Originally Posted by
foodie22
Does anyone have any thoughts on choosing between Beniya Mukayu vs. Kayotei vs. Araya Totooan Nishimuraya Honkan?
Beniya Mukayu:
Pros: Stylish, modern property with a pretty entrance and garden. There's a very old and large tree that is lit up at night, giving the entire place a mythical atmosphere. Food is very good.
Cons: Dining is in a restaurant. Voices echo and carry. Really annoying to us.
Kayotei:
Pros: If traditional is what you're looking for, you'll find it in spades here. Dining is in a private room (although not in one's own room.) Yamanaka Onsen is a sleepy little Onsen town, but we found it charming nonetheless. And the Kakusenkei footpath along the river is a nice way to pass the time. It's the cheapest of the three ryokans.
Cons: Food was good but not great. Nothing really stood out and hit us in the face with awesomeness.
Nishimuraya Honkan:
Pros: Best food of the bunch. Best garden of the bunch. Dining takes place in one's own room. Very traditional but nicely maintained ryokan. Kinosaki Onsen is among the best hot springs towns in the country. Way more to do (especially within walking distance) than Yamashiro Onsen or Yamanaka Onsen. However, the aforementioned two locales are not far from Kanazawa, so if you're already in the area and plan to tour Ishikawa, then perhaps things swing in BM and Kayotei's favor.
Cons: Some entry-level rooms are small. No Onsen in the room (this is the case with all ryokans in Kinosaki - it's a rule, unfortunately), although they have a gender-segregated communal bath in the ryokan that is of the onsen variety. Additionally, Kinosaki town has 7 different public Onsen baths that Nishimuraya Honkan guests can visit, free of charge. If in-room Onsen is what you're after, however, look elsewhere.
Originally Posted by
foodie22
Also saw that snow crab season starts in Nov in Kanazawa - we were going to book our Japan trip for mid-Oct, but wondering if it's worth pushing it so we're in Kanawaza and one of the ryokans above during the season to have snow crab in a kaiseki dinner. Welcome any thoughts here and if it's worth the shift to have snow crab.
Please do treat yourself to the snow crab; it starts on November 8 for the majority of the Hokuriku region (as well as Hyogo's Amanohashidate/Kinosaki and Kyoto's Taiza coast.) It's awesome. And Nishimuraya Honkan blows away the other two when it comes to crab cuisine - it's artfully presented, and meticulously and creatively prepared. We were underwhelmed with Kayotei's crab servings, while Beniya Mukayu was somewhere in between. By the way, if you go in mid-November, that is typically peak time for the Autumn leaves in the Kanazawa area. Kenrokuen Garden should be bursting with colors around that time.