Ryokan Nogami Honkan

The room was very big, quiet, clean, and comfortable. We made use of the private onsen for just 500jpy and it was great. Close to Beppu station and the historical Takegawara onsen.

The surrounding businesses seemed a bit shady. Felt like the red-light district of Beppu, though it wasn't a big issue.

We booked this because we are a family of 6 and it doesn't make sense for us to stay in hotels with connecting rooms, etc. The room was large enough for all of us to stay in, and we loved the free tea machine which offers green red and black teas (and there is also free coffee). For 300Yen you get unlimited use of their washing machines and dryers, which of course is so very helpful to me so we can pack less clothes. Detergent is provided. We decided quite late to have breakfast at the property, which I think was 1000 or 1100 yen per adult. They managed to squeeze us in, and it turned out to be kaiseki ryokan style, which was a wonderful experience for us even though we have had such meals before (but not on this trip). It's a steal because most other traditional ryokans charge you about USD$150-$200 per pax per night for dinner and breakfast kaiseki. Before we arrived they also sent us a website of all the places around them that you can visit. Do check it out. Parking is next to the property. Some of the restaurants nearby are very small and could not accommodate us on a Saturday night, but thankfully there is a mall nearby.

The rooms are rather old-ish, but that's quite standard in a lot of properties so we liked for the kids to experience it and how it was traditionally Japanese. There isn't much of a view but you can see a mountain beyond the buildings next door (from the 3rd floor). The onsen is small and has a small changing area but there are also (apparently) 3 private onsen rooms which only open in the afternoon/evening so do book it when you check in. I only found out that it opens in the afternoons when it was already night and we were leaving the next day so we did not get to do that. The roads surrounding the town are v small, and we were relieved that we didn't rent a larger car.

We loved the large family room as we were sharing rooms over a 4 week period. Traditional screen doors and tatami mat floor was great. Room for large luggage and even hanging jackets. We had a private toilet and basin. A couple of western chairs helped our backs! Breakfast was a highlight with all the keiseki options...some of which were quite challenging. Loved the onsens. Large attractive public onsen plus a choice from 3 private baths. Great laundry facilities.

Hot water took about 3 minutes to run hot in our room...strange for an onsen town! Futons were very firm. Even piling up several futons did not help much. Hallway carpets were a bit tired looking. Some noise from the elevator. But these things did not detract from a great experience. We walked 45 mins from the Sunflower Ferry...in the rain. Not so great and we wished we had explored a bus. Buses are the best way to get about in Beppu from the bus station just a few minutes walk up the road. If you want to go to the public onsen that has hot sand to lie in, be aware it is closed on Wednesdays.

The single room with shared toilet was very cozy and great for a single traveler. A shared space was right outside the door but guests were courteous. There is a shared fridge outside the rooms of which there are 8 in a row. The staff were kind and helpful. The location is fantastic, a ten minute walk from the station and only two or three minutes from a main bus stop. There are many restaurants nearby and one of the famous onsens is just around the corner.

I would have liked an option to have breakfast there. It is an option with the other rooms, but perhaps not with this one.

perfect location, right next to a historic onsen that they give you a little basket of towels to go to with. the breakfast is spectacular, easily the best we had in Japan. I am a vegetarian and let them know before we arrived and they were really kind to provide veggie meals with no fuss. it has such a cosy atmosphere, we slept so well in our traditional room. (Japanese traditional style on the floor, our preference and we don’t mind it being firm, it’s good for your back!) and as a bonus we even could see the ocean from our room! they have some nice onsens you can easily reserve for 50min at the front desk for 500-850 yen. we tested the two that were available and loved them.

as it is an older traditional building so not the most up to date but for us that added to the charm. given the older style there will be some noise from others in the morning as they move throughout the building, which didn’t bother us. however we couldn’t hear our neighbors at all!

The room is spacious and relatively quiet. The private onsen here is definitely value-for-money. There are two private onsens - one within the building and the other located on the opposite side of the hotel. It is my first time staying in Ryokan and slept on traditional Japanese-style tatami mat and yes, it did exceed my expectation!

The water pressure in the shower room is very poor. Luckily, we had booked a private onsen on both nights and had a shower there. Otherwise, it would be quite an annoyance to have a shower with such low water pressure.

Great ryokan, staff was friendly. There was a bit of a language barrier but the staff made it work with the help of phone translations. Onsens were great (public and private), private onsens were cheap at 500 ¥ for 50 min. Reservations are first come first serve, so you might want to reserve early during busy days. We had no issue when we were there (early September). The private onsens can be used afternoon-evening; the public ones are open in the morning and afternoon-evening. We had a Japanese-style room which was super comfy. There are 2 breakfast options: western or asian. You can choose different ones each day if you fancy. We enjoyed both!

Entrance to our room had a very faint smell; not noticable in the main room however! Private toilet did not have a sink directly adjacent; you had to go to the main room with the beds to wash your hands

There is an Onsen in the building for guests to use. It is very clean and modern looking. No need to go out and use an Onsen in the town. Although the men's public onsen is on the first floor by reception. So I went down each morning in my Yukata. There is no kettle in the room, although there are kettles available to borrow in reception. However, it turned out that I did not need to borrow one, as there is a machine with free tea and coffee on the same floor as the rooms. The room I stayed in was described as a Japanese style room for Western guests. So it had a futon on a raised section, but it did not have a tatami floor. The hotel is described as a Ryokan, but it is not really a traditional one. They supply Yukata and slippers for guests, but you do not need to leave your shoes at the entrance as you would in some.

I knew I had booked a hotel with shared toilets & washing facilities, but the only showers for guests to use were in the onsen. The door of the room opened onto a large public space, where there were sinks available. There was a false window with a light bulb behind it, but the light bulb flickered when you switched it on. The rooms were next to a space for general use including an area with books and some casual seating - although there were signs asking guests not to make noise too late. Some might find this an advantage as it would be a space where you could meet other travellers. I like to go to bed early though, so there was the potential to be woken up.

We stayed at this Ryokan to experience Japanese style rooms and the Onsen. We had a private bathroom, but you don't actually need it, since we booked a private Onsen every evening. Also you can use the public bathrooms which honestly are more comfortable. The interior of the hotel is nice, it is clean and spacious. I absolutely recommend to book with the breakfast and have the nice lady explain to you how to eat it! It was a real adventure every morning! The town is small, relaxed and friendly. The room was bigger than any other room we had during our weeks long trip.

Great value for the price. I stayed in one of the single TOJI rooms on a long-term plan (5 nights+). The room was actually bigger than I expected, there was enough place to be comfortable and to unpack luggage, etc. I really liked the bed and slept well every night. Thanks to the long-term plan, the price was incredibly affordable for this type of room and I was able to enjoy nice bonuses such as free use of the washing machines or free use of a private onsen at a few select times a day. Even at other times, it was possible to pay 500 yen for 50 minutes in a private onsen of choice and I enjoyed switching up the onsen on a daily rate. I also really liked the lobbies and the range of free drinks. Overall, it was really practical and comfortable and I would definitely stay there again.

It's not too bad, but it could be a little bit cleaner in the dressing/washing rooms.