My mother and I just stayed here for two nights (literally checked out today) and I was so charmed by this little intimate ryokan. I knew I didn’t want to stay at a hotel in Kanazawa so went around looking for options. I had read somewhere that the food provided here was excellent and I was sold. The service is exquisite and intimate. The owner Yamamoto-san is this incredibly friendly, avuncular gentleman whose family apparently farms rice and he also has another ryokan in nearby Toyama (he and his family are from there). His daughter manages the Toyama inn. First off, the location of Maki No Oto cannot be beat!! It’s in the Higashi Chaya district which was by far my favorite neighborhood in all of Kanazawa. Secondly, the food was fantastic here. Yamamoto-san said that he loves food and loves to eat so it was important for him to bring that same experience to his customers. That kind of care really showed!! On our first night, we had a 16 course dinner at the restaurant inside the inn Higashiyama Wakaon and it was incredible. They use local ingredients and it was such an elevated dining experience. I come from New York City which is the food capital of the world but of course Japan takes it to another level. On our second night, we were told to go to Kaidou (see my review of this restaurant. Also exquisite. Lovely owner) for teppanyaki and it was amazing!!!! Lastly, we really loved staying here. The room (we stayed in Nishi in the main building. There’s also an annex) has a small kitchen and the bedroom area is off to the side. It’s very simply but classically decorated. Everything you need is provided. It was truly a luxury experience that was so different from the usual typical hotel experience. In some ways it’s a quintessential Japanese experience. I’ll be telling everyone I know about this place. Thank you Yamamoto-San and his team.
翻譯