The host was an extremely nice and lovely lady. The stay offered many possibilities to experience authentic japanese ryokan (outfits, bath, room, breakfast etc.) The bath was free and the view was amazing. You could reach the location relatively easily. The futon and air conditioning ensured that we were not cold even though it was late February. If in need of more options with shops or restaurants, the cable car nearby could take you easily and cheaply down to Ikoma town.

The rest of the village was rather quiet. No shops or restaurants except for one (which had delicious food and nice staff). This might be due to covid taking it's toll.

I like it’s a small traditional Japanese family style hotel located in the middle of the mountain that’s still close to the town Ikoma by driving. The clear city view from the tea room is spectacular: we enjoyed the sight of the town with the high elevation and mountain range close by. The warm city lights at night and neighboring beautiful cherry blossoms and magnolia blended in the background of green hills under daylight are memorable. The host is also very accommodating: she speaks English and understands us well without too much trouble. On top of making arrangements for tea ceremony and kimono fitting (of course with additional charge), she can provide very good traditional Japanese breakfast. We didn’t try dinner there but I am sure it would be good. It’s about an hour drive away from Nara, Osaka, Tokyo, and other major cities in Kansai. Would highly recommend to people who want to experience what want to explore the city at daytime but want to experience a different vibe to stay outside of the city area at night.

Not good for larger groups. I think the hotel can host at most 10~ish guests at its capacity? And it’s traditional futon setting for sleep. Won’t recommend to people who can’t sleep on tatami floors with futon.

Shiroyama Ryokan was one of the best parts of our tour around central Japan. The building is welcoming, cozy, clean and well kept, and was a pleasure to stay in and come back to after a day of adventuring. The owner is such a sweet woman and accommodated us even with last minute requests, and while her English is good enough for her to communicate everything you need to know, knowing at least a little Japanese will go a long way and will be very appreciated. Overall she (and the other staff) went above and beyond during our stay. We were in the basement room, which still had a lovely view over Ikoma and Nara. The meals were also a huge highlight of our stay. Both breakfast and dinner were so delicious and were even ready for when we came back from a long day of adventuring in Nara. There aren't many restaurants or shops open in the surrounding area, especially in the winter, but Hozanji Temple and the walk down the mountain into Ikoma were also beautiful highlights of our trip. I would stay at Shiroyama Ryokan again in a heartbeat.

Charming little Ryokan not far from the historical Capital Nara that you can access by driving a cat or a dog train up the hill, where an amazing Buddhist temple is close by. The view from the breakfast room in the direction of Nara is breathtaking. The friendly host has a lot of interesting information regarding traditional customs, like the tea ceremony or the Kimono.

This was off season quiet hideaway fro. the busy cities. The area was almost deserted, but seeking lonely serenity, this ryokan was perfect. No frills. A good place to gather thoughts - relaxing hot bath with a view from the mountain side and tea seremony next door at night. Top of hill has surprice views of Osaka and getting there by hillside tram are a bonus. The proprietor is nice and knows bit English.

At the time no shops or cafes were open, would have needed to take tram to town to get snacks, if needed.

The manager was exceptionally helpful and nice. She helped us to make our stay so enjoyable. It was also close to a beautiful temple.

The toilet was outside but that’s nothing to do with them. It is what it is in a ryokan like that

The place was very clean and beautiful. The staff was very kind and willing to help all of the time. The surrounding are beautiful and there are many restaurants and cafe’s nearby.