Beniya Mukayu

Rarely does a dream come true. About thirty years ago, an idea took hold. I imagined staying at a Japanese ryokan with an open-air private onsen bath somewhere in nature during winter, hopefully with snow on the ground. The stars aligned in more ways than I imagined at Beniya Mukayu. Located a few miles from the Kagaonsen Shinkansen Rail Station, Beniya Mukayu is a short couple of hours from Tokyo but a world apart from the urban hustle and stress. The Zen enveloped me as I stepped out of the taxi. Beniya Mukayu is nestled up a hill surrounded by the forest; sounds of melting snow and a slight breeze could be heard as I was escorted into the architecturally planned inn. I inhaled, taking in the design of every piece of furniture, every window, every angle, all with purpose and all with artistry. I was overtaken with emotion and teared up. It was more than I could imagine. After an introduction to the inn and a cup of tea, we were escorted to our lodgings, an expansive Japanese-style room with a deck, separate bedroom, large bathroom, and private onsen bath filled with this area's warm healing mineral waters. Ours had hydrotherapy jets. We did not want to leave the room, and the television was ignored. Beniya Mukayu supplied us with kimonos, slippers, and a wrap in our respective sizes, and soon we were immersed in the way of the ryokan. It was better than therapy. The inn had two or three libraries for relaxation, public baths separated for men and women by time; kaiseki dinners served nightly, and excellent breakfasts. Service was in the ryokan tradition: polite, honorable, and caring. Pilar, from Patagonia, Argentina, helped guide us during our too-short two-day stay. She was wonderful. The owners, a charming couple, led us through a tea ceremony on our first day, an apt introduction to the zen of Beniya Mukayu. As I sat in my onsen bath, freezing rain falling around me, all cares drifted away. I was one with myself, too content with life. Beniya Mukayu does that. I must return.

Beniya Mukaya offers a mixed experience that combines elegant aesthetics and high-quality dining with several service shortcomings that may leave seasoned ryokan enthusiasts wanting more. Pros: The ryokan excels in its traditional Japanese style and attention to detail in its physical offerings. The tatami rooms are beautifully designed, creating a serene and authentic ambiance. The dining experience showcases high-quality ingredients, delivering an exceptional taste of Japanese cuisine. Guests will also appreciate the comfortable beds, premium linens, and thoughtful touches like pajamas and yukata provided in the rooms. Cons: Unfortunately, Beniya Mukaya falls short of the service standard expected from a luxury ryokan, particularly one associated with accolades like Michelin and Relais & Chateaux. The absence of turndown service, room service, and a lack of complimentary snacks or beverages detracts from the overall experience. Personalized service is limited—an example being the awkward situation where a taxi driver had to request umbrellas from the front desk on behalf of the guests. The staff, while polite, appear inexperienced and have limited local knowledge, which makes exploring the area more challenging. The washroom and open-air bath area feel disproportionately small for the room size, and the lack of conveniences like an in-room coffee machine adds to the sense of missed potential. Even the “executive suite garden view” feels underwhelming in this context. Overall: Beniya Mukaya seems to trade on its Western accolades rather than delivering the warm, personalized experience that defines the best ryokan stays. The sterile vibe and lack of attention to service details are disappointing, especially given its price point. While the aesthetic appeal is undeniable, it ultimately fails to compensate for the absence of those personal touches that make a ryokan stay memorable. There are undoubtedly better options that provide more value and an authentic, welcoming atmosphere. For now, Beniya Mukaya feels like a missed opportunity, a shadow of what it may once have been.

To start off, this is a very fine establishment I must admit. The design is very nice, the food is great and the staffs are very well trained. However, the reason I didn’t give them good marks is because we felt that for that caliber we would expect more. We have been to many ryukan and we thought Beniya, although a great place, could have been better. For example, bigger in room bath, private slot for the large public onsen, option to dine in, coffee machine in the room to name a few. Most of all, the staffs are very well trained and they all speak fluent English, however, it’s not personalised so the little Japanese touch in the details that you get while going to these Japanese places got lost and we ended up feeling like going to an upscale chain. The food was great though. Usually in a ryukan, we get abundant of food because it’s a half/full board reservation, but they are not necessarily that great. Typically it’s good enough, and they provide good ingredients for high end ones, at beniya, the food was to another level. It’s like eating in a restaurant not just in a hotel which is probably why they won’t offer any in room dining. However, we are not a morning person so having to wake up to go to breakfast at 9am (which is the latest you can go) is less preferred than to have our breakfast in room where we can enjoy the facility (we have the biggest room with relaxing area, seating area and a long table which we thought would have been great for breakfast).

Beniya Mukaya is an elegant, foreigner friendly ryokan. The staff are superb and the food excellent. Dinner is kaiseki style with local ingredients. We were there at the start of snow crab season and enjoyed fresh crab prepared several ways. Breakfast is a choice of Japanese or Western style. There are two onsen, alternating men and women. Both are squeaky clean and have inside and outdoor hot pools. The rooms look out on a beautiful forest garden. Can’t say enough about the accommodating and hard working staff! We took a day trip to the Eihei-ji Zen monastery, a long taxi ride away, and enjoyed it thoroughly.

Perhaps the most relaxing, serene, architecural wonder - complete with the most understated yet outstanding service. Breakfasts and kaiseki dinners were superb - the website can never do this idyllic place justice -from the moment you pull up to the entry to the time the staff wave you off when you leave - every single detail has been given a lot of attention.

What initially looks like a simple inn is anything but. Beneath the layers is an incredibly sophisticated, refined and world-class operation. The magic lies in the fact that, on the service, it all looks so effortless. But given the quality of the entire operation, from the world-class architecture, the immaculate Japanese style rooms, the mind-blowing Kaiseki dinner and Japanese breakfast, and the thoughtful, personalised service, you can be sure that a huge amount of effort is being expended by each and every team member. How they pull this magic trip off is a thing of wonder. The result is a Zen like atmosphere throughout, with all the trappings and creature comforts of an ultra-luxurious hotel. I would highly recommend this to solo travellers, couples and families alike, so long as you're looking to switch off, connect with yourself or each-other, and enjoyed a very refined and well thought out conceptualisation of Japanese hospitality and luxury.