Overview

Ryu Resort & Spa sits in the Shokawa Highlands of Hida Takayama, surrounded by forests, open mountain scenery, and clean highland air. At around 1,000 meters above sea level, this resort gives you a cool escape in summer, rich forest color in autumn, deep snow scenery in winter, and easy access to the wider Hida region.

The stay centers on three main pleasures: 100% free-flowing natural hot spring water from the property’s own source, meals built around A5-grade Hida beef and seasonal ingredients, and rooms designed for relaxing after time outdoors. The resort also works well as a base for Shirakawa-go, Takayama, winter sports, trekking, and countryside drives through Gifu.

Accommodation

Ryu Resort & Spa offers six room types, with choices for couples, families, and small groups. The rooms are all non-smoking and include free Wi-Fi, air conditioning, TV, refrigerator, safe, hair dryer, kettle, aroma diffuser, yukata, towels, tea, and standard bath amenities.

The top-floor design room is a one-room-only Western-style twin room with bamboo flooring, designer lighting, selected furniture, and wide mountain views from a higher floor. It is the most private and polished room option, especially suited to a special stay for two.

The 75㎡ corner Japanese-Western room gives you the most space, with two Japanese-style rooms and a living area. It has an open layout without heavy partitions, so the room feels bright and roomy. This room works well when you want extra space for family or group travel.

The 50㎡ Japanese-Western rooms combine two Japanese-style rooms with a living area. The deluxe type has a warm look with indirect lighting and a flat layout that suits stays with children. The more casual 50㎡ type has the same basic layout as the deluxe room, but the view or sound conditions may differ, making it better when you plan to spend more time dining, bathing, or exploring outside the room.

The standard 35㎡ Japanese-Western room includes a Japanese-style area and twin beds, giving you both tatami space and bed comfort. The twin room is the simplest Western-style option, with a compact layout and twin beds for a straightforward resort stay.

Dining

Dining at Ryu Resort & Spa brings together Hida mountain ingredients, carefully selected seafood, and hearty Japanese cooking. Every kaiseki course includes A5-grade Hida beef, known for its soft texture, marbling, and rich flavor. The beef is sliced thinly so the fat melts gently and the flavor comes through clearly.

Seafood also plays an important role. Fresh fish is purchased directly from major markets including Kanazawa Central Wholesale Market, adding sashimi and seafood dishes to a mountain-resort meal. The cuisine also uses local Hida ingredients, seasonal vegetables, Shokawa 100% buckwheat soba, and Koshihikari rice from Yasuzuka in Niigata, polished as needed for freshness.

The main Ryu Resort Kaiseki features A5 Hida beef shabu-shabu together with carefully prepared dishes such as fresh sashimi, abalone with two sauces, and grilled items using ingredients such as whelk and caciocavallo cheese. The menu changes with season and supply, so each dinner reflects the ingredients available at the time of your stay.

Breakfast gives you a gentler start with a Japanese-style meal and some Western touches. You can enjoy local-style dishes such as hoba miso grilled on a magnolia leaf, handmade salmon yuan-yaki, freshly cooked Koshihikari rice, and warm croissants made with Isigny butter from France.

Onsen and Wellness

The hot spring is one of Ryu Resort & Spa’s strongest features. Takayama Ryujin Onsen rises from around 1,300 meters underground and flows into the baths without recirculation, added water, heating, or chlorine sterilization. The source temperature is 55.5°C, and the source produces around 180 liters per minute, allowing the resort to keep the baths supplied with fresh 100% natural hot spring water.

The spring quality is alkaline simple spring water, with a pH level of around 8.7 to 9.1. The water has a smooth feel and is known as a “beauty water” style spring because the alkalinity can help cleanse the skin and leave it feeling soft. The water also contains sodium ions and bicarbonate ions, and the chloride content helps the body stay warm after bathing.

You can use one indoor bath and one open-air bath in both the men’s and women’s bathing areas. The open-air bath lets you soak while looking toward the surrounding forest, with scenery that changes through fresh green leaves, autumn color, and snow. The indoor bath gives you a more sheltered place to enjoy the same source-flowing water. There is no sauna.

The hot spring is associated with support for dry skin, neuralgia, muscle pain, joint pain, frozen shoulder, stiff joints, bruises, chronic digestive concerns, cold sensitivity, diabetes, recovery after illness, fatigue recovery, and general health promotion. Bathing hours are from 15:30 to midnight and from 6:00 to 9:00 in the morning, though hours may change depending on cleaning conditions.

Tattoos and Onsen Use

Ryu Resort & Spa has shared indoor and open-air hot spring baths. Tattoos are not permitted in the shared bathing areas.

Facilities

Ryu Resort & Spa has a spacious lobby, a terrace surrounded by forest, an outdoor footbath, a bar, the restaurant Shikizen, a barbecue house, the Yellow Moon restaurant near the cottages, a swimming pool called Aquamarine, public hot spring baths, free Wi-Fi in rooms and the lobby, and parking.

The terrace connects to the lobby and gives you a place to sit outdoors with forest views. In the evening, the terrace bar opens on selected days and turns the space into a relaxed place for drinks under the night sky. The footbath lets you enjoy the hot spring feeling without entering the full bath, and you can sit there with a drink while looking out toward the Shokawa landscape.

The restaurant Shikizen has large windows facing the lit-up woods, giving dinner a strong seasonal setting. Aquamarine, the pool, opens as an easy resort activity during the warmer season. The resort also offers a shuttle service from Takayama Station by reservation, making it easier to reach the highland location without driving.

Activities

Ryu Resort & Spa gives you access to outdoor activities directly around the property and sightseeing across the Hida region. The resort grounds cover about 90,000 tsubo and include two trekking routes, the Noh Usagi Course and the Momonga Course. You can walk through the forest, enjoy views toward the Hakusan mountain range, and visit a star-viewing point when the night sky is clear.

In warmer months, the Shokawa area offers river play, fishing, insect watching, firefly viewing, highland walks, and golf nearby. The resort also works well for a countryside drive to Shirakawa-go, Takayama, Gujo Hachiman, Shokawa Sakura, and the Five Waterwheels of Shokawa.

Winter brings easy access to ski areas around the resort. After time on the slopes, the source-flowing hot spring gives you a warm return to the property. Shirakawa-go’s winter scenery and Takayama’s old town also pair well with a stay here.

Additional Features

Ryu Resort & Spa suits you well when you want a highland resort with true 100% source-flowing hot spring water, open-air baths, A5 Hida beef kaiseki, mountain views, forest trekking, and access to Shirakawa-go and Takayama. Check-in starts at 15:00, and check-out is at 10:00.

You also have all non-smoking rooms, free Wi-Fi in rooms and the lobby, a terrace bar, footbath, restaurant dining, barbecue facilities, seasonal pool, shuttle service by reservation, and two trekking courses on the property grounds. Pets cannot stay inside the building or on the property.