Takayama Ouan

This hotel exceeded our expectation! It is very near the Nohi Bus station and the JR Takayama station (3-5 min walk). Although we just stayed overnight, we had a memorable experience in Takayama Ouan. The hotel has a lot of freebies for their guests. They have a booth in the lobby where guests can get free brewed coffee, hot tea, and green lemon iced tea. They also provide free socks since the hotel have tatami flooring. What we also loved about this hotel is the onsen (separate public onsen for male and female, and 3 private onsen). They also have a freezer where guests can get free iced cream after bathing. During past 9 pm, they also have free ramen for their guests. The room is spacious, and the view from our window is also nice (the roads and establishments covered with snow). Aside from the free stuff and great amenities, we also appreciate the kind and friendly staff members. We accidentally lost the luggage claim tag (and we are willing to pay for it) but they didn't charge us anything. When we go back to Takayama, we will definitely stay here again.

This hotel is centrally located, just next to the Mercure. You leave your shoes in a locker and walk along the common areas barefooted or wearing socks. It's quite a hassle putting on shoes in the reception area to leave the hotel. The drawback of this system is that some guests remove the shoe cabinet keys when they check out. There's a pair of sandals in the room which you wear when you go to the toilet. This is different from other hotels in Japan where you can wear the sandals around the hotel. The onsen area is certainly superior. Photo is the view from my room.

Very clean, with free late night snack, satisfying breakfast