Honke Bankyu Hot Spring Ryokan

Wonderful and relaxing experience at a traditional Japanese ryokan. Nice room. Friendly staff. Delicious dinner presented in a way you feel very special. Beautiful nature! The whole experience there was magical!.Absolutely a must see!

Lovely location with great traditional service. The food was excellent. The hot Japanese bath was the highlight of the trip - most relaxing.

Breakfast area was cold.

Beautiful location, great hot spring bath and wonderful service.

It’s an old building and some rooms were quite cold and drafty.

Traditional Japanese style living experience

Only at onsen you can wash your body. No shower available inside room. You only can wash your face.

The history of the place, location.

I was at this property in 2013 and came back this year 2025. It was a huge difference in their food menu and the cleanliness of the entire facility. It was very dusty in the common area including the expose rafters and in our room, the shower area for ladies downstairs has very slippery stone floors from mildew/mold.

This is a gorgeous historic property, with lovely onsen baths. The staff does not speak much English but is warm and professional.

A wonderfully authentic traditional ryokan with spacious, comfortable rooms and beautiful river views. The public onsen was perfect—hot, clean, and peaceful with great natural scenery. Dinner was a delightful kaiseki experience with impressive presentation and thoughtful local dishes. The staff were warm, professional, and attentive, making the stay truly special. The setting with a charming rope suspension bridge adds to the unique atmosphere. A perfect getaway for onsen lovers seeking relaxation with excellent hospitality. Highly recommended.This peaceful, elegant place offers an unforgettable Japanese experience

Beautiful old ryokan with a lot of charm. The food was exceptional. We spent three relaxing nights here. Honke Bankyu is in a tiny village, straddling a river. It was such a peaceful place to spend a few days.

It’s quite tough to get in and out of the town since there’s only an infrequent bus service. I noticed many people arrived by car.

Our stay at Honke Bankyu offered a memorable Japanese experience. Located in a charming rural village, this traditional ryokan is well maintained, very clean and comfortable. The staff are friendly and offer impeccable service.

Very suitable for vegetarians, best onsen I have ever visited. Clean, quiet, beautiful

The atmosphere, onsen and food, all exceptional

I used to live in Japan and can truly say this is a fabulous ryokan. Dinner is quite an event, exceptional food. Get a room with outdoor onsen. Stay 3 nights if possible.

You must rent a car to get there. Easy rental steps away from Nikko train station. Long drive to Ryokan but location in small town is beautiful.

The meals were exceptional. Dinner was a very unique dining experience, with each table having its own coal pit to heat the skewered meats and mochi. The yukata provided for us to wear during the stay also added to the traditional and relaxing feel of the ryokan. The outdoor onsen had a great view, even though the sakura season had passed.

The bus to arrive at the hotel was cash only.

The hotel is just amazing. Very traditional, very friendly staff, professional and welcoming. The onsen is really unique.The dinner and breakfast options were a different experience - though if you are not a fan of oriental food, there is not much to eat. But the process was really great. The hotel rooms are big sizes with great facilities and amenities are in general excellent.

The dinner meal is very traditional and fantastic! The room is nice. Parking is free :-)

The town has nothing to do. The lady staff said that the private Onsen is available at 20:30. When I checked with the man at the reception again. If I didn’t check again, my grandparent will need to wait 4 hrs for this.

Literally everything. The hotel is an amazing 300+ year old guest house and scenery from the rooms is amazing. This is a must go Onsen Hotel!

The food was exceptional yet very experimental. For adventurous eaters the breakfast and dinner will be a fun discovery session leaving you stuffed at the end.

Transport to the location is difficult without a car. Following the hotel's advice exactly down to taking the non-stop train will be very helpful however keep in mind the bus to the location from the train station does not have space for luggage which is hard for those with big bags. I suggest leaving large bags at a train locker and only bringing a carryon as you won't need much clothes once you arrive.

The hotel was fantastic, with a beautiful and relaxing and quiet environment, overlooking the river and the mountains. They offered tea and coffee during the day at the main reception. The dinner was an amazing experience and having stayed for two nights, there was no repetition of the food, and just the exquisite taste and atmosphere. It snowed while I was there, and bathing together with the falling snow just added to the magic feeling.

The exhibition area is being affected by humidity, and it is a pity that some of the artefacts are becoming corroded. It would be a pity to loose this precious memoirs.

Everything was sensational!! Highlight was the outdoor onsen and the dinner!! It was truly incredible, the quality of the food and the presentation was fantastic! The walk across the suspension bridge with the stunning scenery of fresh snow and subtle lighting was breathtaking and elevated the entire experience!

Everything was great!

-Beautiful ice crystal view from the lobby-Old traditional Ryokan with long history - Lobby- Onsen

- the private onsen is completely outside with no attached room to dry the hair or get changed. Visiting many 4-5 star ryokans most have an attached room/shower inside.Especially in winter it was very cold to go back to the room with wet hair. It was a first time with over 20 years of travel experience in Japan having no attached changing room.- no skin care at the public changing room/ onsen, this was also a first. - We‘ve ordered a kids’ menu but were served an adult meal plus an additional kids’ menu which was way too much food for dinner. Breakfast had no kids menu but again a full size adult menu. A simple kids’ menu would have been great and we felt sorry that our 6 year old couldn’t eat most of the breakfast or dinner.