Welcome to Kanja. Located in the middle of Shirakawa-go, Kanja is a Gassho-Zukuri located on a hill with a very nice view of the surrounding area. From the entrance, guests can see Myozenji Temple. The owners of Kanja recently renovated the building and remade the traditional thatched roof typical of the gassho-zukuri in this part of Japan. There is a traditional Japanese-style hearth in the dining area. Kanja has 4 guest rooms, and fresh local vegetable dishes are its specialty. Check-in time is after 13:00 and check-out time is before 9:00 am. Snow Warning: There is a lot of snow in Shirakawa-go in January and February so please bring a pair of boots. Shirakawa-go can get up to 2 meters (over 6 feet) of snow in February.

Facilities

Guest Photos:

You Must Be Logged In To Submit A Guest Review

Ryokan Reviews:

• Delightful place to stay

  Karen

  Date of Review: November, 2020

  Month of Visit: November

  Country Of Reviewer: USA and Sweden

  Atmosphere Rating - 5

  Food Rating - 5

  Staff Rating - 5

  Location Rating - 5

  Room Rating - 5

  We greatly enjoyed our stay. Dinner and breakfast were exceptionally delicious - perhaps the best I've had (and I've stayed in many ryokan that served delicious food). The comforters on the futons were incredibly thick and warm. The bath, sink, and toilet areas were well heated and well equipped. Everything was clean and beautifully maintained. All of the sites in Ogimachi can be reached in a short walk.

• Great place

  Iris

  Date of Review: February, 2020

  Month of Visit: February

  Country Of Reviewer: Singapore

  Atmosphere Rating - 5

  Food Rating - 5

  Staff Rating - 5

  Location Rating - 5

  Room Rating - 5

  This is our second visit to Shirakawa-go. We were offered Kanja for our honeymoon last year and were so impressed and satisfied that we decided chose them again when we return for our anniversary this year. Rooms were clean and comfortable, delish food and friendly, polite hosts. However, do note that the hosts cannot speak English (not an issue for us though). Definitely would recommend this place if you are planning to stay a night or two in this quaint village. We managed to took some really pretty night shots in front of the guesthouse this trip.

• Excellent

  Navinda

  Month of Visit: January

  Country Of Reviewer: Thailand

  Atmosphere Rating - 5

  Food Rating - 5

  Staff Rating - 5

  Location Rating - 5

  Room Rating - 5

  Excellent!! Kanja is a ryokan that has everything that is convenient. The bathroom is very clean. We received both dinner and breakfast that very tasty food. The futon is thick, soft and very warm. Even when the heater is turned off, we can sleep comfortably. We may be able to hear the side room due to the thin walls and the connecting doors. But that is we can get from sleeping ryokan so it's not a problem for us. On the day we went there was rain and no snow. But when I woke up the other day it had incredible snow, it was so beautiful. We feel unbelievably lucky.

• So cute and cozy!

  Marianne

  Month of Visit: January

  Country Of Reviewer: Australia

  Atmosphere Rating - 5

  Food Rating - 5

  Staff Rating - 5

  Location Rating - 4

  Room Rating - 5

  We had arrived at Shirakawago expecting a lot of snow but due to climate change, we experienced warm(ish) weather with some rain. Nonetheless it was still a beautiful town to explore. The highlight of the trip however, was staying at this ryokan! We had arrived before the check-in time and was greeted by the loveliest grandma whom helped store our luggage before check-in. As it is a bit further in the village, it was a bit hard to find but it was very peaceful which we enjoyed. When we came back, our room was very cozy and offered complimentary tea and snacks. The hosts were incredibly kind and helped us whenever we had questions. The dinner and breakfast provided, which was cooked by the grandma, was delicious and offered a different insight on traditional Japanese meals. After the meals, when we went back to our room the tatamis were already laid out and were incredibly soft and warm. Although the bathrooms were shared, they were extremely modern and clean. After check-out, the hosts were also so kind and understanding to let us keep our luggage there while we waited for our scheduled bus. I can't recommend this Ryokan enough - from the hosts, facilities and food!

• My impression

  Vasana

  Date of Review: January, 2020

  Month of Visit: December

  Country Of Reviewer: Thailand

  Atmosphere Rating - 5

  Food Rating - 5

  Staff Rating - 5

  Location Rating - 5

  Room Rating - 5

  I stayed here with my family for 1 night and booked 2 rooms. We were impressed, the food was very good and the owner of the service was very good. It's unbelievable that the bathroom will look modern and very clean. But I would recommend changing the front door from Kanjiya to Kanja to be the same as the house name booked. Because I have a problem that I can't find home Despite standing in front of the house Because it wasn't written as Kanja.

• Great Country Ryokan Experience

  Andrew

  Month of Visit: January

  Country Of Reviewer: USA

  Atmosphere Rating - 5

  Food Rating - 5

  Staff Rating - 5

  Location Rating - 5

  Room Rating - 5

  Was hoping for a snow covered village, but got lots of rain and warm weather instead. Nevertheless, Kanja was a great experience. The hosts were kind and helpful, the food included many local ingredients and was excellent, the room was comfortable and provided a traditional Japanese sleeping experience. Despite the lack of snow, the village and the entire valley provided beautiful views at every turn. We went there for the photography; we were not disappointed.

• A Decent Ryokan Experience

  Kb

  Month of Visit: December

  Country Of Reviewer:

  Atmosphere Rating - 4

  Food Rating - 3

  Staff Rating - 4

  Location Rating - 5

  Room Rating - 4

  We arrived early and met an elderly lady who allowed us to leave our luggage at the ryokan entrance. The 2 hosts speak minimal English and hence, interaction was basic/minimal. Room condition was comfortable. Guests must remember that there's no noise insulation and one can hear your immediate next door's conversation and "snores". Dinner/Breakfast selections were reasonable. (To be fair, I was comparing these meals with my previous night's dinner at a Ryokan in Takayama which was brilliant.

• GREAT PLACE

  Laikuan

  Date of Review: December, 2019

  Month of Visit: December

  Country Of Reviewer:

  Atmosphere Rating - 5

  Food Rating - 5

  Staff Rating - 5

  Location Rating - 5

  Room Rating - 5

  This ryokan is clean and have a helpful staff .The breakfast and dinner is delicious and nice.

• Greta place

  Luis francisco

  Month of Visit: November

  Country Of Reviewer: Mexico

  Atmosphere Rating - 5

  Food Rating - 5

  Staff Rating - 5

  Location Rating - 5

  Room Rating - 5

  Magical place. The attention and service is great. The facilities are exellent. The food was very good and vast. Everything was perfect! Highly recommendable!

• What a stay!

  Fernando

  Date of Review: November, 2019

  Month of Visit: November

  Country Of Reviewer: United Kingdom

  Atmosphere Rating - 5

  Food Rating - 5

  Staff Rating - 5

  Location Rating - 5

  Room Rating - 4

  I stayed one night at Kanja with my partner, and we were both really pleased. The food was excellent, the views spectacular, and the hosts very welcoming. Kanja is located on a side street of the very touristic Shirakawa-go, which means you have more peace and quiet than other houses on the main roads. Regardless though, tourists start to leave at around 15h, and the town feels much more remote than it is. The only not so good feedback is that a light was left one in the corridor throughout the night, and as the rooms have paper walls that meant that our room was lit throughout. We couldn't figure out how to switch the light off, and there was no one around to help after dinner, so we had to sleep with our airplane eye masks on.

• Great Stay Ever in Japan!!!

  Pises

  Date of Review: November, 2019

  Month of Visit: November

  Country Of Reviewer: Thailand

  Atmosphere Rating - 5

  Food Rating - 5

  Staff Rating - 5

  Location Rating - 5

  Room Rating - 5

  Best experience in Japan Ryokan. You'll get everything you expected from here. Surroundings were amazing!! Quiet and Private!! You'll have a moment of Shirakawa-go without tourist at night and in the morning. Finally, Host was very helpful and super nice. Highly recommended!!

• A very good adress

  Schmitt

  Date of Review: November, 2019

  Month of Visit: November

  Country Of Reviewer: France

  Atmosphere Rating - 5

  Food Rating - 5

  Staff Rating - 5

  Location Rating - 5

  Room Rating - 5

  This ryokan is located in a quiet part of the village. The hosts were very kind, the room was tidy and the beds very comfortable. The dinner and the breakfast were great and delicious. We have been served together with the other customers. So we could share some conversation with them. When we came back in our room the beds were prepared. We recommand this ryokan and will remember this great experience. Thank the hosts!.

• Unforgettable Experience

  Month of Visit: November

  Country Of Reviewer: Singapore

  Atmosphere Rating - 5

  Food Rating - 5

  Staff Rating - 5

  Location Rating - 5

  Room Rating - 5

  Kanjya had left us an unforgettable experience of homestay and the delicious homecooked food served. The room size was good, though only certain part of the floor were heated and we will have to depend on the portable heater to keep us warmer in the cold night. You can grab a map from the information counter at the bus terminal and get the staff to show you the way to Kanjya. As you can see from picture with the yellow arrow pointing at Kanjya, it's just away from the main street area.

• Tolle Erfahrung

  Claudia

  Month of Visit: November

  Country Of Reviewer: Deutschland

  Atmosphere Rating - 5

  Food Rating - 5

  Staff Rating - 5

  Location Rating - 5

  Room Rating - 5

  Es war ein wunderschöner Tag in shirakawa Go! Das Essen war ausgesprochen lecker und es war eine sehr angenehme Atmosphäre

• Good 1st Ryokan experience

  Ai lee

  Date of Review: October, 2019

  Month of Visit: October

  Country Of Reviewer: Singapore

  Atmosphere Rating - 5

  Food Rating - 5

  Staff Rating - 5

  Location Rating - 5

  Room Rating - 4

  Very happy with our 1st Ryokan experience. Owner is friendly although speaks limited English. Dinner and breakfast are delicious and filling and we enjoyed the food a lot. Room is just nice for 3 of us and the toilet and bathroom are very clean. At night, it is pitch dark outside and a good reason to rest early. The early morning walk in Shirakawago is definitely once a life time experience with fresh air, peacefulness and beautiful scenery. Recommended to stay with Kanja.

• Comfortable, charming guesthouse

  Francine

  Date of Review: October, 2019

  Month of Visit: October

  Country Of Reviewer: Canada

  Atmosphere Rating - 4

  Food Rating - 5

  Staff Rating - 5

  Location Rating - 5

  Room Rating - 4

  This was our first time staying at a Ryokan and we enjoyed it! The hosts were welcoming and organized, the food was delicious and plentiful, the room was clean although a bit on the small side. I was glad we had good weather because there was nowhere other than your room to hang out. The inn is a bit on the outskirts of the town which is good because Shirakawago is very busy until 5 but this place was quiet and peaceful. I did find the price a bit high in comparison to other accommodation elsewhere in Japan. Highly recommended!

• Great experience!

  Hadas

  Date of Review: October, 2019

  Month of Visit: October

  Country Of Reviewer: Israel

  Atmosphere Rating - 5

  Food Rating - 5

  Staff Rating - 5

  Location Rating - 5

  Room Rating - 5

  This was our first time staying at a Ryokan and we had a great experience! The hosts were very nice and welcoming, the food was delicious (so much food!), the rooms were specious, clean and well organized and the surroundings were quiet and made this an ideal place to relax (especially after 5pm when all the tourists leave). Highly recommended!

• Fantastic hospitality in a charming and quiet town

  Month of Visit: October

  Country Of Reviewer: Australia

  Atmosphere Rating - 5

  Food Rating - 5

  Staff Rating - 5

  Location Rating - 5

  Room Rating - 4

  My partner and I were extremely excited to visit Shirakawa-go and our overnight stay at Kanja made our visit even more memorable. The rooms although small, had the basic amenities we needed. Our only complaint would be the pillows which were a bit hard to sleep on. The highlight was the food prepared and served by the hosts - we were fortunate to have Hida beef, grilled fish prepared by the irori grill and lots of fresh vegetarian side dishes to compliment. We were well fed for both dinner and breakfast and the food was absolutely delicious! I highly recommended a ryokan stay to fully appreciate the town when all the tour buses have left for the day and Kanja is the perfect place to do it.

• Stay at Shirakawago Kanja

  Luis

  Date of Review: September, 2019

  Month of Visit: September

  Country Of Reviewer: Portugal

  Atmosphere Rating - 5

  Food Rating - 5

  Staff Rating - 5

  Location Rating - 5

  Room Rating - 5

  Very nice stay . The room was very nice , staff also nice , food great . The house although being Gassho-Zukuri , has the comfort for a enjoyable stay. The village is well preserved and walking around it's a real pleasure. We had a very early morning walk with almost no one in the streets, just fabulous. Just one thing - at the house rules should be more strict on the use of mobiles phones. During dinner we had a group of chinese that had the mobile phones with them, beeping all the time, texting , even speaking through facetime . If the chinese don't know how to behave ( and this behaviour is seen everywhere by them ) , just don't have chines as guest!

• Charming rustic stay

  Camilla

  Date of Review: September, 2019

  Month of Visit: September

  Country Of Reviewer:

  Atmosphere Rating - 5

  Food Rating - 5

  Staff Rating - 5

  Location Rating - 5

  Room Rating - 5

  We loved our stay at Kanja and this was one of the highlights of our trip to Japan! We ended up being the only guests in the house and it was really peaceful with views out onto shirakawago from our little terrace. The ladies who hosted us were warm and we found the food to be really delicious! I'd really recommend staying at this little authentic place.

• Heaven in mountains

  Mariia

  Date of Review: August, 2019

  Month of Visit: August

  Country Of Reviewer: Russia

  Atmosphere Rating - 5

  Food Rating - 5

  Staff Rating - 5

  Location Rating - 5

  Room Rating - 5

  Ideal place to go away from daily routine to think about life, visiting old village historical museums. Ideally clean, very tasty food and very nice host

• Grata sorpresa - A great surprise

  Eva

  Date of Review: July, 2019

  Month of Visit: August

  Country Of Reviewer: Spain

  Atmosphere Rating - 5

  Food Rating - 5

  Staff Rating - 5

  Location Rating - 5

  Room Rating - 5

  Estuve en el verano del 2016, en un viaje de pareja. El sitio es muy agradable y limpio. La comida muy buena. La habitación aceptable (estilo japones minimalista). Cabe destacar que aunque era verano no pasamos nada de calor a la hora de dormir (no disponen de aire acondicionado, pero si de ventilador pero este no fue necesario). El baño aunque es compartido no tuvimos ninguna sorpresa desagradable todo limpio y organizado. El personal muy amable. Fue una experiencia que repetiría y muy recomendable de hacer. I was in the summer of 2016, on a couple trip. The site is very nice and clean. The food very good. The acceptable room (minimalist Japanese style). It should be noted that although it was summer we did not spend any heat at bedtime (they do not have air conditioning, but a fan but this was not necessary). Although the bathroom is shared we had no unpleasant surprises all clean and organized. Very friendly staff. It was an experience that I would repeat and highly recommended to do.

• Best choice

  Charles

  Date of Review: May, 2019

  Month of Visit: May

  Country Of Reviewer: Canada

  Atmosphere Rating - 5

  Food Rating - 5

  Staff Rating - 5

  Location Rating - 5

  Room Rating - 5

  Great location at the top of the village, just away from the busy tourist walking areas. Great accommodation, futon on floor. Food was excellent served traditional style. Must be relatively comfortable sitting and sleeping on the floor. Friendly accommodating staff. This village is best seen when the coach tours leave in the late afternoon and before they arrive in the morning. Just stayed one night, but realised this would be a good base for exploring other villages during the day so 2 or 3 nights could easily be spent in the area.

• A wonderful and interesting experience

  Joseph

  Date of Review: May, 2019

  Month of Visit: May

  Country Of Reviewer: USA

  Atmosphere Rating - 5

  Food Rating - 5

  Staff Rating - 5

  Location Rating - 5

  Room Rating - 5

  Shirakawa-go itself is beautiful and quite an experience but our stay at Kanja made it even more exceptional. The rooms are modern enough to be comfortable but it still has that quaint country feel to it. The food is delicious. My family and I were shocked at how good the food was. Totally worth the experience and I would recommend Kanja to anyone planning on staying in Shirakawa-go.

• Comfortable/cozy ryokan. Delightful experience

  Alejandra

  Date of Review: May, 2019

  Month of Visit: May

  Country Of Reviewer:

  Atmosphere Rating - 5

  Food Rating - 5

  Staff Rating - 5

  Location Rating - 5

  Room Rating - 5

  We arrived earlier than check in time but we were allowed to leave our luggages and the owner recommended us of places to see while waiting. The room was big and since it was a cold rainy day the owner brought the heater to our room so we could spend a warm night. Dinner and breakfast were very delicious! I recommend to stay at Kanja and to have the help of Japanese Guest Houses (Vincent was great at managing our reservation)to go through the reservation process. Definitely a must try experience if you visit Shirakawago!

• A lovely stay in rural area

  Olivier

  Month of Visit: March

  Country Of Reviewer: France

  Atmosphere Rating - 5

  Food Rating - 5

  Staff Rating - 5

  Location Rating - 4

  Room Rating - 5

  Even after living for one year in Japan, it was the first time I experienced staying in a Gassho-Zukuri. And it was a really enjoyable one-night stay! They made a really good job about the renovation with keeping an old look and being in a very good condition. Rooms were clean and spacious, heaters are provided to warm them and blankets are thick enough. Wearing yukata after the bath was definitely a fun time! The evening meal was wonderful! Many different products to discover, really well presented and tasty. And we had some nice chat with others Japanese guests coming from Tottori prefecture. The breakfast was also really tasty. The village in the evening had a great atmosphere just after the streets were empty of daily visitors and the rain stopped. Note: just be prepared to drive carefully to come to Kanja as roads are narrow in this area.

• Memorable stay w/ very local feel

  Month of Visit: May

  Country Of Reviewer: Philippines

  Atmosphere Rating - 5

  Food Rating - 5

  Staff Rating - 4

  Location Rating - 5

  Room Rating - 5

  Very local experience at Kanjiya/Kanja in Shirakawa-go -- from tatami room to home-cooked meals -- although perhaps not maximised (with hot bath unavailable) during our Golden Week stay. Must duly highlight that the view from the terrace is beautiful! Language gap is noted onsite and a warmer (and personal) touch would have made the stay more special. Overall stay was good however with room for improvement on value for money (relatively on the high side versus other ryokans or minshukus in nearby quaint towns). It was indeed nicer walking around the village with less tourists, before or after peak hours during the day, for better immersion. Could also have simply managed a day trip with an early start and nonetheless have a decent appreciation of the village.

• unfriendly staff

  Gianluca

  Month of Visit: May

  Country Of Reviewer:

  Atmosphere Rating - 4

  Food Rating - 4

  Staff Rating - 2

  Location Rating - 5

  Room Rating - 3

  Nice location but really unfriendly and noisy staff. I raccomend the location, not the Gassho-Zukuri.

• Beautiful, clean and excellent vegetarian-friendly food

  Lilia

  Date of Review: April, 2019

  Month of Visit: April

  Country Of Reviewer: United Kingdom

  Atmosphere Rating - 5

  Food Rating - 5

  Staff Rating - 5

  Location Rating - 4

  Room Rating - 5

  Kanja was happy to cater to our vegetarian diets and the food was excellent. The place is warm, comfy and clean with good facilities - hot water in the room, clean toilets, clean shower and bathtub big enough for two at a time. The view from the room in the morning is beautiful.

• Beautiful village, but probably better places to stay

  Chloe

  Date of Review: April, 2019

  Month of Visit: April

  Country Of Reviewer:

  Atmosphere Rating - 4

  Food Rating - 4

  Staff Rating - 2

  Location Rating - 5

  Room Rating - 4

  It's definitely worth staying a night in this picturesque village, but there are probably better places to stay, particularly with children. We found the staff quite unwelcoming and our four-year-old child was not accommodated well at meals, despite paying extra for her. You are only allowed to use the shower until 7:30 am which seems very restrictive given that the whole guest house (8 adults on the night we stayed) has to share one shower. The most annoying thing was that were constantly woken up during the night by people (actually mostly staff) unnecessarily turning on corridor lights when they used the toilet. As our room had paper walls, the light shone through and woke us up. They then didn't turn off the light, so I had to get up three times in the night to turn it off. Overall I was just surprised that the staff were so unfriendly, as this was in stark contrast to everywhere else we stayed in Japan.

• Kanja House

  Hooi chie

  Date of Review: April, 2019

  Month of Visit: April

  Country Of Reviewer:

  Atmosphere Rating - 5

  Food Rating - 5

  Staff Rating - 5

  Location Rating - 4

  Room Rating - 5

  Great experience to have overnight stay at traditional Japanese style guest house. Dinner and breakfast was yummy. People are friendly. Will visit again. Only a bit lost when finding the place as every house looks almost the same.

• Great experience

  Sara

  Date of Review: March, 2019

  Month of Visit: March

  Country Of Reviewer: Portugal

  Atmosphere Rating - 5

  Food Rating - 5

  Staff Rating - 5

  Location Rating - 5

  Room Rating - 5

  Shirakawa-go is a really magic place. Kanja give all the necessary ambiance, great dinner and breakfast and a comfortable stay! There was a lot of snow during the day, but inside the futton was nicely warm!

• Great experience, highly recommended

  Iris

  Date of Review: February, 2019

  Month of Visit: February

  Country Of Reviewer: Singapore

  Atmosphere Rating - 5

  Food Rating - 5

  Staff Rating - 5

  Location Rating - 5

  Room Rating - 5

  The ryokan was clean and comfy. Dinner and breakfast was well prepared by the hosts and delicious. Will definitely choose Kanja again if we return to Shirakawago. Thank you Romain for helping us to secure this booking.

• Awesome Stay

  Dini

  Date of Review: February, 2019

  Month of Visit: February

  Country Of Reviewer: Indonesia

  Atmosphere Rating - 5

  Food Rating - 5

  Staff Rating - 5

  Location Rating - 5

  Room Rating - 5

  It was very nice to be able to feel living in Kanja. The house looks small from outside but actually wide inside. the house was clean. the Tatami and Futon were very warm even it was winter. The Breakfast and dinner was very good too.

• Awesome experience

  Serene

  Date of Review: February, 2019

  Month of Visit: February

  Country Of Reviewer: Malaysia

  Atmosphere Rating - 5

  Food Rating - 5

  Staff Rating - 5

  Location Rating - 5

  Room Rating - 5

  Winter in Shirakawa-go is like a fairytale land. It is so beautiful. We were slightly late to arrived Kanja and the host already prepared everything for us. The dinner and breakfast which prepared by them were delicious. Overall, we had a wonderful experience there. In this review, I would like to express my thankful to Japaenseguesthouse to help us booked this accommodation in Shirakawa-go.

• Nice Guest House

  Ittipon

  Month of Visit: December

  Country Of Reviewer: Thailand

  Atmosphere Rating - 5

  Food Rating - 5

  Staff Rating - 5

  Location Rating - 5

  Room Rating - 5

  Kenja is a lovely guest house. Get to know new experiences in Shirakawago. Staff are lovely. Clean rooms, clean bathrooms.

• Shirakawa-go Gassho-Zukur

  Cameron

  Month of Visit: November

  Country Of Reviewer: Australia

  Atmosphere Rating - 5

  Food Rating - 5

  Staff Rating - 5

  Location Rating - 5

  Room Rating - 5

  Spent 1 night here during our trip to Japan. Very nice area to visit with this traditional accommodation. Friendly staff. Rooms were a good size and dinner + breakfast were fantastic.

• Best Experience

  Month of Visit: October

  Country Of Reviewer:

  Atmosphere Rating - 5

  Food Rating - 5

  Staff Rating - 5

  Location Rating - 5

  Room Rating - 5

  Shirakawa-go is a beautiful village. We stay at kanja house. It's a small house with a very comfortable. Very clean Toilet & Bathroom. Breakfast & dinner are delicious. I would like to recommend this place. Next time we plan to stay more than 1 days.

• Fairytale Shirakawago

  Yim fun

  Month of Visit: October

  Country Of Reviewer: Singapore

  Atmosphere Rating - 5

  Food Rating - 5

  Staff Rating - 5

  Location Rating - 5

  Room Rating - 5

  staying a night in Shirakawago is definitely a must, with the fairytales like atmosphere, we took countless photos just for a spot. Please remember to take a bus or walk to overlook platform to see this beautiful village. No stars at night cos cloudy which lead to raining throughout the night. Wowla, the whole village turned richer in colour next morning ! more photo taken. We enjoyed the Dinner and Breakfast (served with coffee!) very much and had 3 helpings of rice.

• Great place!

  Alexander

  Month of Visit: October

  Country Of Reviewer: United States

  Atmosphere Rating - 5

  Food Rating - 5

  Staff Rating - 5

  Location Rating - 5

  Room Rating - 5

  My group of 4 travelers loved our stay at Kanja house. The host was unbelievably polite and cooked us absolutely delicious dinner and breakfast. Those two traditional Japanese meals alone would have been worth the cost! The house was very clean. Bathrooms were modern and kept spotless. They let us keep our bags an hour or two after check-out as well which was nice. The house is about 10 minutes walks from the bus-stop, tucked into the corner of the town. There is an Hot Spring (Onsen) about 5 minutes away which was well priced and high enjoyed. We loved our stay in Shirakawago and all of us felt it was a must see if you are traveling through Japan. I think we were maybe a few weeks early for the truly great fall colors, but in mid-October we still had some beautiful scenery. I can't recommend Kanja house enough.

• Best position in village

  Linda

  Month of Visit: October

  Country Of Reviewer: England

  Atmosphere Rating - 5

  Food Rating - 5

  Staff Rating - 5

  Location Rating - 5

  Room Rating - 5

  Firstly the sign over the door is Kanija. Just in case you think you have the wrong one. We loved our stay. Although it seemed an extravagant treat we were so pleased to have experienced it. It sits at the back of the village away from the crowds and you open your paper door to the view of wild flowers and fields. The meals were amongst the best we had sampled on our stay in Japan.

• Great Experience

  Alan

  Date of Review: September, 2018

  Month of Visit: September

  Country Of Reviewer: Australia

  Atmosphere Rating - 5

  Food Rating - 5

  Staff Rating - 5

  Location Rating - 5

  Room Rating - 5

  This was a great experience, spotlessly clean, great food, great area and very good hosts.

• Great experience in beautiful place of Shirakawa go

  Dwi

  Month of Visit: August

  Country Of Reviewer: France

  Atmosphere Rating - 5

  Food Rating - 5

  Staff Rating - 5

  Location Rating - 5

  Room Rating - 5

  We loved our stay at Kanja.The atmosphere was very nice ,peaceful and amazingly beautiful view from the highest point of the village. The dinner and breakfast were very well prepared by the owner and it was delicious. We enjoyed so much wearing the yukata and we spent a good time just sitting on the porch and talked to the other guest next to our room. We would defenitely like to come back during winter time.

• Amazing experience

  Roberta

  Date of Review: August, 2018

  Month of Visit: August

  Country Of Reviewer: italy

  Atmosphere Rating - 5

  Food Rating - 5

  Staff Rating - 5

  Location Rating - 5

  Room Rating - 5

  Kanja is a really lovely place located in Shirakawa-go. The place is 15 min walking from the bus station. The atmosphere is so nice, peaceful and quiet, the facilities are really clean and they provide you everything you need to have a relaxing bath. The dinner and the breakfast were delicious: good food, very tasty and very well presented. We slept in a traditional Japanese style room (tatami) and we had so much fun wearing the yukata and enjoying the breeze on the porch after dinner. We would like to come back.

• Our best experience

  Corinne

  Date of Review: August, 2018

  Month of Visit: August

  Country Of Reviewer: France

  Atmosphere Rating - 5

  Food Rating - 5

  Staff Rating - 5

  Location Rating - 5

  Room Rating - 5

  We loved our stay in Kanja. We had a warm welcome with some cold tea (much appreciated as the outside temperature was very cold). The dinner and breakfast were amazing, everything was very good, tasty and well prepared. It were our best meals during our stay in Japan. We strongly recommend to stay at Kanja

• Incredible Hospitality

  Charlotte

  Date of Review: July, 2018

  Month of Visit: July

  Country Of Reviewer:

  Atmosphere Rating - 5

  Food Rating - 5

  Staff Rating - 5

  Location Rating - 5

  Room Rating - 5

  Beautiful amenities - shower room felt like my own private spa. Spacious room with a stunning view. The hosts are very friendly and prepared an incredible traditional dinner, dessert and breakfast. It was truly an unforgettable experience!

• Recommended

  Laura

  Month of Visit: June

  Country Of Reviewer:

  Atmosphere Rating - 5

  Food Rating - 5

  Staff Rating - 5

  Location Rating - 5

  Room Rating - 5

  Fantastic experience. Lovely hosts and great food. Good location to visit the village, 15 min walk from bus station.

• Quiet and comfortable stay

  Warren

  Date of Review: June, 2018

  Month of Visit: June

  Country Of Reviewer: Singapore and Malaysia

  Atmosphere Rating - 5

  Food Rating - 5

  Staff Rating - 5

  Location Rating - 5

  Room Rating - 4

  We arrived from Toyama earlier than check-in time but the lady was kind enough to let us have our luggage to be kept in the house. We spent few hours wondering around the place and taking a lot of nice photos. I have been to Shrigawa go few years ago and this is my 2nd time visit with my family members so I have decided to experience staying in an old house for a night. The house was comfortable and the dinner and breakfast were very good. The lady was busy serving us very good good and we had so much fun talking to the people staying in the same house. At night after all the noisy tourists left the place. It was so quiet and breezy to walki around with our Japanese yukata. Overall it’s a good experience and to understand the Japanese way of living in rural area. My family members all enjoy it so much on this trip. I would recommend this who are visiting Shirakawa go to stay here or one of the old houses for a night just to experience the relax and quietness of the place than our rat race city.

• The best services and very nice place

  Suriyong

  Month of Visit: February

  Country Of Reviewer: thailand

  Atmosphere Rating - 5

  Food Rating - 5

  Staff Rating - 5

  Location Rating - 5

  Room Rating - 5

  this is one of the best place to stay in my experiences great services , nice place , great food. really love shirakawa-go and kanja

• Basic room

  Rui

  Month of Visit: April

  Country Of Reviewer: Australia

  Atmosphere Rating - 4

  Food Rating - 4

  Staff Rating - 5

  Location Rating - 5

  Room Rating - 2

  The village is very beautiful. To be honest, the Ryokan is disappointing after reading all the good reviews. The room is very small and way too simple. I guess that's what people used to live in the past. The breakfast and dinner are delicious but I have had better ones at other Ryokan. Even though the room and all the facilities are very basic, we had a good night sleep.

• Highly recommended - a different view of Shirakawa-g?

  Arran

  Month of Visit: April

  Country Of Reviewer: UK

  Atmosphere Rating - 5

  Food Rating - 5

  Staff Rating - 5

  Location Rating - 5

  Room Rating - 5

  Four of us stayed for a night at the lovely Kanja where we received great hospitality in comfortable and authentic settings. Staying overnight in Shirakawa-gō really provided a different feel for the place, especially when the town empties from the day visitors. The food served for breakfast and dinner was delicious. We arrived by bus from Kanazawa - we left our luggage there and only brought a night bag. This made the visit much easier.

• Excellent For Everything

  Korranat

  Month of Visit: February

  Country Of Reviewer: Thailand

  Atmosphere Rating - 5

  Food Rating - 5

  Staff Rating - 5

  Location Rating - 5

  Room Rating - 5

  This is the first time at Shirakawago for me. I had a good luck because I can reserve room for sleep 1 night with my friend. I impression and love Kanja because I feel Kanja is so peaceful. The place is so clean and delicious food. The staff has a good service. I love japanese culture. The future I need to go to there again.

• Pat

  Patama

  Month of Visit: February

  Country Of Reviewer: Thailand

  Atmosphere Rating - 5

  Food Rating - 5

  Staff Rating - 5

  Location Rating - 5

  Room Rating - 5

  We had a good experience stay in Kanja Ryokan. The house is nice and clean. The food is delicious. We had met new friends from other countries. We

• A Must place to stay

  Banpot

  Month of Visit: January

  Country Of Reviewer: Thailand

  Atmosphere Rating - 5

  Food Rating - 5

  Staff Rating - 5

  Location Rating - 4

  Room Rating - 5

  -Very Nice Staff -Best Atmosphere -A Little bit far from bus stop

• Frist impression (Hatsu yuki) and beautiful japan tradition house

  Puntarika

  Month of Visit: January

  Country Of Reviewer: Thailand

  Atmosphere Rating - 5

  Food Rating - 5

  Staff Rating - 5

  Location Rating - 5

  Room Rating - 5

  i came with my family. we staty at Kanja 1 night but lucky it's snowing. we love Kanja house and the food is so delicious ,you must try once. Beef is excellent after i wnet to travel another town i;ve never found a beef is better than . Tatami is best feel so relax. we feel warm and clam when listening a sound of snow falling so we have a wonderful experience when stay Kanja house. (P.S. ryori oishi desu. arigatou ~(=^‥^)ノ すごい！ りょうりしいです~(=^‥^)ノ )

• Calm and relaxation with cultured Japanese village.

  Month of Visit: December

  Country Of Reviewer: Thailand

  Atmosphere Rating - 5

  Food Rating - 5

  Staff Rating - 5

  Location Rating - 5

  Room Rating - 5

  We travel from Tokyo to Shiragawago. I never expected beautiful scenery and such a homey ryokan. First impression is the house is on the top of the hill... it is so nice to walk up and see the village. Love amenities. Falling in love with meals. It is good to meet strangers and dinner together. The meals is fantastic ! Homemade .. Yummy.. Simple with smiley taste. Surely to come back any seasons.

• Amazing experience!

  Madelind

  Month of Visit: December

  Country Of Reviewer: Singapore

  Atmosphere Rating - 5

  Food Rating - 5

  Staff Rating - 5

  Location Rating - 5

  Room Rating - 5

  The stay was amazing! The place is as shown as the pictures and clean. The breakfast and dinner was so good! The experience of staying in a ryokan, sleeping on a futon was awesome! The room was well heated. The lady and grandma were really sweet despite the language barrier, they made our stay really enjoyable! The stay was simply amazing and will definitely visit again!

• Great place to stay

  Doungporn

  Month of Visit: December

  Country Of Reviewer: Thailand

  Atmosphere Rating - 5

  Food Rating - 5

  Staff Rating - 5

  Location Rating - 5

  Room Rating - 5

  We had a great time. House is warm even snow. The bath and restroom are clean. The food is delicious. Recommend to stay

• Japanese style room

  Wachiraporn

  Month of Visit: December

  Country Of Reviewer:

  Atmosphere Rating - 5

  Food Rating - 5

  Staff Rating - 5

  Location Rating - 5

  Room Rating - 5

  My family visited Shiragawa-go and it ended up being the highlight of our trip. It is beautiful and unique. The place is a fantasy land to walk around. Kanja is a wonderful Gassho-Zukuri. The room is a big size for us very comfortable bedding. and bathroom was very clean

• amazing experience

  Pablo

  Date of Review: December, 2017

  Month of Visit: December

  Country Of Reviewer: Spain & Hungary

  Atmosphere Rating - 5

  Food Rating - 5

  Staff Rating - 5

  Location Rating - 5

  Room Rating - 4

  It was awesome, good hospitality and that's the experience we looking forward. We arrived the day before and after left our luggage we make a round, the village is tiny and easy to see. Kanja house is in the middle of the village. We changed our clothes to a traditional japanesse outfit and we had some time to enjoy the onsen. The dinner was amazing, lot of different japanesse food and served with traditional style. It¡s the perfect option if you are looking for a ryokan style accommodation. But the best was on the next day, it was snowing all night, and after another amazing breakfast we could enjoy the village with the first snow flaques, also the staff offered us water boots and umbrella to protect us from the snow. we strong recomment that experience if you have the chance. Only to mention that is a ryokan and the wall are thin, don't forget ear plugs if you are with a weak sleeping as probably in other rooms could be a snore breaker dreams :-)

• An Unforgettable Experience for the whole family

  Wee chair

  Date of Review: December, 2017

  Month of Visit: December

  Country Of Reviewer: Singapore

  Atmosphere Rating - 5

  Food Rating - 5

  Staff Rating - 5

  Location Rating - 5

  Room Rating - 5

  Awesome and definitely the highlight of our trip to Japan, with the visit to Shirakawa-go and staying at this wonderful place, Kanja, for a night (sleeping comfortably while it’s snowing outside!). Wonderful & cosy environment, nice friendly host and, not forgetting the awesome dinner and breakfast. This place is very clean, smells nice – even the towels, blankets are all very clean. The whole experience just made it so unforgettable for my whole family. Highly recommended to stay here for a great experience!

• Nice and quiet

  Hui gek

  Date of Review: December, 2017

  Month of Visit: December

  Country Of Reviewer: Singapore

  Atmosphere Rating - 5

  Food Rating - 5

  Staff Rating - 5

  Location Rating - 5

  Room Rating - 5

  Kanja guest house was on the top of a slope and it was not easy walking up the slope with our luggages especially in snowy conditions. It was a nice guest house with delicious dinner and breakfast served by an old lady and her daughter. They do not speak much English so a little knowledge of Japanese was helpful. There are heaters in the room but should not be left turned on throughout the night. It can be pretty chilly in the night but we were given thick blankets with our futons so it was fine. I will definitely go back again to stay over.

• Awesome experience

  Yew yong

  Month of Visit: November

  Country Of Reviewer: Malaysia

  Atmosphere Rating - 5

  Food Rating - 5

  Staff Rating - 5

  Location Rating - 5

  Room Rating - 5

  Awesome place. Nice environment, huge with ample space, yummy and delicious food for dinner and breakfast. The owner very friendly even though she can't speak English that well but others is ok.The toilet and bathroom is modern and equip with great technology. We have the whole house for ourselves. Owner so kind to let us store our luggage after we check out the following day. Fully recommended to stay here. Will come back again for different season

• Wonderful place to spend the night at

  Jeanette

  Month of Visit: October

  Country Of Reviewer:

  Atmosphere Rating - 5

  Food Rating - 5

  Staff Rating - 5

  Location Rating - 5

  Room Rating - 5

  My partner and I decided to spend the night here, and I truly loved everything about the place. It's a bit further up from the shops, but I appreciate the quiet and cleanliness of the place. The dinner they prepared for us was amazing, and the rooms were cosy and neat. The wash area is small but very clean (which is a big priority for me). Highly recommend it to anyone who wants to spend the night at Shirakawa-go.

• Atmosphere and quality

  Massimiliano

  Month of Visit: October

  Country Of Reviewer: Italy

  Atmosphere Rating - 5

  Food Rating - 5

  Staff Rating - 5

  Location Rating - 5

  Room Rating - 5

  Food was superb and the house was clean and confortable. All was perfect.

• Top rated Experience

  Wanchee

  Month of Visit: October

  Country Of Reviewer: Malaysia

  Atmosphere Rating - 5

  Food Rating - 5

  Staff Rating - 5

  Location Rating - 5

  Room Rating - 5

  A night stay at Kanja is the best way to experience traditional Japanese living. Dinner & breakfast are lovely & delectable. Highly recommended!

• Amazing and awesome experience at Kanja

  Phoi yean

  Date of Review: October, 2017

  Month of Visit: October

  Country Of Reviewer: Singapore

  Atmosphere Rating - 5

  Food Rating - 5

  Staff Rating - 5

  Location Rating - 5

  Room Rating - 5

  Awesome accommodation and superb dinner and breakfast. We are delighted with warm hospitality from Kanja. The interior of Kanja is very clean and beautiful. We would like to go back to Kanja again next time. Highly recommended to stay at Kanja. Last but not least, thank you Vincent Penez for the reservation arrangement and prompt respond of our enquiries.

• Best Japanese experience

  Greg

  Date of Review: October, 2017

  Month of Visit: September

  Country Of Reviewer: Australia

  Atmosphere Rating - 5

  Food Rating - 5

  Staff Rating - 5

  Location Rating - 5

  Room Rating - 5

  A friend recommended we visited Shiragawa-go and it ended up being the highlight of our trip. It is beautiful and unique. There are quite a lot of day tourists so if you are visiting, stay the night. The place is a fantasy land to walk around at night. Kanja is a wonderful Gassho-Zukuri. The room is a good size, very comfortable bedding. Shared bathroom is fine and does not get crowded due to the small number of guests. Fantastic shower and Onsen tub to relax in. The food was amazing and generous. Traditional dinner and breakfast sitting on tatami mats with the other guests. A delightful shared experience. The place is not that far from when you arrive which has had criticism by other reviewers. The map provided by this website is not very good which does not help. I suggest you get a map on arrival, or Google a better map. Here is one site that provides a map which we got on arrival. Kanja is guest house number 26 on the map. https://thetokyofiles.com/2014/01/23/the-best-coffee-in-japan-surviving-shirakawa/shirakawago-map/ I highly recommend including a stay here as part of your Japanese adventure.

• A Unique Experience!

  Glenda

  Date of Review: October, 2017

  Month of Visit: October

  Country Of Reviewer: Australia

  Atmosphere Rating - 5

  Food Rating - 5

  Staff Rating - 5

  Location Rating - 5

  Room Rating - 5

  This was our second visit to this gorgeous guesthouse. It is set up on a slight rise on the edge of the village away from the hustle and bustle. The village itself is rather touristy but once the tourists head off in the late afternoon the atmosphere is calm and peaceful. The experience of staying in one of these gassho houses is highly recommended. The guesthouse is spotlessly clean and both meals were delicious and authentic. Sitting on the balcony outside our room in the early evening, soaking up the atmosphere with a cool drink, is one I will definitely repeat. I would also mention that the bus trips in from Kanazawa and out to Takayama were surprisingly painless. I am not usually keen on bus trips, particularly on winding mountain roads. I was pleasantly surprised to find that both trips involved tunnels straight through the mountains meaning no winding roads!

• Great experience

  Barbara

  Month of Visit: September

  Country Of Reviewer: Italy

  Atmosphere Rating - 5

  Food Rating - 5

  Staff Rating - 5

  Location Rating - 4

  Room Rating - 4

  A romantic experience in a lovely village out of reality. The ryokan is very clean and pretty. The staff is friendly even if they do not speak much English. The dinner and the breakfast are delicious. We have to share the bathroom, two toilets for every bathroom (men and women). The shower is one separate room but very good and comfortable. This was our first experience in a traditional japanese room with the futons! Thanks to all the family of Kanjia.

• good place to stay

  Fabio

  Month of Visit: August

  Country Of Reviewer: italy

  Atmosphere Rating - 5

  Food Rating - 5

  Staff Rating - 5

  Location Rating - 4

  Room Rating - 4

  We were curious to try the gassho zukuri experience and we were positively impressed. The property is very nice and located 15/20 minutes from the bus station. The floor is wood, so the shoes are left at the entrance and lean around the structure in slippers (readily served by them). Beautiful dinner experiences (h: 18:00) and breakfast (h: 7:00). Foods, obviously, are different from ours but I appreciated. The only negative note is the price, because I think it's little beat high.

• Good Dinner in a Tranquil house

  Dillon

  Month of Visit: June

  Country Of Reviewer: Singapore

  Atmosphere Rating - 5

  Food Rating - 5

  Staff Rating - 4

  Location Rating - 5

  Room Rating - 5

  The Dinner was Amazing. House was located away from tourist. Very Clean and spacious.

• Restful Ryokan

  Angela

  Month of Visit: June

  Country Of Reviewer: Singapore

  Atmosphere Rating - 5

  Food Rating - 5

  Staff Rating - 5

  Location Rating - 5

  Room Rating - 5

  We arrived early in the morning and were allowed to drop off our bags. The room was spacious and the room door opened out to a little patio. The food was delicious and meals were served in the dining room. It was a short hike to the observatory deck. The views were great in gorgeous in the day as well as at night.

• Very Pleasant Experience

  Voon

  Month of Visit: June

  Country Of Reviewer: USA

  Atmosphere Rating - 5

  Food Rating - 5

  Staff Rating - 5

  Location Rating - 5

  Room Rating - 5

  Since it was our first visit, we have no other data points for comparison on price and what other Ryokans offer. Initially, we were concerned about its location, being at far end of the village. But since the entire village is not too big and we ended up driving, it worked out well for us. It was peaceful and quiet, especially for after dinner stroll and early in the morning before all the tourists arrive. Highly recommend it since the place was clean and the food was good. Staying overnight to enjoy the tranquility was exactly what we had wanted.

• Very Pleasant Experience

  Voon

  Month of Visit: June

  Country Of Reviewer: USA

  Atmosphere Rating - 5

  Food Rating - 5

  Staff Rating - 5

  Location Rating - 5

  Room Rating - 5

  Since it was our first visit, we have no other data points for comparison on price and what other Ryokans offer. Initially, we were concerned about its location, being at far end of the village. But since the entire village is not too big and we ended up driving, it worked out well for us. It was peaceful and quiet, especially for after dinner stroll and early in the morning before all the tourists arrive. Highly recommend it since the place was clean and the food was good. Staying overnight to enjoy the tranquility was exactly what we had wanted.

• Amazing Place!

  Brenda

  Date of Review: June, 2017

  Month of Visit: June

  Country Of Reviewer:

  Atmosphere Rating - 5

  Food Rating - 5

  Staff Rating - 5

  Location Rating - 5

  Room Rating - 5

  Beautiful ryokan in a beautiful place. The food was delicious and beautifully prepared. Rooms were nice and cozy. Friendly staff.

• Quiet and Simple

  Xin

  Date of Review: June, 2017

  Month of Visit: June

  Country Of Reviewer: Hong Kong

  Atmosphere Rating - 4

  Food Rating - 4

  Staff Rating - 5

  Location Rating - 4

  Room Rating - 4

  It is not the best reason to visit Shirakawa-go, but it was part of our designed route - trying to get full utilization of the regional pass. The Ryokan is not easy to locate, which is at the far side of the whole village, but less busy. The facility is quite simple as advertised, one big room with shared bathroom. Very clean and tidy. The food for dinner and breakfast quite simple too, but (again!) not lacking of variety. Tasty as well - saw a girl ending up with 2 bowls of rice! Nice experience, however, may not justify the price of 20,000 Yen per night for non-peak season.

• Wonderful & friendly

  CK

  Date of Review: March, 2017

  Month of Visit: February

  Country Of Reviewer: MALAYSIA

  Atmosphere Rating - 5

  Food Rating - 5

  Staff Rating - 5

  Location Rating - 4

  Room Rating - 5

  Very enjoyable to stay here. Quiet, nice dishes, and clean room. Traditional Dinner & Breakfast are delicious. Although Kanja guest house requires more walking but is more peaceful environment. strongly recommend travellers to stay overnight.

• Wonderful ??

  Month of Visit: September

  Country Of Reviewer: Singapore

  Atmosphere Rating - 5

  Food Rating - 5

  Staff Rating - 5

  Location Rating - 3

  Room Rating - 5

  Although Kanja guest house requires more walking as compared to other guest houses, the advantage is a more peaceful environment. Price is high as compared to normal hotel but worth it as the dinner and breakfast is yummy delicious. environment is quiet and well kept. strongly recommend travellers to stay overnight.

• Nice

  Month of Visit: February

  Country Of Reviewer: Thai

  Atmosphere Rating - 5

  Food Rating - 5

  Staff Rating - 5

  Location Rating - 5

  Room Rating - 5

  Although it's look a bit far from the entrance bridge when you look from the map. But the truth is the village is not that big. So it's not too far for walking actually we can say that it's really not far away. Toilets & bathroom are clean and comfortable like in a hotel. breakfast & dinner are delicious Japanese mattress are comfortable & warm, we had a good sleeping

• Great experience

  Month of Visit: September

  Country Of Reviewer:

  Atmosphere Rating - 5

  Food Rating - 5

  Staff Rating - 5

  Location Rating - 5

  Room Rating - 5

  Was very enjoyable to stay here. Quiet, nice dishes, and clean room. A bathroom had to be shared, but was very clean, well managed. The dinner and breakfast were the chances to meet other travelers.

• Good Ryokan

  Month of Visit: November

  Country Of Reviewer:

  Atmosphere Rating - 5

  Food Rating - 5

  Staff Rating - 5

  Location Rating - 5

  Room Rating - 5

  This is the one you choose at Shirakawa-go village. It very very beautiful place. I've stayed alone at this ryokan I love here so much. Everything is great.

• Comfortable, away from the crowds, excellent food

  Month of Visit: November

  Country Of Reviewer: USA

  Atmosphere Rating - 5

  Food Rating - 5

  Staff Rating - 5

  Location Rating - 5

  Room Rating - 5

  The room was spacious, comfortable and lovely. The shared bath was cozy and comfortable and the communal breakfast/dinner was amazing and a fabulous way to meet other people staying at the ryokan.

• Good hospitality

  Month of Visit: January

  Country Of Reviewer: Malaysia

  Atmosphere Rating - 5

  Food Rating - 5

  Staff Rating - 5

  Location Rating - 5

  Room Rating - 5

  A unique experience to meet people from other country under one roof. Room was comfortable and shared bath is very clean and modern. The dinner was great! Very delicious but too bad due to I have to take the earliest bus back to Takayama, so no chance to enjoy the breakfast.

• Kanja

  Month of Visit: January

  Country Of Reviewer: Hong Kong

  Atmosphere Rating - 5

  Food Rating - 5

  Staff Rating - 5

  Location Rating - 4

  Room Rating - 5

  Really enjoyed our stays in this ryokan. The food, service, atmosphere were great!

• Nice Ryokan

  Month of Visit: February

  Country Of Reviewer:

  Atmosphere Rating - 5

  Food Rating - 5

  Staff Rating - 5

  Location Rating - 5

  Room Rating - 5

  Warmly welcome! the staffs were very nice and polite. The room and other facilities were cozy and comfortable. we enjoyed eating with the Japanese food!

• Kanja - Great place to stay in Ogimachi

  Month of Visit: January

  Country Of Reviewer: Australia

  Atmosphere Rating - 5

  Food Rating - 5

  Staff Rating - 5

  Location Rating - 5

  Room Rating - 5

  I loved my stay at Kanja. My room was excellent and considering how cold it was outside, I was very warm and had a great night's sleep. The family who own and run the guest house are very welcoming and very appreciative of you staying with them. The food was simply outstanding. I would highly recommend Kanja.

• Un séjour s'impose

  Month of Visit: April

  Country Of Reviewer: Canada

  Atmosphere Rating - 5

  Food Rating - 5

  Staff Rating - 5

  Location Rating - 5

  Room Rating - 5

  Gîte situé dans un village typique du Japon hors des sentiers battus. Des hôtes qui vous accueillent avec chaleur et grande gentillesse. L'endroit est sécuritaire, calme, propre et typiques. La nourriture est excellente et reflète les habitudes alimentaires de la région. Nous recommandons sans hésitation ce gîte.

• Recommended

  Month of Visit: April

  Country Of Reviewer: Netherlands

  Atmosphere Rating - 5

  Food Rating - 5

  Staff Rating - 5

  Location Rating - 5

  Room Rating - 5

  We highly recommend to stay a night here. Everything was well taken care of for us. It's quite an experience, don't miss it!

• Great experience and friendly staff

  Month of Visit: April

  Country Of Reviewer: Singapore

  Atmosphere Rating - 5

  Food Rating - 5

  Staff Rating - 5

  Location Rating - 5

  Room Rating - 5

  Ryokan was surprising very clean with nice clean toilets and bath, even though the outside looks traditional. Staff do not really speak English, but can understand basic English. Rooms were comfortable with nice view and food was excellent. Recommended

• Nice

  Month of Visit: April

  Country Of Reviewer: Italy

  Atmosphere Rating - 5

  Food Rating - 4

  Staff Rating - 4

  Location Rating - 5

  Room Rating - 5

  It is a bit expensive but worth the experience. Nice big room with beautiful view over the village. Bathroom is shared but super clean. Dinner and breakfast were very good and well served

• Great Experience!

  Month of Visit: May

  Country Of Reviewer: USA

  Atmosphere Rating - 5

  Food Rating - 5

  Staff Rating - 5

  Location Rating - 5

  Room Rating - 5

  We had an excellent stay at Kanja. Great room and some of the best food of our trip.

• Highly Recomended

  Month of Visit: April

  Country Of Reviewer: Malaysia

  Atmosphere Rating - 5

  Food Rating - 5

  Staff Rating - 5

  Location Rating - 5

  Room Rating - 5

  Clean, cozy, nice food and friendly staff. We had a great experience at Kanja. I love my stay at Kanja.

• Peaceful and unique stay

  Month of Visit: June

  Country Of Reviewer: Singapore

  Atmosphere Rating - 5

  Food Rating - 5

  Staff Rating - 5

  Location Rating - 5

  Room Rating - 4

  We wanted to stay at another ryokan but was allocated Kanja as the former was full. On hindsight, we were really glad we stayed at Kanja instead. It's a bit of a walking distance from the bus station, but it's very peaceful and quiet. Tourists hardly venture to the Kanja area so you get to enjoy the scenery without compromising on privacy. Staying in a gassho is truly a unique experience unlike any other. The sound proofing of the rooms are not so good but other than that the facilities are good (toilets and bathroom are really nice) and the communal meals is a unique way to meet other travelers. Highly recommended.

• worthy experience

  Month of Visit: June

  Country Of Reviewer:

  Atmosphere Rating - 5

  Food Rating - 5

  Staff Rating - 5

  Location Rating - 5

  Room Rating - 5

  quiet and peaceful, great food, great facilities.. definitely worth it =)

• Highly recommended

  Month of Visit: July

  Country Of Reviewer: Germany

  Atmosphere Rating - 5

  Food Rating - 5

  Staff Rating - 5

  Location Rating - 5

  Room Rating - 5

  Great house, great room with a nice view and a little terrace. The two houseladys were extremly friendly. The food was delicious, the dinner and breakfast with the other guests were a great experiences. Everything is very clean and homely there. I would recommend this place to my best friend without any hesitation.

• nice place to stay

  Month of Visit: August

  Country Of Reviewer: canada

  Atmosphere Rating - 4

  Food Rating - 5

  Staff Rating - 5

  Location Rating - 5

  Room Rating - 5

  If the staff can speak some english, it would be even better

• Most hospitable stay

  Month of Visit: May

  Country Of Reviewer: Australia

  Atmosphere Rating - 5

  Food Rating - 5

  Staff Rating - 5

  Location Rating - 5

  Room Rating - 5

  Fabulous stay with kindly hosts. The accommodation was clean and comfortable. The food prepared was simply delicious (our favorite being the famous Gifu beef with miso paste and vegetables that is cooked on a flame in front of you). Nothing bad can be said about our stay. Loved it and would love to return!

• Peaceful stay in a historical village

  Month of Visit: October

  Country Of Reviewer: Singapore

  Atmosphere Rating - 4

  Food Rating - 5

  Staff Rating - 4

  Location Rating - 4

  Room Rating - 4

  Outside the Winter season, staying overnight gives you the freedom to see Shirakawago at the best times of the day - in the setting sun, and early in the misty morning when no one else is around. Kanja (or Kanji-ya as written on the local signs) is the furthest gassho-zukuri ryokan from the bus terminal, but because the village is small, it's still just a short walk. As with other historical ryokans, the outside looks ancient, but the interior is well maintained and has all the necessary facilities. The rooms have a traditional look but come equipped with power plugs, and the toilets are decidedly modern and comfortable. The food is excellent, with the regional specialties of hoba miso and gifu beef, but the rest of the meal is impressive as well - the charcoal-grilled fish is of special mention. Do note that although the dining room has a traditional hearth (which is one of the features that supposedly distinguishes these ryokan from other places), the hearth was not lit during our stay. Perhaps it's only lit in Winter?

• A lovely stay

  Month of Visit: September

  Country Of Reviewer:

  Atmosphere Rating - 4

  Food Rating - 5

  Staff Rating - 4

  Location Rating - 5

  Room Rating - 4

  We were a party of 3. Had a lovely stay at Kanja Ryokan in the picturesque Shirakawago. Location was nice and peaceful, tucked away from the main road. Dinner was served in a communal dining room with a sunken hearth (unlit). Food consisted of many elements and was delicious. Hosts gave us discounted tickets to the local onsen which was great. Only low point were our loud neighbours who kept us awake through the thin walls with their drinking and card game playing until the early morning. Other than that, a great experience.

• Magical, away from the crowds, excellent food

  Month of Visit: October

  Country Of Reviewer: Israel

  Atmosphere Rating - 5

  Food Rating - 5

  Staff Rating - 5

  Location Rating - 5

  Room Rating - 5

  The place nice and clean --you can feel Japanese traditional atmosphere. The room was with a door to the garden so it was nice to wake up and feel almost in the nature. Gracious and a very pleasant hospitality incuded two wonderful meals. A place that you can meet travelers from around the world. Lodging Ryokan This completes the wonderful experience visiting the village.

• Amazing!

  Month of Visit: October

  Country Of Reviewer: Canada

  Atmosphere Rating - 5

  Food Rating - 5

  Staff Rating - 5

  Location Rating - 5

  Room Rating - 5

  To be honest, our trip wasn't be complete without staying a night in the village, especially with Kanja. We really loved the atmosphere, foods, place, and hospitality. It was quiet and peaceful. We cannot forget how we enjoyed having outstanding two meals with other travelers under the traditional thatched roof. Everything was nice, clean, and comfortable. Staffs were polite. Such a Wonderful Unique Experience! Highly Recommend.

• Super clean facilities

  Month of Visit: October

  Country Of Reviewer: USA

  Atmosphere Rating - 5

  Food Rating - 5

  Staff Rating - 5

  Location Rating - 5

  Room Rating - 5

  Completely renovated with high quality modern facilities 10 minutes walk to local onsen Delicious meals Warm bed and heater Highly recommended for unique experience Get up early to enjoy the village without crowd

• Unique experience

  Month of Visit: October

  Country Of Reviewer: USA

  Atmosphere Rating - 5

  Food Rating - 5

  Staff Rating - 5

  Location Rating - 5

  Room Rating - 5

  Other people have give this house 5 star review and we agree Just add that a local Onsen is 10 minutes walk and you can get 50% discount Get up early to enjoy the village with no tourist crowd The house is in the far north of the village and after you cross the bridge it's about five minutes walk

• krairoek

  Month of Visit: October

  Country Of Reviewer: Thailand

  Atmosphere Rating - 4

  Food Rating - 5

  Staff Rating - 4

  Location Rating - 5

  Room Rating - 5

  Kanja guest house Quiet good Clean room and bedding Bathroom good Delicious food , especially meat The overall good

• Nice ryokan experience tarnished by noisy guests

  Month of Visit: November

  Country Of Reviewer:

  Atmosphere Rating - 2

  Food Rating - 4

  Staff Rating - 4

  Location Rating - 3

  Room Rating - 3

  The experience of staying at Kanja was good but the walls were cardboard thin and we could hear every word the other guests were saying, except we did not understand them (probably a good thing). They were a large group of eight and they were talking the whole time. It killed the tranquility that should have followed a ryokan experience at shirakawa go. The one night stay was not considered cheap (Â¥20900 for two persons) so I had expected a much better environment. A little on Shirakawago - it is a very very touristy place. While the gassho houses are a marvel, they do look rather fabricated for tourism. Stay at another gassho house that can only accommodate fewer guests if noise will be a concern to you.

• Nice Place

  Month of Visit: November

  Country Of Reviewer: Argentina

  Atmosphere Rating - 4

  Food Rating - 4

  Staff Rating - 5

  Location Rating - 4

  Room Rating - 4

  Shirakawa-go is beautiful! like a fairy tail. We stayed only one night witch was enough, we could do everything that you could there. The ryokan is very clean and pretty, the staff speaks a liiiiiitle english, but its ok, The food was nice. Very well kept for a more than a 100 years old house! Even though we have to share the bathroom, they were separate men -woman and there were two toilets for every bathroom, so there was no problem. The shower is one separate room, but you can lock the door and use it for yourself, so that was good.

• Great ryokan

  Month of Visit: November

  Country Of Reviewer: Thailand

  Atmosphere Rating - 5

  Food Rating - 4

  Staff Rating - 5

  Location Rating - 5

  Room Rating - 5

  This is a great ryokan in Shirakawa-go and was there 2 times in 2013 & 2014 and stayed Kanja. Food is very good taste and clean. Highly recommend to stay here !

• comfortable ryokan-highly recommended

  Month of Visit: November

  Country Of Reviewer: Singapore

  Atmosphere Rating - 5

  Food Rating - 5

  Staff Rating - 5

  Location Rating - 5

  Room Rating - 5

  The pictures of Kanja as shown on this website is exactly what we see when we were there. The bathroom & toilet facilities are modern, clean and looks very new. Walls are thin, and floor boards a little creaky but overall, it was a comfortable stay. Check out payments are accepted in cash only. We booked this ryokan through Japanese Guesthouse office, the service was top-notched !Replies and booking confirmation was fast and accurate.. Thank you, Vincent, for taking all our enquires and reservations!

• A different experience worth trying

  Month of Visit: December

  Country Of Reviewer: Singapore

  Atmosphere Rating - 5

  Food Rating - 5

  Staff Rating - 5

  Location Rating - 4

  Room Rating - 4

  Kanja guest house was on the top of a slope and it was not easy driving up the narrow road, especially in snowy conditions. However, it was the road was only about 20-30 metres long. I would caution people who are not familiar with driving in snow conditions. Otherwise, it was a nice guest house with delicious dinner and breakfast served by an old lady and her daughter. They do not speak much English so a little knowledge of Japanese was helpful. There are heaters in the room but should not be left turned on throughout the night. It can be pretty chilly in the night but we were given thick blankets with our futons so it was fine. For those who have not stayed in a Gassho home before, I would recommend it.

• Excellent !!!

  Month of Visit: December

  Country Of Reviewer: Malaysia

  Atmosphere Rating - 5

  Food Rating - 5

  Staff Rating - 5

  Location Rating - 5

  Room Rating - 5

  Enjoy our stay at Shirakawa-go.Breakfast and dinner was amazing good.The place is clean and very comfortable.

• Comfortable and delicious food

  Month of Visit: December

  Country Of Reviewer: Thailand

  Atmosphere Rating - 5

  Food Rating - 5

  Staff Rating - 4

  Location Rating - 4

  Room Rating - 4

  About 10 minutes walk from the bus stop. First, I planned to deposit my luggages in the coin locker but they did not allow to have it overnight, so I had to brought all luggages to guest house. It was difficult to stall them though snow. Anyway, we made it and arrived guest house at 11:00. We deposited luggages with Kanja and walked to have lunch nearby. Kanja had modern facilities such as toilet but its decoration offers the traditional style. They served us with yummy snack and tea. Then the dinner would served at 19:00 hrs. Dinner was delicious and enough for a big guy like me. Room was equipped with heater so kept us warm till morning. Breakfast was served at 07:00 hrs. Not so much like dinner but look reasonable.

• Nice quaint place

  Month of Visit: December

  Country Of Reviewer:

  Atmosphere Rating - 5

  Food Rating - 4

  Staff Rating - 4

  Location Rating - 4

  Room Rating - 4

  When we arrived earlier than check-in, we were allowed to deposit our luggages. As it was drizzling and seeing that we had no umbrellas, the owner graciously loaned us 5 umbrellas for my family to walk around the village. Dinner was superb. Overall, it was a very good experience for my family.