Takayamaso Hanano
B · 7.4 / 10right inn, right place
Takayamaso Hanano is a family-run inn in Arima, Japan's oldest hot-spring town, and its flagship room, the 100 m² Oyama Renge suite rebuilt in 2025 with its own kinsen and ginsen baths and a panoramic view over the town, approaches true luxury. KI-NRT came with modest expectations and left won over: the stay was quiet, comfortable and memorable, and the cooking was better than the house's station suggests. Only the top rooms are this good, and the entry level is plain. At $360–550 a night the suite is a bargain.
Scores
Food 4 / 5
Dinner is a kaiseki that KI-NRT found carefully prepared, well plated and distinct from typical ryokan fare, and it exceeded his expectations. The standouts were a cold cod milt shinjo in clear broth (shinjo is usually made with shrimp or crab) and a kuwai manju under a buckwheat-husk ankake sauce. Kobe beef can be added, from shabu-shabu up to chateaubriand, and the Sanda rice at breakfast was so fragrant he took a second bowl.
Bath 4 / 5
The Oyama Renge suite has both of Arima's waters, a kinsen (gold) bath and a ginsen (silver) bath, and bathing with the sliding glass open, three of Arima's seven spring sources in view below, gave KI-NRT a true open-air sensation. As at most ryokans in Arima the water is not fed from the source: it arrives by truck and is filtered and heated (kinsen) or cooled (ginsen), though no tap water is added to the ginsen. The communal bath is modest.
Service 3.5 / 5
The owning family are fully engaged, and the daughter who now runs the inn was attentive and efficient, with a warmth KI-NRT felt throughout the stay, while her earnest younger brother seemed less at ease with guests. The attendant who served dinner and breakfast, a polite, reserved young woman, answered questions without elaboration; she is a longtime weekend part-timer, which explains the matter-of-fact manner.
Room 4.5 / 5
The flagship 100 m² Oyama Renge suite, rebuilt in January 2025, is a fresh, modern take on Japanese aesthetics that KI-NRT says surpasses what some high-end ryokans attempt, with its own kinsen and ginsen baths and a balcony with a panoramic view over the town. Room choice makes all the difference here: the entry-level rooms are simple, with futon laid out after dinner, and only the top suites approach true luxury.
Place 3.5 / 5
The inn is on a compact site overlooking Arima's streets, with no garden and 20 stone steps up to the lobby, but the interiors are tasteful and serene, finished in warm beige with fine ikebana and kusamono arrangements by artisans from across Japan, and there is a cozy lounge and bar. Arima itself, Japan's oldest recorded hot spring, is a delight for strolls, browsing the shops and carbonated onsen rice crackers.
Getting there
- Kyoto — 1h45, 2 transfers. Kyoto→Shin-Osaka, change toward Sannomiya, then Arima Express bus (~1h45).
- Osaka — 1h05, 0 transfers. Reverse of: Direct Hankyu/JR expressway bus Arima Onsen→Osaka-Umeda (~60 min, 1–2/hr).
Sources
FlyerTalk review #726 · TripAdvisor 4★ (December 2025) · Ikyu 4.08 / 5