Name: Beniya Mukayu
Address: 55-1-3 Yamashiro Onsen, Kaga-shi, Ishikawa Prefecture, Kaga, Kaga, Kaga, 9220242, Japan
Rating: 9

Free Wi-Fi

Internet

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At the hotel

Komatsu Airport

Beniya Mukayu

Kaga

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wired-internet-access

smoking

sauna

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What stood out to me most about this Ryokan was the quality of the service.  You felt completely cared for by a warm and very genuine approach to hospitality which is rare. This is a small family owned establishment with the distinctive mark of one person's vision and style that very much embraces the Zen ethos.  The moss garden, lovingly mapped and explained, the three (three!) libraries, all distinctive and exciting to be in, the elegant simplicity of the traditional rooms, excellent food and of course the hot baths both on your balcony and in the onsen and more mark this out as a truly special place and unique experience. I very much hope to return one day.

True Zen hospitality

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. 

Best discovery yet!

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. 

A world-class hotel

A most beautiful modern ryokan in an idyllic setting. The service here is wonderful, thoughtfulness in every step. Rooms are very generous, and guests can soak in the private outdoor onsen basking in the moonlight. Breakfast and dinner are fantastic showcases of the local fruit and vege and meat.

One of the best ryokans…

Our stay at Beniya Mukayu was the highlight of our trip to Japan and it is not surprising that they are a Relais and Chateau hotel. As soon as I stepped into this ryokan, I was greeted by the ultra verdant trees, the inviting scent of incense, and felt relaxed immediately. The whole building is thoughtfully designed by an architect and evokes the peacefulness of a forest retreat. The room was impeccable and beautiful with a private hot spring bath; we particularly enjoyed the Yakushiyama skincare line developed by Mukayu so much that we bought almost everything in the line at the gift shop. The grounds of Beniya rivals the Kokedera temple of Kyoto with the plethora of moss gracing every inch of the forest floor. All the meals at Mukayu from the kaiseki dinner to the Japanese breakfast were delicious and made us feel like we are at a Michelin restaurant. Speaking of Michelin, we were fortunate to have visited Mukayu during their anniversary celebration so Chef Charles Columbeau of Maison dans le Parc (a Michelin restaurant) came to create a collaboration dinner with Mukayu which was a magical experience. The staff at Mukayu was effortlessly kind, especially Mrs. Nakamichi, the okami of Mukayu, who made us feel so welcome that we felt like we were staying in her home instead of a hotel; this is the ultimate way to experience Japanese ‘omotenashi.’ We loved all the staff members we interacted with, and remember Marta, Grace, and Jeff fondly. I highly highly recommend that you visit this ryokan to experience the best of Japanese culture. We are definitely going to come back to Mukayu for sure on our next visit to Japan. 

Magical, ethereal place

Beniya Mukayu is kept in such pristine condition you would swear it was built in the last few years. Our room was lovely(Japanese style) with a very relaxing private onsen. 
  Being a Chateau & Relais property we expected a certain level of service and this ryokan certainly delivered. We requested a number of items in our room and they were delivered promptly. The food and service in the restaurant was excellent.. a special thank you to Nathan from France who made our dinner so special... and Jeff from Kerala.
 We regret that we only stayed one night...... 

Beautiful modern ryokan..

We had an incredible stay at Beniya Mukayu! Our room was very comfortable and the onsen in our room was very relaxing. The gardens are beautiful- you can even do a tour of all the different types of moss in it! The restaurant was exceptional with so many delicious dishes. There is also a very cool modern art exhibit. What made Beniya Mukayu world class was how welcoming the owners (who hosted a private tea ceremony with us) and the staff was. Highly recommend!

World class!

This is the third luxury onsen ryokan we've tried in the Kaga area of Ishikawa Prefecture (Hanamurasaki and Kayotei) being the others. And as was the case with the other two properties, we visited during the "Zuwai-gani" (Japanese Snow Crab) season, which runs from the second week of November to March (hint: the Crab taste is better earlier in the season.)  Compared to Kayotei and Hanamurasaki, Beniya Mukayu differs in its aesthetics - it is just as serene and beautiful, but in a more modern way, at least indoors.

While Beniya Mukayu has been in business for many decades, it still feels fresh and new inside.  This is particularly the case in the Byakuroku Terrace Suite, the top category room at the property and very recently renovated. The Ryokan is gorgeous in its zen-like simplicity, but the adornments are a mixture of modern and traditional, and very tastefully done.  Surrounding the property are lush vegetation, particularly in the back - there's a tranquil moss garden with a variety of colorful trees, as well as an old tea house and stone pagoda that adds to the mystique of Beniya Mukayu.

The Byakuroku Terrace Suite's expansive balcony overlooks the garden, offering complete privacy and serenity.  The green colors from the tree leaves really pop out at you - it's really mesmerizing!  The same can be said of the view from the in-room private onsen (hot springs) bath - you can open up the sliding veranda glass and be one with nature while soaking in the onsen furo.  The room itself is very spacious - 100m² - with separate bedroom/living room, a large bathroom with dual vanities, the indoor terrace area (for when it's too cold to sit outside), and a small lounge area.  It's definitely the type of room that will enable someone to spend the entire day relaxing inside. It's new, spotlessly clean, tastefully adorned and furnished, and its earthly tones give the entire Suite an airy feel.  Perfect.

We had read mixed reviews about the food, and didn't know what to expect going in. We can emphatically state that food is a definite highlight when staying at Beniya Mukayu.  Although there were an abundance of Zuwa-gani Snow Crab dishes because of the time of year we visited (and they were all very nicely prepared), all offerings were tremendous. Among the standouts were Grilled Homemade Sesame Tofu with Sesame Sauce; Charcoal-grilled Blackthroat Seaperch with Dashi with Burdock Root, Shiitake & Carrots; and for dessert, a Noto Salt Gelato with Seared Monaka (Monaka's outer layer consists of two crispy wafers made from Mochi.) It was all done to perfection.

If there is one nit to pick, it's the fact that guests are forced to dine in an open dining room.  I would have preferred to have meals served in our room (especially given how wonderful the Suite was.) Or, at the very least, they should serve the meals in private "koshitsu" rooms to ensure privacy and intimacy. Worst still, the acoustics of the dining room were such that even small chatter was noticeably loud. And, there were a few groups of guests that began to talk ever more loudly as the night wore on, undoubtedly aided by the copious amounts of sake that was flowing at the tables.  The whole atmosphere felt more like a dim sum restaurant than an understated and elegant ryokan kaiseki dining experience.  Another thing - unlike most luxury ryokans, they do not assign a server to each group of guests, which was a letdown. Different dishes were often served by different servers, and the explained each serving in differing amounts of detail... it was just very inconsistent, and more in-line with a larger hotel restaurant's way of doing things rather than a small, family-run ryokan.  I strongly recommend that Beniya Mukayu rethinks the overall dining approach.

Beniya Mukayu does just about everything right. Will we return? Maybe. Part of the joy of staying at a top ryokan has to do with tranquility, intimacy, privacy and exclusiveness. Unfortunately, their approach to meals will probably lead us to try other properties in the area before considering a return to Beniya Mukayu.  Your mileage (and priorities) may very.

Stylish luxury onsen ryokan in a gorgeous environment

We had a lovely 2 night stay in the western room.   The hotel is a mix of Japanese zen and mid-century modern.   When you entered our room, you went up a set of stairs up to an ante-room which included a sink and minibar area where there was complimentary tea/coffee service and some Japanese crackers.  You then entered the room.   It make the room that much more private.   The room was lovely with the fluffiest duvet we had ever seen.   We had a terrace with a private onsen (closed off from the main terrace but accessible through the shower in the bathroom.
The only suggestion for the room is for a nespresso machine---we have rarely encountered high end hotels without a nespresso machine.
We had anticipated that the Japanese kaiseki dinner may leave us hungry, so we planned ahead and brought snacks with us from our prior stop.   In addition, the small town is right there with some small restaurants and a convenience store.

Some things we noted (not necessarily bad)

1. The dinner/breakfast times were fairly narrow (dinner started at 6-8?) and breakfast from 8-9 (we arrived a little earlier than 8 and could not be seated because of yoga near the dining room).
2. The lighting in the dining room could have been more diffuse, as there were small spot lights in the ceiling, which we thought could have been toned down.
3.  The ryokan was not as secluded as we had thought it would be (from our terrace we could see the stucco part of the building where the dining room was located.
4.  They give you some nori rolls at turndown which was a nice touch (especially if you were hungry after dinner)
5. Dinner is only Japanese kaiseki, but breakfast options are Japanese or western.  We tried each.
6.  We did not try the public onsen, but it is offered in addition to the private onsen in the room.
7.   There is English speaking staff.
8.  Yukatas are provided and most guests wore them to dinner/breakfast.

Lovely Stay But A Couple of Things to Note

Beniya is a delightful experience in many ways. The space is beautiful, the staff is friendly, and the Onsen are clean and relaxing. However, for the steep price tag and travel from Tokyo, and the lack of options for food and service, it fell short of our expectations. There is only kaiseki and while it’s interesting and often delicious (but more often, bland), after two nights of it we were done and opted for a pizza at a local bar (swing bar!! Check it out!). When we called down to ask for a coffee to be brought to our room we were denied, which seemed out of the ordinary for a relais and chateaux hotel, that we were paying $1500 a night for. Also there is no in room dining or other food options - so if you’re hungry at any time other than at the three slots allotted for breakfasts + dinner (6 630 or 7p? Who eats that early) you’re out of luck. No lunch, no snacks, no food other than some peanuts in the minibar fridge. We stayed in both the western and Japanese style rooms, preferred the former but the latter was also pleasant. There are no king sized beds, just individual slightly-larger-than-twin sized bed next to one another - I was told it’s because in japan when couples get married they no longer share a bed. And also because they want to accommodate more than just couples - friends, mothers and daughters, etc. but it was kindof a bummer to not be able to sleep in bed with my partner. The rooms themselves are beautiful but the views are mostly of other buildings. It’s surrounded by other buildings.. even the garden has views of stucco buildings. It definitely wasn’t the immersive nature experience one would expect of a luxury ryokan in the middle of.. nowhere. Our massages were lovely - the products in the bathrooms are amazing and all made by the owner, who is also very lovely. I guess we were expecting more in the way of service, but it is a small hotel so I suppose you can’t fault them entirely. If you’re looking for the Japanese experience I think you can find better options in this price range.

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