Gora Kadan is amazing. We caught the wrong train from Kyoto arriving much later than anticipated, and on arrival, a staff member was waiting for us at Gora station with a car and cheery hello - even though he had probably been there for some time! The staff were just as lovely on arrival, extending their kaiseki start time by half an hour so we could rest and have a shower before dinner was served. The entire ryokan is stunning, and while there isn't much to see in the town of Gora itself other than catch the train then ropeway (cable car) to get a stunning view of Mt Fuji (worth a visit) and to try the famous tamago onsen (hot spring eggs; nothing fancy other than it's black shell), you could easily while away the hours in the ryokan. The hammam is lovely, and the spa treatments are excellent. It is worth plucking up the courage to go to the grand bath too - it is definitely one of those must-try-in-Japan experiences. The rooms are wonderfully luxurious, while still retaining that quintessentially Japanese feel (tatami mats, futon). I loved the separate dining / sleeping areas, instead of the traditional all-in-a-room ryokan experience. We chose a room with a large private cedar bathtub, and it was lovely sitting in it gazing into the deck, little Japanese garden and trees beyond. The food was good - not as outstanding as the...Gora Kadan is amazing. We caught the wrong train from Kyoto arriving much later than anticipated, and on arrival, a staff member was waiting for us at Gora station with a car and cheery hello - even though he had probably been there for some time! The staff were just as lovely on arrival, extending their kaiseki start time by half an hour so we could rest and have a shower before dinner was served.

The entire ryokan is stunning, and while there isn't much to see in the town of Gora itself other than catch the train then ropeway (cable car) to get a stunning view of Mt Fuji (worth a visit) and to try the famous tamago onsen (hot spring eggs; nothing fancy other than it's black shell), you could easily while away the hours in the ryokan. The hammam is lovely, and the spa treatments are excellent. It is worth plucking up the courage to go to the grand bath too - it is definitely one of those must-try-in-Japan experiences.

The rooms are wonderfully luxurious, while still retaining that quintessentially Japanese feel (tatami mats, futon). I loved the separate dining / sleeping areas, instead of the traditional all-in-a-room ryokan experience. We chose a room with a large private cedar bathtub, and it was lovely sitting in it gazing into the deck, little Japanese garden and trees beyond.

The food was good - not as outstanding as the kyoto kaiseki we had at Hiiragiya - but still excellent. They vary the cuisine as well so that you aren't having the same thing twice in a row if you stay longer then a day. We had shabu shabu on the second night - served with a platter of top quality, beautifully marbled wagyu. Our room attendant, Saori, was incredibly lovely, and like all ryokan staff, had that intuition of when to come clear the plates and to quickly tidy our room whenever we left - even for the shortest time.

This was a true retreat, and a wonderfully luxurious destination. We didn't want to leave and didn't want our stay to end!More