Shiroyamakan

It is very difficult to evaluate this accommodation as words seem weak and insufficient to capture all the details that have been taken care of, first of all in the setting itself, from the tableware, of remarkable elegance, to the architecture, which masterfully updates the traditional ryokan. Then, in the welcome, which exceeds the highest standards, even Japanese. It is a family that welcomes you here, with all its heart, all its soul and an immense desire to share its history and culture. This sharing is of course through the cuisine and how can we not congratulate this audacity and sophistication? Such meals - in Paris - would require months of reservations in advance. The crowning glory of this dream is the sento overlooking the river: a pure moment of ecstasy. This is our third trip to Japan but this accommodation has something special and we will never forget it. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

If you want to feel Japanese for a day you absolutely have to sleep in this ryokan. We stayed in a room with a private bathroom but there are also rooms with a shared bathroom. The location is excellent: it is in front of the bus station and next to the historic center of Shirakawa. It is entirely managed by the entire family that owns it and they really make you feel at home. Excellent breakfast and dinner (real Japanese cuisine).

We stayed 1 night in the Shiroyamakan on our individual 4-week trip through Japan. Location/general: Located at the start of the historic village, 80m to the fairly steep but shortest path to the viewpoint (observation deck), 200m to the combi & bus shuttle to the observation deck. We went there with a rental car. Perfect, parking spaces for hotel guests right by the house. Everything is fantastically well maintained, Japanese-style dining room, 2 onsen for private use, one of them with a wonderful view of the river, an absolute "must". The senior boss drove us through the village and then to the observation deck in a first-class minibus at 3 p.m., English explanations were available. That was extremely helpful, we immediately had an orientation regarding the distances. From the observation deck (the best place for photos, especially in the morning) we then walked into the village (10-15 minutes). The host family is incredibly friendly, attentive and caring, you feel at home from the start, the greeting itself is wonderfully relaxing. Rooms: We had a "triple room with private bathroom" in the traditional ryokan style, there are also "newly" designed rooms. Spacious, separate bathroom (with tub) & toilet, fridge, traditional Japanese "balcony/loggia". Kimonos. We cannot recommend the "new" and "old" rooms, we found ours to be first class, we did not see the other "new" ones (you can see it on the homepage). Dinner/breakfast: First class quality and absolutely fantastic service by the junior owners, an experience that was part of the consistently fantastic ryokan kaiseki experiences of our trip. The modern Japanese minimalist dining room has a fantastic atmosphere that is difficult to capture in photos. Price/performance: very good. Conclusion: we can warmly recommend this ryokan to anyone who plans to visit Shirakawago/Shirakawa-mura. The house, the rooms, the owner family & not least the food create a wonderful atmosphere. Be sure to plan an overnight stay, as this is the only way to experience the place in the evenings and mornings in a more relaxed manner without lots of bus tourists.