This was an absolutely beautiful experience. The staff were so welcoming, making sure to patiently explain all the customs of using the shoes, tatami mats, yukatas, onsens. That made us feel very much at ease. They waited for us at the parking lot and took our bags up. The restaurant/meals were exceptional - the courses provided a moment to appreciate the food and overall, were a reminder to slow down. The onsens were great and peaceful. Keep in mind this is a more traditional ryokan experience at an older establishment, so ceilings will be low and meals are set courses at set times.

The only "unpleasant" thing was the temperature of the downstairs older hot springs. It was unbearably hot that no one, including other guests, seemed to be able to withstand the heat for more than 30 seconds. The wood smelled amazing and I wish we could've enjoyed it longer but it was much too hot.

I would recommend in the winter. So you can mix skiing with a relaxing Ryokan experience. Special mentions to the chef's diner and breakfast that were absolutely on top, and to the staff overall that bring a very high level of service, sometimes whithout you even noticing (we got our crapy hiking shoes cleaned out overnight, which made us shameful we did not had time to reach the hotel with clean shoes at the first place...).

While the premises are very nice, with an intersting building structure mixing Swiss Chalet and classical Japaenese vibes, I found the onsens a bit disappointing (Zao's water specifics being a blessing, the whole presentation of the onsens shall be "upgraded" to higher standards). I would rank this establishment as very good, still not the best you can find in Japan at this price point.

I would absolutely recommend this property to anyone! It is a little out of the way (1 hr bus ride from Yamagata station) but it’s well worth it. Two separate baths with two separate origin waters and a private bath you can book by the hour, and an outdoor bathtub in your room was really cool. It includes a very traditional dinner and breakfast using local specialties. Local sake selection for dinner/room service was also excellent. The staff was so polite and nice - they even carried our luggage to our room and picked us up at the bus station! Room was nice and big with seasonal nature sounds.

Our stay at Takamiya Ryokan Miyamaso was one of our highlights of our honeymoon! The hotel is insanely charming and very well kept. You can see it's an old building but it doesn't look old or worn down. The staff are friendly and polite, and greet you by the door when you arrive and leave the hotel. They were also very accomodating to us when we asked to keep out futons out, as we wanted to take a nap during the day. Dinner and breakfast was amazing and a lovely experience, it was delicious and presented nicely and staff was attentive and friendly. Our suite was amazing, and we loved having our own private bath outside on a balcony overlooking a snowy hill.

Nothing, everything was great!

Staffs were super friendly and nice. Helped me with my luggages during check in and check out in and out of my room. I had my luggages sent from my previous hotel and when I reached my luggages were already in the room. Breakfast and dinner were splendid. Have 2 public onsen in the ryokan both with highly acidic sulphuric water which is supposedly good for you which I enjoyed too. Private bath in room is normal water not hot spring water (not same as public onsen). The ryokan picked us up when we reached zao bus terminal, they are responsive on booking messenger which we updated them our arrival time. Definitely will come back here again.

Room wifi a little slow at times.

Very nice, traditional experience! We were very surprised with the diversity of the breakfast. If you want to experience a proper Japanese breakfast, here is one place where you can do that very well. The onsen was very pleasant too, but you might need to get accustomed to the temperature. All in all we had a very pleasant stay here and we can definitely recommend! Thanks a lot :)

One of the best ryokan experiences I ever had. Beautiful historic building. You could easily get lost among all the many hallways and stairs. Perfect service. Wonderful meals. The baths were the absolute best. If I get to do it over, I wouldn’t mind spending a few extra for the private baths. Before I arrived, I confirmed my arrival time (strongly recommended). The ryokan had my room ready for my early arrival. This was not expected so a very nice surprise (and greatly appreciated). The minute I arrived I could feel right away that here, they know what they’re doing. No playing around, straight up good ryokan service (which is flawless perfection). For instance, they would leave beautiful handwritten calligraphy notes, notes on my pillow, notes on my dinning table. Every little detail was perfect.

Excellent property. Comfortable stay, attentive and patient staff who anticipated and attended to our every need and request. Food was excellent and they accommodated my dietary restrictions and remembered them throughout my stay. Wonderful stay, highly recommend.

Water pressure in the showers inconsistent but nothing major.

Service was top notched and we were really very impressed. From waiting for us to help with the luggage when I message them about our arrival time to the reception, explaining everything in detail and showing us to the onsen , lounge and our room. Dinner was served with detailed explanation of every dish. Breakfast is Japanese breakfast and presented very nicely.

The onsen is a bit tiny. View is normal.

Lovely old fashioned Ryokan. Traditional style rooms and public areas. The staff were great and went out of their way to communicate in English, but also respected our Japanese speaking son. The onsens were an unusual and interesting experience. The dinner and breakfast were the highlights of our stay. The food was superb and presented in a stunning way, including a personalised menu card.