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!

The lovely old Japanese house is beautifully restored and it was a pleasure to be a little out of the city among the rice fields. There's a 7-eleven around the corner and an organic farm shop. The family were very welcoming and very attentive hosts. Tai was exceptional; meeting us at the station when we arrived, chauffering us to restaurants for dinner and picking us up afterward, taking us to a nearby trailhead for a hike, making sure we purchased the correct tickets for our onward journey as well as helping us shop for some items we needed. The breakfast was exquiste. Nabuko is a fabulous cook and the dishes she prepared for breakfast were so delicious and flavourfull. It was the most delectable breakfast you could imagine and a real Japanese experience. Plus the setting looking out on their garden and the coi in the pond was so restful and peaceful. We were glad we had time to linger and really enjoy the authentic atmosphere.

Me and my partner stayed here for two nights and loved every moment of it. Kai and his family were amazing, making every part of our stay special. Not only did we have an authentic Japanese breakfast cooked for us each morning by Nobuko (Tai’s mother), but we also got dropped off and picked up each day, had the most amazing recommendations and learnt so much from Tai about Japanese culture. The beds were so comfortable and the house was beautiful and relaxing. I can’t recommend SOY enough.

Nothing everything was fantastic, the location was a little bit out from the main time but this was not a problem because Tai dropped us off and picked us up each day

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.

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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.

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.

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!

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