Togetsutei
Togetsutei in Arashiyama
For many Arashiyama in Kyoto is synonymous with the renowned Arashiyama bamboo forest, where many visitors will take a day trip to explore and visit the forest and some of its surrounding area.
To have a more leisurely time and have higher chances of less visitors, - stay a night or two in Arashiyama onsen area at a charming onsen ryokan.
Located on the other side of the Katsura & Oi river immediately after crossing the picturesque and famed Togetsukyo Bridge, lies Togetsutei, an onsen ryokan spread over two buildings: Yamate no Yakata Shuzankaku and Kawabe no Yakata Hekisenkaku
*above, to the right: the two different building entrances of Togetsutei across from each other
A Luxurious Onsen Ryokan Stay
Enjoy a luxurious, intimate stay whilst being a short walk from all the major sights of Arashiyama.
With only 21 rooms, one can choose from a variety of rooms, from the quintessential, traditional Japanese tatami rooms, to more modern, luxuryJapanese combinations. Many of the rooms feature semi-open air or open air cypress or shigaraki baths.
However only ONE room out of the 21 draws its water source from the hot spring itself. The rest are just normal water.
For guests that are shy about public onsen bathing, there’s a reservable private indoor onsen bath available for guests for a fee. Otherwise make sure to enjoy the public onsen too.
*below one of the other rooms available with semi open air hinoki bath *not onsen
A Peaceful Stay in the Seiryo - no - Ma Room
For those wanting to experience a room with gorgeous views of the surrounding Arashiyama area, book a stay at Togetsutei’s Hekisenkaku building which sits right by the Oi river. Their newest room '“Seiryo-no-Ma” is truly a treat for the senses. Located on the third floor, the expansive room not only has a spacious bedroom which leads to a private ensuite complete with a large circular semi-open air cypress bath, but also features a comfortable Japanese tatami room which leads out to a small intimate tea room, and a outdoor balcony designed with elements of zen, further creating a peaceful retreat away from the crowds of Arashiyama. The balcony offers picturesque landscape views of the Togetsukyo Bridge, Oi River and Atagoyama Mountain.
Intricate and subtle details are scattered throughout the room, from the handwoven tatami tables, the low Japanese table chairs by Tendo Mokko, traditional decorations within the alcoves and pillars to the remarkable artwork of iconic Japanese cranes in the bedroom. The rooms are an exquisite celebration of the country’s revered craftsmen and traditions.
Soak in the Calming Onsen Waters
Arashiyama’s onsen source is a weak alkaline hot spring, which makes its waters lovely for the skin. The texture of the onsen water is slightly thicker, almost feeling like a lotion and is known for it’s healing properties.
Guests can enjoy soaking in the large indoor onsen bath or if you’re feeling shy, the reservable private onsen is spacious and can fit up to 4 people
45mins: 4400JPY
105mins: 8800JPY
*to the right: the private onsen & top 3 photos below
*bottom 3 photos below, the public onsen
Enjoy Slow Walks Around Arashiyama
Being right in the heart of Arashiyama, Togetsutei allows one to explore the area at one’s own pace and take the time to slowly absorb the beauty of the region. From walks across picturesqueTogetsukyo bridge, appreciating the changing of the seasons with the mountain foliage, one can reach the “main” shopping street filled with souvenir shops, cafes, restaurants etc in a manner of minutes (probably after a few walks, you will figure out the backstreets so you can avoid the crowds on the main street)
A leisurely easy walk will take you to the popular Arashiyama Bamboo Forest where my favourite thing to do is to head a bit further up after the bamboo forest to enjoy the shrine, especially as the momoji leaves change colour and then enjoy the tranquility of the river banks before slowly meandering my way back across the river to Togetsutei and the quieter side of Arashiyama.
Heading in away from the bridge, one of my favourite shrines in Kyoto is located a pleasant walk away - Matsuo Taisho Shrine; I stumbled upon it the last time I went to Arashiyama as I passed the giant tori gates on the train ride and was intrigued. So I google mapped the area, discovered it and spent a pleasant quiet afternoon enjoying the momiji leaves away from all the crowds in the main Arashiyama area.
Feast on Mouthwatering Delicious Traditional Kaiseki
Make sure your stomachs are hungry and empty if you booked a stay with breakfast and dinner, because you will not be disappointed. Lush and sumptuous, dinner at Togetsutei is a seasonal feast of delicacies for the taste buds and a visual treat for the eyes. I was utterly delighted to be served delicious Matsuba-gani, a type of male snow crab which is only available from November to March in Japan and is one of my utmost favourite Japanese crabs to eat. It is only caught in limited quantities in the Sea of Japan, to ensure that its not over harvested and its sweet, delicate flavour is highly loved amidst the Japanese for special occasions. In other areas of Japan the crab is known as Zuwai-gani (Kyoto & San’in regions) and Echizen-gani (Niigata areas).
Another highlight was the sashimi platter for dinner which was a breathtaking presentation of fugu (pufferfish/blowfish) sashimi arranged in the form of a Japanese crane. One of my favourite fish for sashimi, fugu in high end restaurants/onsen ryokans are always displayed beautifully whether as a Japanese crane or the beloved chrysanthemum (the symbol of the Imperial family) and is only available in the colder months.
One of my favourite things to do whenever I have a Japanese kaiseki dinner at an onsen ryokan is to see if the drinks menu offers a ‘sake tasting flight’. As someone who greatly enjoys Japanese nihonshu, its the perfect way to taste the regional sake flavours from local breweries. Togetsutei offers a 5 glass sake tasting flight and it was wonderful to have as a pairing to all the kaiseki dishes.
Breakfast is also a delicious affair, with more hearty, tasty seasonal ingredients in a fulfilling traditional Japanese meal. (apologies was starving after going exploring, so forgot to take photos >_<).
MY PERSONAL THOUGHTS
FOOD
Delicious! I hope that if you book a stay at Togetsutei, that you definitely include your meals because they did not disappoint! As someone who greatly appreciates and loves the specialty and seasonality of local fresh produce, every season gives a new opportunity to have a different fooding experience. Would love to return to try the food in other seasons, however having the winter Matsuba-crab and Fugu was truly a highlight.
ONSEN
Though Togetsutei doesn’t have an outdoor public onsen to enjoy, the chance to just enjoy soaking in one of my favourite type of onsen waters (weak alkaline) is wonderfully beneficial to my sensitive skin. I particularly loved having a luxurious long session in the private onsen, where I could just enjoy soaking away (and yes I brought my book to read, since I had the onsen all to myself).
Even though my room’s cypress bath was not an onsen, it was invigorating to just be able to relax away, and enjoy the breeze coming from Arashiyama.
ROOM AMBIANCE
Truly one of the loveliest modern Japanese onsen ryokan rooms I’ve stayed in. The spaciousness, the attention to design detail and having the separation of bedroom to sitting area then to the pleasant surprise of discovering the traditional tea room alcove was delightful (especially as someone who loves Japanese tea so). I’m always pleased when accommodations have balconies or terraces, there’s something so invigorating about having a private space to enjoy the fresh air, and the view from Seiryu-no-Ma of the surrounding Arashiyama area is great.
VENUE AMBIANCE
Spread over the two buildings which both have comfortable resting lounge areas for guests, the atmosphere is cozy and private. In fact the only times I saw other guests was at meal time, as I feel outside of sightseeing, when guests are back at Togetsutei you just want to enjoy your luxurious room to the fullest, which is definitely what I did.
SURROUNDING AREA
I loved the location of Togetsutei, easy walking distance to many of Arashiyama’s famed sights, pretty locations and casual restaurants but being on the other side of the river allows for a more tranquil time which is the iconic image everyone has of Kyoto. Especially as many only visit as a day trip, early morning and early evenings into night, its so peaceful and calm which is the kind of Kyoto I love.
TOGETSUTEI (at time of stay)
COST: Rooms start from ~29,000JPY per person per night (without meals). Seiryu no Ma starts from 120,000JPY+ per person per night (including breakfast & dinner)
MEALS INCLUDED: Breakfast & Dinner included depending on plan
CHECK IN/CHECK OUT TIME: 1600 / 1030
PAYMENT: Cash or Credit
ROOMS: 21
ENGLISH SPEAKING STAFF: Some
WEBSITE: TOGETSUTEI
IG: @togetsutei
