiseki remained far from premium. The sashimi dish consisted of the ordinary salmon, red tuna, and scallops. The tempura dish was all vegetables and resembled the tempura dish we had for lunch earlier at a local restaurant. The main dish, which was a hot pot, was the saddest dish of all -- it looked and tasted like a farmhouse dish served in rural areas of Japan. The chef's offerings were underwhelming, failing to align with the high standards we expect from Hoshino properties or other high-end ryokans. It's clear a significant overhaul in the kitchen is necessary to elevate the dining experience to what one would expect from a resort of this caliber. Service was another area where KAI Kinugawa failed to meet expectations. In the face of our dissatisfaction, the staff's response was markedly indifferent; there was no apology offered, nor any attempt to ameliorate our experience. This apparent disregard for guest satisfaction is troubling and not something we've ever encountered at other Hoshino establishments.
• Yun (8/5): - simple, good resort.
• Liana (10/5): Peaceful getaway - Peaceful getaway. Great service. Especially enjoyed onsen hot tub with the room.
• CLau888 (8/5): Nice modern style - The hotel is located on the left side of the gorge. The Kinugawa has a big and narrow gorge that the river flowing. It is a about 15 minutes walk from the Kinugawa onsen station if you are not carrying your luggage. If you are carrying luggage I would suggest you take a taxi or drive. Taxi fare is about Jpy1,300. At the hotel entrance you do not see how the hotel looks like. You need to take a funicular from the entrance uphill to the main hotel. The hotel is simplistic and elegant. Check in was smooth. We have a room near the lobby an at end of the hallway. The room is not big but quite new. The sofa is facing a balcony and the opposite side of the gorge in a distance. The beds are separated on the other side with the closet. The bathroom is quite modern and the amenities are wrapped nicely with cloth. We stayed here for two nights and never took the shower inside the room because we took it at the public bath. The public bath is not big, but the outdoor bath is quite nice, with many vegetation surrounding. The public bath is located quite far away from the lobby, and the corridor to the public bath is open air. It is quite cold walking there in winter time. The breakfast and dinner is arranged in the only restaurant of the hotel, in Japanese set style. Presentation and quality of food is good. Service is outstanding even by Japanese standard. The hotel arranged a talk on the making of clay and porcelain in the local area on Saturday night.
• Zi Xiang (10/5): - 非常好
• Pablo (10/5): In harmony with nature - Perfect place to chill and relax. The ryokan and onsen experience are very well done. The food is a true Japanese experience
• Priscilla Wan Yan (8/5): - The hardware and service were great. Yet, food was not so impressive especially the upgraded dinner did not worth the price.
• Yiou (10/5): - It is very green and quiet
• Nina (10/5): - This hotel is one of the best we have ever stayed in. The facilities are beautifully designed and cater to guests seeking an upscale hot spring resort experience. The rooms are impeccable and the cuisine superb. This is not a Western hotel in any way; it is the height of Japanese luxury and worth staying for more than one night. You won’t regret it!
• Patrina (6/5): 環境非常簡潔，食物方面比較弱。 - 環境以簡潔融入自然為主題，房間舒適。房間以外的設計沒有太大驚喜，因為和周邊的環境差不多。主要問題是食物沒有選擇，－半是傳統日式食品，魚類和飯為主；另一半是看來美觀但味道不太好的fusion份子料理。不是個個人都會欣賞。最好自己帶後備食物。相對其他類似價錢或者價錢低些的溫泉酒店，食物選擇是比較差的。
• Clement (10/5): - Tranquility
• HappyHajara (10/5): Great relaxing getaway. Take a taxi if you’re not driving. - If you choose to take a bus from the station to the hotel, brace yourselves for a rather long walk from the bus drop off point to the monorail entrance along a very rough gravel road (trust me, it gets worse if it’s wet and cold and you’re dragging a 15kg luggage). The walk was far from what I’d expect when staying in such a luxury resort. If I could make any suggestion i think the hotel should perhaps pave the gravel road to make it more walk-friendly? Or negotiate with the bus company so that the stop is right outside the monorail entrance and not at the end of a muddy gravel road. But until any of that is made possible I’d highly recommend taking a taxi from station if you don’t have a car. The ‘Monorail’ (which was more like a glorified cable car) was an interesting feature on arrival. I don’t know if it was build due to geographical restriction (that prevented actual roads built right up to the hotel?) or as some sort of gimmick but sorry to say it’s really not efficient during peak hours and after the first ride it really just felt like an elevator that takes forever to arrive. Once we finally arrived the place itself was gorgeous throughout. From the decor to the atmosphere it’s just a relaxing vibe. It’s a place for getaways and the hotel made sure of that with all the attention to details (such as the meal timings, the seating arrangements etc) to make sure at no point you feel crowded or overwhelmed. The service was great and the staff know limited but adequate English. The Onsen was quite a long walk from our room in freezing cold weather, the foyer was fancy with a relaxation area and free drinks, however the actual onset felt slightly on the basic side to me with just one indoor and one outdoor (not a super fancy type) bath but since there weren’t many guests it wasn’t crowded and I was happy. Again the entire onsen area was very neat and clean. Our room was lovely and clean with a nice balcony. Food was lovely as well. Overall once you get past the gravel road and reach the hotel there’s really not much else to fault and I did enjoy my stay very much.
• Tsung-Yu (10/5): - 環境優美整潔，住宿品質令人驚艷值得再訪！
• PeiLing (10/5): - Everything is perfect
• Soraj (10/5): - Excellence
• Pui Sze Mat (6/5): - 地方细，設施少，提供選擇少，星野系列中的一般
• Goldyellow33 (10/5): Amazing - Tasty food from morning,high hospitality staff,beautiful room& clean hot spring,,,can’t have more relaxing holiday Provided hotel clothes & sandals too Night time had little entertainment about the plate that the hotel uses
• ying ho (10/5): - Nice hotel and good service, but dinner on day 2 is a bit disappointing
• Verified traveler (10/5): The most elegant hotel in kinugawa - Great amenities, decor, food and service. All-around winner if you are looking for a quiet and peaceful getaway from a city. I do wish there were some snow then it would have been even more beautiful
• Kar Man (10/5): excellent - Amazing and unique experience Highly recommended
• Verified traveler (10/5): Refreshing! - Very nice Ryokan. Best destination to relax. Meals are like art! Wish they provided lunch options so I can just stay in the Ryokan. Beautiful atrium!
• cheungchan2018 (10/5): Enjoyed the serenity at Kai - It was my first time staying at Kai and I had the most enjoyable trip here, at this high standard hotel. Every staff was well-mannered and professional. The rooms were extremely clean and tidy and quite spacious! Food menus were excellent and the food presentation was absolutely artistic! It's too wonderful to enjoy the hot spring in the midst of such beautiful scenery. All of us wanted to return to this hotel again!
• petercJ6576UB (10/5): Really nice ryokan, second stop on my Tochigi Kai trio - The ryokan is fed by the spring water from Kinugawa hotspring. It overlooks River Kinugawa from a high hilltop, accessed by a monorail. This is the first time I experienced a ryokan with such facility offering extra sense of privacy for guests. Inside there is a courtyard which boasts beautiful seasonal colors, and the interiors are decorated by stunning local craft artworks. ‘Kurobane Aizome’ 黒羽藍染 decorates in various places of the building, giving a cool deep blue décor which paired great with the lush green background. We have booked the Signature Japanese-style Room with Outdoor Bath, featuring some traditional Tochigi craftsmanship like 益子焼 and 黒羽藍染, as well as a terrace constructed from Oya stone. Soaking in the outdoor bath with the soothing winds blowing is highly comforting. The ryokan also organized workshops to explain to guests the history of Mashiko-yaki and how to appreciate the pottery, allowing us a better understanding of all the arts we saw throughout our stay, particularly in the gallery where 300 pieces of the pottery are displayed. Before dinner we went to the public bath. The outdoor bath has an expansive view of forests and gardens that sport different colors throughout the year, from pink cherry blossoms in the spring to vivid greens in the summer, vibrant colors in the fall, and snowscapes in the winter. Dinner was another great feast, and we ordered the special cuisine ‘Dragon Hot Pot’ 龍神鍋. The fresh lobster, beef loin and vegetable are first put in a pot with the soup, then placing a stone heated to 800℃. Sizzling and steaming, the food was cooked quickly and the dish was so delicious.
• Verified traveler (10/5): - 乾淨 舒服 服務好
• Lillianbear0715 (10/5): Best experience in Japan - KAI resorts are the best! Everything was just perfect. The room, the decoration, the facilities, the service, the food... everything. We had our private outdoor hot spring Onsen on the patio, felt luxurious. We also tried the public bath... so amazing and sparkling clean. Dinner and breakfast are included. Food was just beyond amazing. Factoring in the meals, the price is actually very affordable. Perfect for couples or friends and family looking for a luxurious relaxing experience
• Verified traveler (10/5): Amazing experience! - It’s a very quiet hotel in a small town. Room is very spacious and the food is very good. The hot springs are a bit small but the overall experience is simply magical. Staff is very helpful and professional!
• Verified traveler (6/5): - No shuttle service to town or station Have to call taxi everytime because this is isolated place.
• CharlesM187 (10/5): Wonderful Experience in Japan - This is a beautiful restful spot in a small vacation oriented town near a river. Food is fabulous, rooms are beautiful, onsen/baths are clean and relaxing. It takes a big of time to get here by public transportation as I did (3 trains and a taxi from the train station) but is worth it. I have not stayed at any other of the Kai Resorts but if they are similar to this one you should definitely treat yourself to at least one authentic Japanese experience when you are in Japan.
• tokyohkgal (10/5): Quaint Resort - You will enter the hotel by taking an elevator along the slope. A very good place to gateway from the busy cityand enjoy the hot spring. There is a cherry tree in front of one of the hot spring bath, I enjoyed a lot watching the cheery blossom while having hot spring bath. Full service and very friendly staff. Food was great and the food settings are amazing. Heard that the beds are from famous bedmaker, but they are too soft for us.
• choiwah (10/5): Relax - It’s a good relaxing place, but need early arrive in order to enjoy all the facilities. Staff are nice, and the tram is nice. Drive better than take train and shuttle due to it located at little bit far away from Tokyo.
• Guan Lin (10/5): - 服務很好且貼心。上菜後會介紹每道菜色，讓用餐過程更增趣味。離車站走路大約20分鐘，交通方便。
• Verified traveler (8/5): - such a great hotel like this without pick up and drop off service is unbelievable.
• janliechti2018 (10/5): Excellent place to stay - Excellent place to stay for spa. Very caring staff. Excellent japanese food. Nice Onsen. Beautiful autum leaves in the hotel garden. Gorgeous architecture and garden. Top notch rooms. The hotel’s monorail gives somewhat a James Bond-touch.
• AK (10/5): - Fantastic location on top of a hill surrounded by mountains
• Verified traveler (10/5): - about 5 min taxi from station, take the tram up to Kai Kinugawa makes you feel entering a relaxing paradise. Great dinner and breakfast in the restaurant with stunning red leaves view in the garden! Love everything in this resort! Definitely worth visit! Staff are very welcoming and helpful. Check-out time at 12 gives you more flexibility, can take the onsen in the morning before check-out.
• Miracosta (4/5): Didn't meet expectations, small frustrations here and there - We stayed 2 nights for quick getaway. I wish not to write bad about my favorite Hoshino hotels but this hotel is away from my expectations as one of the leading luxury hotel resorts. Resorts: As you park the car there's beautiful entrance and guest are welcomed to use cable car to front entrance. This is beautiful approach and I was very happy with it. Guest may chose to walk the stairs and trail to the front desk. I personally loved this small trails, it was well lit and beautiful even at evening time. Distance to Nikko Toshogu was about 30min drive. You do need a car to get around if you'd like be efficient. We rented a car from NasuShiobara station and it's about 1hr nice drive. 35min drive to Nikko Toshogu. For Kinugawa Onsen down town is very nice easy 10min walk and we enjoyed beautiful walk and view of gorge. Room: We booked a room with outdoor bath. View is ok, from 2nd floor you only can see the garden but it was beautiful(no river views). There's bedroom with 2 twin beds (can be put together as king), medium sized Tatami room with low 3 seater sofa, balcony with 2 chairs and small tub. Room/Tub was much smaller than I thought. I stayed in many Ryokan with private tub but this was the smallest I've ever seen. Twin beds might be ok for small Japanese, but for us as American we expected to be 2 full or 2 queen. We stayed Kai Aso in May and room was at least 70% more larger and mattress was way bigger, so as tub. Shower room was nice overlooking views of garden. Toilet/Vanity is in same room, and it was very inconvenient. No double vanity. Morning time wasn't relaxing getting ready. Also, room amenity was missing: Shower Cap, Rasor kits, Washclothes, not even body towels to wash your body, No Q-tips, No mouthwash. Only 2 bath towels and 2 hand towels total in room. Even 1/4 price business hotel like Tokyu Inn, Unizo, Solariar, Hyatt Centric has more amenities than this hotel. Food: 1st day dinner was excellent. 2nd day: they changed the menu for 2nd night stay. Service was much slower than first day. Towards the end they'd supposed to make zosui (rice dish mix with eggs and broth). But nobody came to attend at least for 15min, I asked twice before we decided to leave the table without getting deserts. It was Monday night and it wasn't even busy day. Quality/presentation was beautiful. But 2nd night's dinner: even it's different menu, ingredients are almost the same. Just changed the form and same fish, same beef. There's only 2 desserts to chose from so we ended up having same desserts for 2 days in a row. This was very disappointing. Entertainment: Kai Aso's milk tasting was very interesting and entertaining but this music entertainment was very boring and rather not to have at all. I respect local culture, Tochigi/Nikko has beautiful culture and farming, they have to come up with better idea. Bath: Public bath has nothing special features. It's just one rectangular bath indoor and one smaller rectangular bath outside, that's all. I knew how it looks from web sites but it was kind of boring. Massage: One of the male therapist speaks full English and very social. He was very good at Tsubo massage and worth every penny. No spa room, so massage is in your room. This has beautiful setting and architecture but it is missing software. I really appreciate the staffs individually and I know they didn't try to have bad service intentionally. But I really think Hoshino should train the employees and check the software well for this price. I think most of the guest who pays this high price will expect more and this hotel is not serving well for the price, I think. I love Kinugawa-onsen as it's proximately distance to Tokyo. It's lovely Onsen town. I love Hoshino resort's taste and design, but if software/service is will not worth anything for me to stay. I know they've trained to use nice words how to talk etc, but core part is missing I thought. This is beautiful hotel and I really would like to see the improvements.
• greenwheat (10/5): Amazing and tasteful onsen hotel with exclusive location! - Getting to the hotel was easy with GPS, and once we've parked the car, we took the cool cable car up to the hotel that's located atop a hill. Once we're up there, we were greeted by the the beautiful lobby and spectacular landscaped garden. Check-in was efficient. The whole atmosphere and decor was modern Japanese, which was tasteful, elegant and welcoming throughout. Both our rooms have their own outdoor onsen (huge plus!) at the balcony overlooking the quaint forest. The spacious room has a nice layout, cozy separate living room with sofa, and comfy beds on tatami floors in the bedroom area. The huge bathroom has great quality amenities. Everything in the room was pleasant and accommodating. The design is simple but very pleasing, we've enjoyed the room a lot! The indoor and outdoor onsen were both clean and comfy. I enjoyed the outdoor onsen more with a nice view of a beautiful landscaped Japanese garden. Yes the onsen wasn't big (the outdoor onsen could probably accommodate 4-5 pax. without feeling too crowded), but both times I was there, there were only 1-2 other guests so I've enjoyed some great me-time there. There's a tea and coffee area by the lobby where you can just sit and relax, we've spent some time there after dinner and the next morning just to chill and admire the garden, nice touch. Food was good and adequate, but not great. The kaiseki dinner was nicely presented and ingredients were fresh, but the taste was rather "predictable" and standard. Still, it was a good dinner no complaints. Breakfast was also nice, a traditional Japanese dinner with rice and lots of little plates and condiments, but again, not great. Having been to other Hoshino resorts, I got to say I was expecting a bit more on food and we've definitely had better. All in all, we've truly enjoyed our stay in this quaint and quality onsen resort, would definitely return if we are in the area again!
• ChangMing (10/5): Excellent onsen hotel - The Kai Kinugawa is located near Kinugawa Onsen, up the slope of a mountain above the Kinugawa itself. The hotel is reached by a single-car monorail. We had a tatami room with a private outdoor bath. The place was impeccably clean and the facilities comprehensive. There was a large-screeen TV but only with Japanese channels; not that one would need to watch TV anyway. Half-board includes a set breakfast and kaiseki dinner. The food was very good - fresh local specialities. There is no choice, however - fussy eaters beware. Also, those who can't or won't eat Japanese food should note that there is no western food anywhere nearby. Bring your own if you have to. We came at 15:00 to check in, expecting that there would be something available to eat (which had been our experience in other Hoshino resorts). To our consternation, there was no room service. However, they were very good about it and made us rice balls with pickles, though we had to wait some time. Just a small point to note for arriving guests - have lunch first. The outdoor bath was the signature feature of the room. In September the leaves of the momiji were just turning - they should be absolutely stunning in October. Unfortunately, the view from our second-floor room was marred somewhat by the intrusive bulk of a modern hotel across the river. It wasn't so bad as the leaves hid most of it; but come winter, the view will be awful. I imagine that the third floor rooms would suffer the ugliness all year round, so be warned. The staff were friendly and very polite, as one would expect in Japan. However, they have limited foreign language skills. Chinese appears to be more spoken than English. All in all, a delightful experience, thoroughly to be recommended..
• Verified traveler (10/5): Gorgeous hotel - I had a very pleasant experience at this hotel. There is free pick-up service to snd from Kinugawa statio or Uchinomiya station. The room is clean and spacious. The meals were good (except the dessert).
• Verified traveler (10/5): Great if you drive or have no big suitcases - It was great, staff were all very friendly and helpful, the room was nice (but could he bigger). Both meals were amazing. They have a fixed shuttle to/from Utsunomiya station (en route Kinugawa Onsen station), so if your schedule fits with the bus schedule, it would be fine. Otherwise if you're not driving, then you have to haul the luggages from its lower entrance and up the gravel path to the main road. It would be great if they can offer some more flexible help with transportation.

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