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Reviews of Ohara no Sato

3 out of 5
Ohara no Sato
31 Kusao-cyo Oohara, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, Kyoto

Reviews

8.2

Very good

Rating 10 - Excellent. 81 out of 209 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 78 out of 209 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 30 out of 209 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 18 out of 209 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 2 out of 209 reviews" "

8.0/10

Cleanliness

8.4/10

Staff & service

9.4/10

Amenities

7.8/10

Property conditions & facilities

9.2/10

Eco-friendliness

Reviews

10/10 Excellent

Omid

Travelled with family and small children, Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Very nice quite heritage area surrounded by trees and heritage properties as well as river flowing through. The property is the best value for money authentic Japanese Onsen stays we have come across. Very nice and helpful staff.
Stayed 3 nights in Mar 2024

10/10 Excellent

Gabriela, OVERLAND PARK

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Very well maintained property with an amazing garden! I loved the details and decoration of Ghibli Studios all over the place! The staff were very kind and attentive! I felt relaxed and well taken care of during my stay. I would recommend this to those who enjoy the countryside and onsen!
Stayed 3 nights in Mar 2024

10/10 Excellent

Alex

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
It was nice. I just walked around and enjoyed the views.
Stayed 2 nights in Dec 2023

10/10 Excellent

Joshua

Stayed 1 night in Nov 2023

8/10 Good

jacqueline

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Simple accommodation in a charming location.
I was very uncertain about staying here due to some of the other reviews and the difficulty of getting here. I needn’t have worried. This is simple accommodation in amazing surroundings. The village of Ohara is charming, the bus is easy, and the 20 minute walk that others mention is a lovely walk through the village. I admit you wouldn’t want to do it with much luggage (but they will pick you up if you phone). Lovely, simple, segregated outside onsen. Food is amazing.
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2023

10/10 Excellent

Marie Josie

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
My stay was amazing, the staff is super nice and helpful. The Onsen was great to relax and the neighborhood exquisite, remote and quiet. I highly recommend this place.
Stayed 6 nights in Aug 2023

10/10 Excellent

Ethan

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great Japanese Hotel
The hotel is amazing. Japanese style bedroom with hot spring makes the experience more wonderful. The staff are kind and helpful, and they do their best to fulfill our request. Definitely recommend this place for those who want to try living in a Japanese hotel style for the experience, and want to stay close to the mountain and nature instead of being in the city.
Stayed 4 nights in Jun 2023

10/10 Excellent

Ken

Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
My favorite parts were the Onsen and the Kotatsu. The staff were very kind and helpful to me even though I didn't speak japanese. Id highly recommended staying here if you want to see the beautiful countryside of Kyoto.
Stayed 2 nights in Apr 2023

10/10 Excellent

Brett

Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
incredibly scenic. Ohara is a beautiful town.
Stayed 3 nights in Apr 2023

8/10 Good

Yumiko

Stayed 2 nights in Mar 2023

10/10 Excellent

Jonathan

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities

10/10 Excellent

Tim

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Terrific
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2022

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Stayed 1 night in Nov 2019

10/10 Excellent

Lulu, Cananda

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Overall it's a pleasant stay. Nice staff and good food. The outdoor onsen is sooooo relaxing. Highly recommended!
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2019

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Business traveller
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Coming to Ohara no Sato was the best idea to escape for a short while the hustle and bustle of Kyoto as it is only an hour away from Kyoto and easy to reach. If you are looking for an authentic Japanese experience and want to go back to the beauty and the basics of Japanese countryside it is a really good place to be. I really liked the onsen after a good walk. Also dinner, you make your own hot pot was great as you get an idea what it all contains. Staff although not speaking much English (which is ok) were very helpful and kind. Thank you for this wondeful experience!
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2019

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2019

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The meals provided were delicious. The price was reasonable and the location is awesome.
Stayed 1 night in May 2019

2/10 Terrible

Shi

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Complaint
The pictures does not match the actual state and condition of the hotel. The hotel was very run down. There was no mention of many stairs, which my parents cannot stay because they could not take so many steps. I have been misrepresented and when I asked for a refund, they refused. Please do what is necessary to get a refund from them.
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2019
Response from Oohara No Sato on 3 May 2019
Thank you for coming to stay. Did you make a reservation after reading a photo or description on the reservation site? The picture of the room is described as "an example" and there is a description on the site. In general, Japanese-style lodgings other than lodgings of building architecture generally differ in the size and shape of all lodgings. So I write a note on my room photo. I understand that when you read it, you are booking it after accepting it. My hotel is not "Ryokan" but "Minshuku". There are no facilities, equipment or services like Ryokan. So you can stay cheaper than Ryokan. I did not include any photos I took when the building was new. I have a photo of the present. If you can not trust my photos, there are photos taken by other customers on tripadvisor, google, etc. You should check it. If you have an element that is so important to you about stairs, ask me in advance. As mentioned above, I can not refund for your cancellation on the day as I have not failed. "Because the culture of Ryokan and Minshuku in Japan is unique," please make a reservation before making a reservation by reading the differences between Ryokan and Minshuku, photos taken by other customers, bad reviews, etc. Please.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The accomodation has a great location. It's situated near the local bus stop and near the main attractions of Ohara but you still get the feeling of beautiful countryside. The property itself is really nice and the rooms were wonderfully prepared. We especially loved the onsens, so great for relaxing! The staff is welcoming and they always try their best to help, even though they do not speak english that well, so communication was not an issue. You should know there is only one convenience store nearby, thus it's best to bring your own food (but you can order breakfast and dinner beforehand). We would recommend this place in a heartbeat. Loved the experience.
Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2019

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2019

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Beautiful hot spring baths. First time in a ryoken so I was a bit intimidated but I had a lovely stay and will recommend to friends.
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2018

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2018

4/10 Poor

Jodi, Victoria

Disliked: Property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Misrepresentation from expedia about our room
When checking in we tried to explain to the staff at the quest house that the room they were offering us was not the room expedia booked for us (from your confirmation email) It was on the 1st level with no outdoor area - the room we booked was on the ground floor with a small area with a small garden connected to the room. We booked 3 night originally and tried to explain that we would be checking out after 2 nights as the rom was not what we had booked they seemed to understand however when we checked out they made us pay for the 3rd night - we are extremely disappointed with this and will be following up with expedia to arrange a refund for the night we did not stay.
Stayed 3 nights in Jul 2018
Response from Ohara no Sato on 24 Jul 2018
We are sorry that the room we offered was different from your expectations. We are a traditional Japanese inn. Like all traditional inns, in our accommodation there are different rooms with different layouts and the photos on the website are a sample of the rooms in our inn. We do not offer a specific room in reservations in advance. it is based on the availability on the day.

4/10 Poor

Naim

Liked: Room comfort
Disliked: Staff & service
Good place but unhappy with the service
The hospitality of this place is questionable. It's one thing to say "yes", "okay", "sure- we'll do it", and it's another thing to actually follow through with those words. If you choose to stay here, don't rely on the staff to do what they say they will.
Stayed 3 nights in Jan 2018
Response from Oohara No Sato on 7 Feb 2018
Thank you for coming to stay. There are staff who can not speak English in my inn. In that case the reply will be simple. Perhaps the staff may not understand what you are saying. Because my inn is a small inn, it can not do the perfect service like a big city hotel. Although it may make a customer feel a little inconvenient, all the staff of my inn is working with happy feelings of visitors' visits. Staff who can not speak English is learning English from staff who can speak English. Thank you for your understanding.

10/10 Excellent

Audrey M

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Lovely ryokan away from the bustle of Kyoto
Ohara no Sato is a traditional Japanese ryokan in the hills above Kyoto. Most staff speak very little English but it is easy enough to communicate. The onset/hot spring baths were very nice (although I have no other experience for comparison) a segregated by gender and big enough for several people in the two pools. I went in August, not a big tourist month, so I pretty much had the baths to my self. The breakfast and dinner were very good - bring your appetite for Japanese food as there is no western option. The ryokan is quite a hike to the main temples, but th walk is lovely. Ohara no Sato is on my list for my next trip to Kyoto!
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2017
Response from From Oohara No Sato on 12 Aug 2017
Dear Guest, Thank you for the great review of our Minshuku! We are glad that you enjoyed your stay and hope to see you again very soon. Sincerely,

4/10 Poor

Izabela, Oxford

Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stunning area in a very basic accommodation
One must visit the temples and walk along the circular path of the area. As for the Ryokan - we found it to be quite shabby and tired; certainly the price you pay doesn't reflect the comfort one would expect or aesthetic impressions of the interior. The onsen in place desperately needs refurbishment and good clean up from unpleasant looking insects and mildew. The stuff was very friendly and very helpful. The traditional meal offered at the hotel was super and definitely worth experiencing if don't mind subtle flavours of vegetables and meats. Great area, sadly, wouldn't recommend the hotel.
Response from Oohara No Sato on 17 Apr 2017
Thank you for coming to stay. My inn belongs to the category "Minshuku" rather than "Ryokan", which is completely different from the service provided by the inn. As the concept of my inn is "experience of old Japan", there are no buildings or buildings with reinforced concrete with comfortable facilities in the city. I will continue to repair from the broken part so I will not build a contemporary comfortable building that you desire. Since the dish is an old Japanese pot dish, it is not an urban kaiseki cuisine. All inns in Japan are not "Ryokan".

8/10 Good

Sau Teng

Liked: Cleanliness, room comfort
Great getaway from Kyoto city
Overall the onsen ryokan is well maintained even though it was built quite some years back. The food is pretty good but if you stay more than 2 nights, you might get bored with it.
Response from General Manager on 28 Dec 2016
Thank you for coming to stay. I believe that my inn brings customers to experience the old Japanese inn, so we will not rebuild it to a new building. I will repair and renovate my inn. If you have a chance, please come and stay again next season.

8/10 Good

Andre

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Traditional onsen not far from the city.
We were going for a traditional onsen experience and got it at Ohara no Sato. Very old school with no flashing lights or whistles. The area around is beautiful and fun to explore. The bath area was old but clean.
Response from General Manager on 16 Oct 2016
Thank you for your staying. My facilities are old. But I would like to keep the "old Japanese atmosphere". I do not have the latest equipment, I want to enjoy the old days of the Japan visitor from abroad. We are looking forward to seeing you next time!

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
Disappointed
Facilities are inconvenient with the only sinks located down two flights from our bedroom. Service was rushed and impersonal.
Response from From Oohara No Sato on 9 Jan 2017
Thank you for your staying. I think that I would like to provide old Japan to my guests, so I repair it, but I will not rebuild new one. Best regards,

8/10 Good

Kurt, Hawaii

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
No frills Japanese hospitality with good onsen
The hotel is located in the hills of Oohara and has excellent walking to temples. Lots of places to eat a short bus ride away. The staff are friendly and helpful. Most visitors come up from Kyoto for an overnight or a long day trip. We stayed 3 days and the staff made us different dinner sets each night, normally it is a one pot miso chicken dish. And beer. The inn will send a mini bus to pick you up at the bus station, but it is a 10 minute walk Without luggage on a walking/ bike path mostly.
Response from Oohara No Sato on 28 Dec 2016
Dear Guest, Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. We hope to welcome you back to our hotel very soon! Sincerely,

8/10 Good

W F, Seattle

Liked: Staff & service
Nice hotel with outdoor hot spring
We enjoyed the outdoor hot spring. Meals were very good.
Response from Oohara No Sato on 30 Dec 2016
Dear Guest, Thank you for the great review of our hotel! We are glad that you enjoyed your stay and hope to see you again very soon. Sincerely,

10/10 Excellent

Yannick, HK

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Hot baths in a Japanese forest
The simple accommodations and the surrounding Japanese forest combine to make this a memorable stay. I wish I had booked more than one night! The staff was very friendly and did their best to host us in English. The food was decent and making our own beds out of futons was a fun experience. The outdoor hot bath was very relaxing before bed and at the start of the day.
Response from Oohara No Sato on 28 Dec 2016
Thank you for coming to stay. It is nice to have customers enjoy the experience of making Japanese "futon" by themselves. Since the service of my inn is self-service, guests from abroad may have interesting things. If you have the opportunity, please come to another season again.

8/10 Good

Sunil, Singapore

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Review of Ohara-no-Sato
Place is good to experience Japanese style living but expensive. Food was OK, but not great, after dinner there should have been some desert, sodas, etc. Resort offer pick up and drop off from bus station. Staff is very good and helping in nature. Hot spring tub is very small, only 3 people can sit at a time.
Response from From Oohara No Sato on 5 Jul 2016
Thank you for your staying. We are looking forwarod to seeing you next time! Best Regards,

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
Was unsure what to expect with a ryokan. It was a lovely cultural experience. The staff was very friendly, both dinner and lunch were amazing, the spa facilities a little bit on the run down side. It was too cold for me to venture out to the outside bath however the grounds are beautiful. Overall I would recommend staying here for a night.
Response from Oohara No Sato on 30 Dec 2016
Dear Guest, Thank you for the great review of our hotel! We are glad that you enjoyed your stay and hope to see you again very soon. Sincerely,

6/10 Okay

Amy, Singapore

Disliked: Property conditions & facilities, room comfort
We are sleeping on bunk beds that creaks with every light movement. The staff was very helpful.
Response from General Manager on 30 Dec 2016
Dear Guest, Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. We hope to welcome you back to our hotel very soon! Sincerely,

10/10 Excellent

eric, texaa

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
The location is absolutely breathtaking
I stayed in the middle of February and O'Hara is beautiful that time of year the staff was friendly and helpful some basic Japanese is recommended. The out door onsen is to die for and the hot pot and breakfasts where quite tasty. For an authentic Japanese experience I highly recommend.

8/10 Good

Anas, Kyoto

Liked: Staff & service, room comfort
Nice Miso and Location
This is in a great location if you want a feel for rural Kyoto. The sights were breathtaking. In terms of the place itself... The food was great, and the rooms could just barely fit 4 people. The onsens were kind of small, but in the end could fit everyone, it seemed. We were troubled by the lack of private showers and one of our quilts had an ominous stain.

8/10 Good

Daniel, Recife

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
It was amazing

4/10 Poor

Nancy, Singapore

Disliked: Room comfort
Definitely Over-rated!
I booked a night at Ohara no Sato after reading up on its rave reviews online. While the onsen is located in a quiet countryside; it's not exactly a picturesque place, compared to Arashiyama. There's nothing much to do there, except for hiking and temple visits. To begin with, I find the place rather old. The room is clean but has nothing much else to offer. What I find most disappointing is its hot springs. For a place famous for its natural hot springs, I would expect that the soaking and bath areas be nicely done up. Instead, I find them rather utilitarian - just slightly better than a public bathroom. The indoor hot tub is a drab. There is only one - I repeat one, small round wooden outdoor tub in a garden setting. It's enough to fit only 3 to 4 persons. It's a good thing that I went during the off-peak period, and had the tub to myself for awhile, otherwise I cannot imagine squeezing into the small tub with other strangers! I enjoyed the rather traditional tofu hotpot dinner.

8/10 Good

Liang Shing

Liked: Staff & service, room comfort

6/10 Okay

Hikki

Liked: Staff & service
very good hotel with very good value for traveler ,adult , and others ,really awesome ,good environment really nice culture and nature :D

4/10 Poor

Verified traveller

Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

10/10 Excellent

Darrel

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
A fantastic zen experience up in the mountains, far away from the hustle and bustle of city life. Highly recommended.

10/10 Excellent

Greg, PA

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Awesome place to stay!
This traditional Japanese hotel called a ryokan is the perfect experience for anyone who is staying in the Kyoto area. It's about an hour bus ride from the central train station (30 min by car). There are shrines, temples and many things to see in the peaceful country side. It's well worth eating dinner at the ryokan and trying their homemade miso hot pot.

8/10 Good

O, USA

Liked: Staff & service, room comfort
Ohara no Sato
Staff was very nice and attentive, very quaint and homely

4/10 Poor

Verified traveller

Disliked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Uncomfortable
Not enough toilets and cheap on towels. The stairs are very steep and I tripped on the twice.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
It is a lifetime experience, beautiful place, excellent service, i can give them a score 10 out of 10, im willing to come back next time, and refer them to my friends.

10/10 Excellent

Mark, Seoul

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Excellent relaxing spot outside Kyoto
The staff is incredibly nice and friendly. If you call them in advance, they can pick you up at the Ohara bus station for no extra charge, as well as take you back to the bus station after your stay. The view of the surrounding mountains is beautiful. There is a small temple walking distance up the road, as well as hiking paths into the mountains. There are no convenient stores nearby, so if you don't choose the meal options at the hotel, you have to bring food. Rooms also don't have refrigerators. The hot springs are small, but definitely worth the experience if few people are in there. Bus 16 and 17 take you one hour to the Ohara bus station from just north of the Gion area in Kyoto. The WiFi is fast too. We definitely recommend this place.

10/10 Excellent

KY Leung

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great place for leisure
Many Historical and transitional building located around there. peaceful and natural, good for leisure. nice environment with hot spring, simple meal but very tasty super nice staff like a home^^

10/10 Excellent

Alice, Australia

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great food, great service
We enjoyed the freshly cooked meals, the excellent service we received and the hospitality of those in charge of the ryokan. This is an experience we will never forgot as it introduced us to a unique Japanese experience. We are glad we went there. O'hara is also a beautiful place away from the busy city.