One of the most scenically beautiful and stunning Ryokans I may ever be lucky enough to visit. Negiya Ryofukaku is nestled on top of a hill in Arima Onsen providing fantastic views of the town below and lush surrounding landscape and the Rokko mountains. Truly very stunning! We were greeted warmly by staff at the entrance and helped with our bags. The shuttle service was handy and convenient. Check-in was at first split over two members of staff a little confusingly. However Izumi-san was a shining star throughout our stay and stepped in to make sure all details were clear for us then showed us to our room. Rooms - I would definitely recommend booking an upper floor room in the newer West Wing of the Ryokan. This provides the best views of the mountains and room we had two beds, plus a lovely tatami room and private shower and bathroom. The Kaiseki Dinner was incredible from start to final bite - The Kobe Beef Teppanyaki option was both very good value and simply delicious, showcasing the incresible local produce and ingredients. Breakfast was a varied and very pleasant experience on both days - The staff keep service running smoothly like a well-oiled machine and each dish was interesting in both the Bento box and more individual breakfast we had on the second morning. Staff were very kind to arrange an earlier pre-Marathon breakfast for me which I very much appreciated and tried my best to try each dish, eating as much as I could! Onsens - Both the Public and Private Onsen options were very good. Although the Private Onsen with Half Indoor/Outdoor baths was a lovely experience, I personally really enjoyed the larger Public Onsen when it was the men's timing to use it (Mens & Ladies timings alternate between the two Public Onsens each day). Service was fantastic throughout our stay from all of the wonderful, kind, friendly and very warm staff that we met. A special mention and thank you again to Izumi-san who was incredibly hospitable and helpful throughout our stay - Helping to pre-book our Dinner and offer post-Marathon dinner suggestions when I was exhausted. Then, even suggesting to arrange a shuttle for us without us asking. Perfect examples of both "Omotenashi" and "Omoiyari". Amazingly attentive touches that went above & beyond to elevate our stay and made us feel at home, being very well taken care of. Izumi-san was so kind and caring that we would come back to stay just to see her and spend more time in Arima Onsen. Konichiwa Izumi-san! Thank you for being so wonderful and taking care of us as if we were family.

The place is beautiful on top of a hill. The access is easy even by foot and around 10 minutes walk from the station. The staff was very nice. I booked a room with breakfast included and it was very nice! The onsen was nice and you can try all of them cuz the occupation by male/female guest is rotative. Good!! 4 stars cuz looks a bit old and I saw a big gejigeji on the hallway😆😭

This is a great ryokan that is at the heart of Arima Onsen. You can easily walk to town in 5min. They do offer pick up and drop off, so do call them when you arrive at a public transportation spot and they will get there in minutes. The staff spoke english which was a pleasent surprising. We booked the private onsen room in the woods and it was amazing! We had a courtyard and a bath in the bamboo forest where we can soak any time and didnt have to follow the bath schedules in the public one. This is a big resort so the public bath does get quite busy both men and women side in the mornings and evenings. The maybe one point of improvement would be the food. It was not the best we have had at ryokans. The seasoning a lot of the times was either too much or too little. If we do come back, I would consider staying again.

A wonderful spa resort which provides in room dinner and own hot spring spa. A sumptuous breakfast is also provided. Worth a try for a first timer to japan who wants to try out a Ryokan. But the area is too too touristy. Full of locals and foreigners. Hotel itself is magnificient, great sized bedroom with a huge bathroom.

ARIMA ONSEN area was our autumn destination to really dive into the traditional Japanese onsen experience, this being noted as the best in the Hyogo region. We research that this was the center of onsens and spring waters in Kobe since the 1400s. And we were not disappointed! Visited by emperors, nobles, samurai and ordinary people through time, this little town was a train and bus ride from Kyoto and off the beaten tourist track. What a gem of an experience since we stayed in a historical Edo period structure (refurbished in some parts in traditional 1950s Japanese modernist style). I will rate Negira Ryokufuko as top of the line, extremely clean, restored beautifully, with personable staff from the local community AND with wonderful Kaiseki cuisine offerings. As the trees took their their autumn coats, the surrounding mountain forest was truly magical. The surrounding mountain is great for a hike and autumn tree gazing. The little town and quaint shops took all of a couple of hours to visit with small family-run gifts shops. Truly another place for those wanting to experience a hidden gem in Japan, and guess what, you can count the tourists in one hand! Suggest to pre book the traditional Kaiseki breakfast and dinners ahead. The hotel restaurant dinner was fully booked for the entire autumn season. The hotel has a private shuttle service to take fetch and drop you from the bus stop and take you around the town as well.

My first ryokan experience and an amazing one. The hospitality is off the charts and all the staff were welcoming and warm. There is English speaking staff so no worries if you don't speak Japanese. The highlight is obviously the views and onsen, both of which were spectacular. What bathhouse you can use depends on the time of day and gender (it rotates so you can experience both if you want!). The view from the elevated onsen was gorgeous, and scenic. Arrival isn't until 4~ but get there as soon as you can to really take in everything.

Japanese-style room with great views. We enjoyed the osen very much, also the family osen allows you to enjoy just with your family. The dinner and breakfast came with the pack are good. The room is a bit dry while the AC is on, hope the hotel can have water diffusers

Very nice japanese ryokan with spacious room. Dinner and breakfast were tasty and plenty. The hotel is situated on a hill, so there is free shuttle service upon request.

Staff are so nice here and make you feel very welcomed! The private onsen baths are hot but good 🥵 the public is also very good! The rooms are spacious and comfortable. The perch is like a nice bar.. wish it came with cocktails 😂 highly recommend!

Most beautiful and authentic Ryokan at this price. Onsen are beautiful and the whole experience is wonderful. People complaining about how the building is old are missing the point. That's why you come here, to understand the traditional way.

Aaaamazing!! Staff ran to us when they saw us coming from outside! Onsen is awesome, service surpassed my expectation! English speaking! Just wow recommended! Also try crocket snack in the city below!

It was an amazing place to live out a lifelong dream gained from years of anime’s in traditional settings The room was open air private Ibsen with garden view, and was awesome to be surrounded by bamboo and the sound of nature. The food was a kaiseki style featuring Kobe beef that showcased many different kinds of food from around Japan and was the best Kobe beef we had eaten so far. The service was amazing and had many super helpful and pleasant people. They also were able to speak English with us which was super accomodating and made things a lot easier. Overall 10/10 will probably do it again but in winter next time.

Great experience at Negiya Ryofukaku. Exceptional service, spacious rooms, clean public baths, and delicious breakfast. Would definitely stay again. Tip: If you’re looking to go to Osaka, there’s a bus station right down the hill from the ryokan. The ryokan offers complimentary shuttle service to the bus station. Express buses depart approx. hourly for 1250 yen. Getting back at night was a challenge as the same express bus service is not available at night. We ended up taking the metro and then the JR 75 bus back to Arima. The JR 75 bus takes IC card and cash. If paying by cash, there’s should be a change machine at the head of the bus. You pay your fare when leaving the bus, not when boarding.

Can offer vegan breakfast and dinner if asked! Quite tasty as well.

Favorite ryokan in Japan in a remote beautiful area. Very relaxing onsen too.

Absolute must, scenic area, gorgeous view, the hosts were super friendly, accommodating and helpful. Bit on the expensive side, but for me it was worth it.

This is the BEST experience I have ever had. Traditional Tatami Japanese style Onsen Hotel, and the Kaiseki dinner with Kobe beef combo is Soooo delicious. (even better than what we had for Michelin 3 star) And the breakfast is also amazing! Service is great!!! We booked a room with private hot spring, strongly recommend. Service is perfect as well.

Onsen a bit small but still nice. Room is good size with bathroom and toilet. Overall services is fine. Staff speak good English. A little mix up when we checked in. We had to wait almost 15 minutes so they can sort it out

I had a relaxing time here! It was a little far away but worth the escape to a small town. Going up the hill wasn't pleasant, but they have free shuttles we took advantage of when leaving. Their English isn't that great, but I overheard them assisting guests in Mandarin. Overall, the staff were still very courteous and did everything they could to make us comfortable. Our breakfast here was also delicious. We had a beautiful meal set out for us and our kitchen staff happily told us about the dishes. The kaiseki dinner was so filling! They brought it to our rooms. Onsen was the highlight and you must go both in the morning and night for different views. My skin was refreshed after our two days here.

Great staff and service. They speak enough english to not make you feel too uneasy or lost. The dinner service and and turn down service is impeccable, was so excited to see what next unidentified delicious morsel would come out. Sleeping on the fluffiest futons on the tatami mats is a pleasant surprise The baths are slightly small but enough for the traffic of people to have their own space and time There are only 2 hot pools each house. Then you switch to the other house with 2 pools also the next day. Great amenities! Very authentic experience.

I was very nervous as a solo woman traveller, but I had a great experience. When I called it didn't seem like they had someone who spoke English but when I got there someone showed me around and explained everything to me clearly. The baths are very nice and the area is very quaint and lovely. There's a few different ways to get there, they have two bus stations and a train station. I took the Hankyu bus, though I think there is another bus that goes there as well from Osaka which was a little confusing but I figured it out.