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Takefue

Aso / 阿蘇
Guests of Takefue arrive via one of the most beautiful roads in Japan, with breathtaking views of th
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The Story

Guests of Takefue arrive via one of the most beautiful roads in Japan, with breathtaking views of the mountains of central Kyushu's Mt. Aso range on one side and vast ocean vistas on the other. Those arriving at night are treated to both the lights of the towns in the valleys and, in clear weather, a blazing expanse of stars.

Takefue maintains a refined rustic style, the farm-type buildings all black beams and straw-and-plaster stucco. Interiors are likewise rustic, but with modern amenities and huge windows giving access to the lovely surrounding forest. The onsen hot springs are generated by the same geological processes that keep nearby Mt. Aso rumbling. There are numerous ryokan in the neighborhood, but the bamboo forest effectively muffles all sounds from outside the grounds, preserving the feeling of deep-forest privacy.

Most of the rooms boast their own private rotemburo outdoor baths - some of which are huge. There is also an enormous public rotemburo, which can be reserved for private bathing.

The cuisine is kaiseki haute cuisine, incorporating inaka ryori, or country fare, and taking full advantage of the delicate and delicious mountain vegetables of the area.

Takefue's location, nestled in a large bamboo grove, gives it a unique otherworldly air; this and its exquisite food, beautiful outdoor baths, rustic authenticity and premium service make this an outstanding ryokan.

Children are welcome in all rooms except /// and Amato. In some of the rooms, such as Shien-an, parents can sit by the irori and watch the children frolic outside in the rotemburo.

Guests may notice an abundance of rabbits incorporated into the déŚor; Takefue was originally built in the last year of the rabbit, 1998, and is coming up on its 1st anniversary in the Chinese calendar (12th year by the Western system).

ROOMS

  • Sayo ROOM Sayo This suite boasts a separate living/sleeping room and irori dining room. A small door leads to …
  • Kokyu-an ROOM Kokyu-an This is another deluxe suite with twin beds and a tatami living/sitting room, as well as an iro…
  • Tenku ROOM Tenku This special room has lovely wooden half open-air bath and the name of the room, "Tenku" means …
  • Omachi-an ROOM Omachi-an This suite has an interesting rustic touch, with huge boulders incorporated into structure of t…
  • Amato ROOM Amato Another beautiful suite, Amato's inviting rocky rotemburo and indoor bath are designed to put g…
  • Shien-an ROOM Shien-an Shien-an is a rustic, family-style room, with a big irori fireplace for gathering around and a …
  • Bijo-an ROOM Bijo-an Similar to Shien-an, Bijo-an features a pretty rock pool rotemburo, as well as low, crooked int…
  • Yutsukiyo ROOM Yutsukiyo Indoor and outdoor baths in this beautiful room encourage the guest to tarry and savor the fore…
  • Sasane ROOM Sasane This room has an interesting rustic touch with indoor rock bath and traditional tatami and Iror…
  • Mone ROOM Mone This room is smaller in scale than many of the others, with a generous ofuro, accessed via a st…
  • Takekiri ROOM Takekiri A sort of mirror image to Tsukikage, this room nevertheless has a much different feel to it. Th…
  • Tsukikage ROOM Tsukikage This room is much like Mone, a rustic suite with a tatami-and-futon sleeping area that doubles,…
    ROOM Sayo
    1-6 sqm Private Open-air Bath Bed This suite boasts a separate living/sleeping room and irori dining room. A small door leads to living room from the irori room, like the tiny door in tea house, made that way to encourage samurai to remove their swords, thereby helping to ensure spiritual ease within.

    This room boasts two baths, one a huge stone rotemburo big enough to swim laps in, the other an indoor in-suite bath, also big and beautiful, the tub and walls made of the same lovely pale wood.

    The suite also has a separate TV/theater room equipped with a 52-inch plasma TV, leather couches and a B&O sound system.     ¥ 213,000～ per person (based on double occupancy) *Room rates at the Ryokan vary depending on the season and booking status. Therefore, we provide an estimated amount as a reference.
    ROOM Kokyu-an
    1-6 sqm Private Open-air Bath Futon This is another deluxe suite with twin beds and a tatami living/sitting room, as well as an irori dining room. Sleeping arrangements are twin beds in a quiet, restful bedroom, as well as futon on tatami mats in the living/sleeping room.

    Kokyu-an's rotemburo is a huge rock pool with maple boughs hanging over it; with its surroundings of cedar forest, the bathers feel they have discovered a hitherto unknown hot spring in the woods. The suite also has a lovely wooden indoor bath.     ¥ 193,000～ per person (based on double occupancy) *Room rates at the Ryokan vary depending on the season and booking status. Therefore, we provide an estimated amount as a reference.
    ROOM Tenku
    1-2 sqm Private Open-air Bath Bed This special room has lovely wooden half open-air bath and the name of the room, "Tenku" means "Sky". Bathers can overlook the bamboo grove in the half-open-air hinoki cypress wood bath.
    An ironi dining room allows groups such as families to sleep on the traditional tatami and futon.     ¥ 153,000～ per person (based on double occupancy) *Room rates at the Ryokan vary depending on the season and booking status. Therefore, we provide an estimated amount as a reference.
    ROOM Omachi-an
    1-3 sqm Private Open-air Bath Futon This suite has an interesting rustic touch, with huge boulders incorporated into structure of the building. The sleeping arrangements consist of twin beds and a large tatami sitting room that can be turned into a futon sleeping room.

    Omachi-an's huge rotemburo is overhung with maple boughs, and the forest beyond is tastefully lit with lanterns amid the trees. The small irori table by the rotemburo is a delightful surprise - the leg space underneath is a foot spa flowing with hot onsen water. The room also boasts a big wooden indoor bath.     ¥ 141,000～ per person (based on double occupancy) *Room rates at the Ryokan vary depending on the season and booking status. Therefore, we provide an estimated amount as a reference.
    ROOM Amato
    1-2 sqm Private Open-air Bath Bed Another beautiful suite, Amato's inviting rocky rotemburo and indoor bath are designed to put guests at their ease. The sitting/dining room centers around a irori in the shape of a hyotan, or gourd, and graced by an enormous window looking out onto the garden.
    The hot water in the rock-pool rotemburo bubbles up from a central spout, then overflows infinity-style, complemented by a wooden indoor tub.
    Twin beds and a tatami and futon sleeping room invite restful sleep.
    One interesting touch is a glass window in the floor by the entrance to the sitting room, under which is a diorama of a childlike miniature ryokan world.     ¥ 95,000～ per person (based on double occupancy) *Room rates at the Ryokan vary depending on the season and booking status. Therefore, we provide an estimated amount as a reference.
    ROOM Shien-an
    1-6 sqm Private Open-air Bath Bed Shien-an is a rustic, family-style room, with a big irori fireplace for gathering around and a loft space above accessed by steep stairs. Sleeping arrangements are traditional tatami-and-futon style, and meals are eaten around the irori in the dining room.

    The rotemburo is designed as a natural rocky pond overlooking cedar and maple woods, and the indoor ofuro is a black-walled rocky grotto with boulders piled to form a cave.     ¥ 153,000～ per person (based on double occupancy) *Room rates at the Ryokan vary depending on the season and booking status. Therefore, we provide an estimated amount as a reference.
    ROOM Bijo-an
    1-3 sqm Private Open-air Bath Futon Similar to Shien-an, Bijo-an features a pretty rock pool rotemburo, as well as low, crooked internal entranceways and a beautiful view over the surrounding forest. A large irori dining room allows large groups such as families to gather together for meals, and later sleep on the traditional tatami and futon. ¥ 135,000～ per person (based on double occupancy) *Room rates at the Ryokan vary depending on the season and booking status. Therefore, we provide an estimated amount as a reference.
    ROOM Yutsukiyo
    1-2 sqm Private Open-air Bath Bed Indoor and outdoor baths in this beautiful room encourage the guest to tarry and savor the forest view and wonderful breezes wafting through the bamboo groves. Like many of the rooms, Yuzuki-an has a sumi bamboo arrangement in the genkan entranceway to both provide a touch of beauty and to naturally deodorize the room. Twin beds and a large tatami room invite relaxation. ¥ 93,000～ per person (based on double occupancy) *Room rates at the Ryokan vary depending on the season and booking status. Therefore, we provide an estimated amount as a reference.
    ROOM Sasane
    1-4 sqm Private Open-air Bath Futon This room has an interesting rustic touch with indoor rock bath and traditional tatami and Irori. Fusioin of bamboo surrounded with soft light from wood deck impresses the guests. ¥ 126,000～ per person (based on double occupancy) *Room rates at the Ryokan vary depending on the season and booking status. Therefore, we provide an estimated amount as a reference.
    ROOM Mone
    1-4 sqm Private Open-air Bath Futon This room is smaller in scale than many of the others, with a generous ofuro, accessed via a stone staircase that leads down to a private rocky grotto. The living room/bedroom is traditional tatami and futon, which one enters through a small, crooked doorway. ¥ 126,000～ per person (based on double occupancy) *Room rates at the Ryokan vary depending on the season and booking status. Therefore, we provide an estimated amount as a reference.
    ROOM Takekiri
    1-4 sqm Private Open-air Bath Futon A sort of mirror image to Tsukikage, this room nevertheless has a much different feel to it. The view, while still bamboo groves, gives the feeling of being high off the ground in a bamboo treehouse-like aerie, where guests can contemplate their midair existence. ¥ 120,000～ per person (based on double occupancy) *Room rates at the Ryokan vary depending on the season and booking status. Therefore, we provide an estimated amount as a reference.
    ROOM Tsukikage
    1-4 sqm Private Open-air Bath Futon This room is much like Mone, a rustic suite with a tatami-and-futon sleeping area that doubles, Japanese-style, as the living room. The generous rotemburo features a sitting area overlooking a bamboo grove, with comfortable wicker chairs. ¥ 120,000～ per person (based on double occupancy) *Room rates at the Ryokan vary depending on the season and booking status. Therefore, we provide an estimated amount as a reference.

FACILITIES &
SERVICES

  • Bath Bath
  • Zen Spa Zen Spa
    Bath The main attraction at Takefue is the famous onsen hot spring baths, which have their source on the premises. An enormous public rotemburo, “Chikurin no yu”, can be reserved for private sessions. It actually consists of several baths, hidden amongst piles of boulders strewn about.Another, smaller public bath is “Sasabune”, with a huge seven-sided wooden tub and an accompanying changing pavilion, as well as a second bath built into the hillside, giving a feeling of bathing in a cave.Available in the public baths are “sando gasa”, traditional cone-shaped hats, to permit unimpeded conversation in the rotemburo when the rain gets especially strong.
    Zen Spa Takefue's spa, Zen, offers full-body massages, as well as facials and other spa treatments.

Experience

  • Japan's Deep South – Kyushu Aso, KUMAMOTO 4 Days 3 Nights More
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Premium Item

  • “Apparent”73 x 120 cm Acrylic on canvas. 2015 More
  • Cosmic garden 130 x 162 cm Acrylic on canvas. 2012 More
Premium Items

“Apparent”73 x 120 cm Acrylic on canvas. 2015


  • “Apparent”73 x 120 cm Acrylic on canvas. 2015
  • JPY 420,000++ *++ shipping cost
Hot springs and art to warm your soul
As a perfect companion to the onsen hot spring baths and Takefue’s wonderful cuisine, the beautiful artworks on display act as a sort of “onsen for your heart.”
The featured artist at the ryokan is Kei Yasaka, a painter active in Kyushu, who also holds regular solo exhibitions in Tokyo. We hope his art will warm your soul during your stay at Takefue and bring warmth into your home.
Currently, his works are exhibited in Takefue’s front lobby and Zen SPA as a solo exhibition until early May. Yasaka’s art graces some of the Takefue’s rooms as well.



Kei Yasaka
studied spiritual art in Papua New Guinea and strive to create paintings with vibrations from Mother Earth. If you look at the large painting in the lobby of Takefue, and other works in the ryokan, you will understand what my painting style is all about. These works are intended to bring you harmony and happiness by expressing the beauty of nature in the ryokan and its surroundings.
In collaboration with Takefue, I am exhibiting a few special pieces for their honored guests. The paintings express the energy of Mt. Aso, as well as the beauty of nature. You can see them on the walls in the Zen SPA and other places.
If my art speaks to you, you can own a piece, if you like. For details about purchasing and shipping, please check out my studio’s website, art@yasakakei.com, or contact me at 0120-319-444.

Premium Items

Cosmic garden 130 x 162 cm Acrylic on canvas. 2012


  • Cosmic garden 130 x 162 cm Acrylic on canvas. 2012
  • JPY 920,000++ *++ shipping cost
Hot springs and art to warm your soul
As a perfect companion to the onsen hot spring baths and Takefue’s wonderful cuisine, the beautiful artworks on display act as a sort of “onsen for your heart.”
The featured artist at the ryokan is Kei Yasaka, a painter active in Kyushu, who also holds regular solo exhibitions in Tokyo. We hope his art will warm your soul during your stay at Takefue and bring warmth into your home.
Currently, his works are exhibited in Takefue’s front lobby and Zen SPA as a solo exhibition until early May. Yasaka’s art graces some of the Takefue’s rooms as well.



Kei Yasaka
studied spiritual art in Papua New Guinea and strive to create paintings with vibrations from Mother Earth. If you look at the large painting in the lobby of Takefue, and other works in the ryokan, you will understand what my painting style is all about. These works are intended to bring you harmony and happiness by expressing the beauty of nature in the ryokan and its surroundings.
In collaboration with Takefue, I am exhibiting a few special pieces for their honored guests. The paintings express the energy of Mt. Aso, as well as the beauty of nature. You can see them on the walls in the Zen SPA and other places.
If my art speaks to you, you can own a piece, if you like. For details about purchasing and shipping, please check out my studio’s website, art@yasakakei.com, or contact me at 0120-319-444.

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Map &
Transportation

Closest Train Station N/A
ROUTE
Closest Bus Station Kurokawa Onsen Bus Stop
ROUTEs
Free pick-up service Yes
Complimentary transfer from/to Kurokawa Onsen Bus Terminal (10min)
Key Gate Way Int'l Airport and Train (Shinkansen) Station
Route details

Ryokan Data

Area Aso / 阿蘇
Name of Ryokan Takefue / 竹ふえ
Address 5725-1 Manganji, Minami-Ogunimachi, Aso-gun,Kumamoto 869-2402
〒869-2402熊本県阿蘇郡南小国町満願寺5725-1
Total Number of Rooms 12 rooms
Check-in Time 15:30
Check-Out Time 11:00
Credit Card Yes

Meals

Dinner Start Time 18:00 - 19:00
Breakfast Start Time 8:00 - 9:00
In Room Dining Available Guest Room / Start Time : 1800 - 1900
Private dining room upon request / Start Time : 1800 -1900
Bar
Special Dietary Arrangements Yes
Vegan Friendly Yes
Western Breakfast Available Yes

Other Facilities & Services

Communal Bath Yes
Family Bath Yes
Private indoor bath in room Yes
Private open-air bath in the room Yes

Room Rates

Room Type Minimum Rate (JPY)
Sayo JPY213,000～
Kokyu-an JPY193,000～
Tenku JPY153,000～
Omachi-an JPY141,000～
Amato JPY95,000～
Shien-an JPY153,000～
Bijo-an JPY135,000～
Yutsukiyo JPY93,000～
Sasane JPY126,000～
Mone JPY126,000～
Takekiri JPY120,000～
Tsukikage JPY120,000～
** The room rate is per person per night when 2 adults stay in one room. **
- The rate will change depending on the number of guests and dates. Please contact us for details.
- Ryokan rate includes a full-course dinner, breakfast, service charge, and tax.
- The mentioned rates and service are available only for LRC Members who book through The Ryokan Collection's website.
- The rates are subject to change without any prior notice.
- A particular room cannot be guaranteed in advance unless otherwise stated by The Ryokan Collection.

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