It is such a wonderful home, run by equally wonderful people. We loved staying at SOY, it was super cozy, neat and beautiful. Tai and his parents are incredibly lovely and go the extra mile to make their guests feel at home and have a great time. Tai even offers to pick up and drop off his guests where needed, he also helped us reserve train seats for our next travels and gave recommendations when our other plans fell through. At SOY you can enjoy a delicious breakfast made by Tai’s sweet parents, while looking out at a beautiful view of the garden. This was our favourite stay ever and we highly recommend SOY to others!

We have traveled all over the world and this is the best service, most outstanding hospitality we have ever experienced. Tai will drive you wherever you want to go. He made dinner reservations for us each nite at great restaurants that could accommodate my husband’s special diet. We felt like we were staying with family at Soy guesthouse. The breakfast was cooked to order, delicious and plentiful. I teared up when we left after a 5 night stay. It was a fantastic experience to stay here. The perfect blend of old Japan with all the modern conveniences. There’s a pretty garden and koi pond. Just read the other reviews. Everyone is so delighted by the gracious, kind hospitality experienced here.

Nothing

From the very beginning of out stay at Soy Guesthouse I knew it would be the highlight of our trip to Japan. Tai-San met us at the train station and took us back to the guesthouse where Nobuko-San greeted us with Japanese tea. The Guesthouse is warm and inviting, filled with beautiful locally sourced furniture and soft jazz music. Every detail was carefully considered, from the delicious traditional Japanese breakfast Nobuko-San cooked with love each morning to the fantastic coffee and hospitality Tai-San graced us with. Tai-San helped us with local restaurant recommendations and reservations, shuttled us to and from Takayama’s city centre and helped us with really anything that we needed. I honestly feel I’ve made a life long friend in Tai-San and his family. I’ve attempted to put into words just how fabulous this guesthouse is but I feel you really need to experience it yourself to truly understand just how amazing it is. I can’t wait to stay again soon.

Tai and family are the best hosts in Takayama and possibly the whole of Japan! You will not find another place like SOY with a comparable level of hospitality. Other than the complimentary shuttle to and from the train station, Tai and his family went out of their way to make sure our stay was comfortable and we were well-taken care of. SOY was a quaint and charming guesthouse, with great views (especially in winter), and a ton of space for a large family - which we were. The entire place was very well furnished, and had amenities that were great for hanging out - like a movie room. Food at SOY is prepared with a lot of love and attention to detail, super tasty, and amazing. Tai would even help us call tour operators and restaurants to help us make reservations because some places only take reservations over phone and speak only Japanese.

We all wished we stayed longer at SOY!

Everything about our stay was awesome. From before our arrival, Tai was communicating with us and making sure we had what we needed— he even made reservations for us at an excellent sushi restaurant that we would not have found on our own. When we arrived at his property, he greeted us warmly and drove us to and from our dinner. He was SO friendly and helpful. Our room was charming and spotlessly clean, and so were the bathroom facilities. It felt like staying at a family member’s home. His mother is a sweet and charming woman, and she made and served us breakfast. The home itself is amazing— full of character and decorated beautifully. There is also a cute and friendly cat and a koi fish pond. This was such a relaxing stay! It was our favorite stay of our two week trip to Japan. :-)

The only problem is we only stayed one night. Wish it was longer.

The home was beautiful, spacious and clean. The hospitality was unbelievable, lovely, attentive, kind- I can’t say enough good things about Tai, his mother and the inn. It is gorgeous, spacious yet cozy. It was a top experience and should not be missed. The inn is an hour walk from town and is best accessed by car but Tai will pick you up and drive you around. He took us to a neighborhood we were interested in for dinner and then picked us up immediately afterwards. Breakfast was delightful and they even made a special vegetarian dish for me. Bathrooms are shared yet private. The rooms are huge and so pretty! The traditional mattresses were cozy and comfy.

Not a single complaint. It was perfect.

This was an amazing place to stay! Tai-san and his family are amazing hosts and totally made our stay here special. Even though it is a 10-15 minute ride from the city center, Tai-san is very helpful - he shuttles you to and from the train station and city center as much as he can. We never even noticed the distance. In fact, he went above and beyond our expectations by helping us with reservations and recommendations on what to do in the area. Breakfast at SOY is amazing - you have a choice of Japanese or continental breakfast, both of which are home cooked, plus amazing coffee. If you’re not sure, stay here! Believe me!

Nothing!

Our stay was wonderful! Tai who runs the place is the sweetest person on earth and his mom is also incredibly kind and adorable. They really made us feel at home and made our stay so special. The place is remote from the city center but Tai was amazingly available to drive us to and from the center. He also booked an amazing sushi restaurant for us. The living room of the house is surrounded by a beautiful garden and they have a nice cat. Our room was very spacious and comfy. We loved that we had our own bathroom, toilet outside of the room and that there was a washing machine. Tai only has 4 rooms so it felt really intimate. We strongly recommend staying there!

We loved everything.

We enjoyed our stay at SOY, the hosts Tai & Nobuko made us feel extremely welcomed, Tai was generous and punctual with providing shuttle service to and from town which was great given the location of the house being further away from the city center. The atmosphere of SOY was exceptional, we got to slow down and appreciate our surroundings which gave us the much needed reset to our busy itinerary. We hope the cat Tama is feeling better since we last saw her!

We wished the shower was cleaned more regularly.

The rooms themselves are spacious and cozy. And although the futons take some time getting used to initially, I was able to sleep very well from night one. If you are worried about the idea of sharing living areas with other people, or you think it’ll be a bit awkward with the house owners walking around, there’s no need to worry. You and other guests are on a different area (specifically the bedrooms and bathrooms are on a completely different floor) separated from the family owning the establishment. Thus, you still have the important separation one needs, so it doesn’t feel invasive nor overwhelming. There are also keys and locks in each room, and a big enough area for guests to enjoy and roam without feeling stuck together. So in terms of privacy and personal space there’s no need to worry. The family running this establishment are kind efficient and very caring. While we stayed there they recommended and ordered us a place in a near by restaurant for dinner and drove us to and back from dinner. A bit more about the breakfast - the day when you arrive they ask for your food preferences and sensitivities (if there are any). Plus you are given the option to choose a more western style meal (however we’d recommend you choose the traditional Japanese breakfast). Moreover, you are able to decide on the time you wish for breakfast to be served at. And finally, you get to eat next to the view of their whimsical garden. In conclusion, I super recommend this establishment. It was such a great local experience run by kind and warm people.

It is not that I did not like but people should be aware of two main things: 1. Futons beds are not for people with bad back but that is the local authentic experience. 2. Location is remote to the city center but the place owner offered to drive us around and it is an advantage if you come by car because it is easier to get in and out town due to the proximity to the main road.