If I'm ever lucky enough to go back to Japan I will definitely be staying at Sawanoya. It's impeccably clean & quiet so it's perfect for a good nights sleep after the bustle of Tokyo. We paid the little extra for a private bathroom (rooms 21 & 31) and I felt it was worth it. If you are travelling on... More

My wife and stayed here when we arrived in Japan and just before departing. The place is in a very quite area and near a subway station. We left our bags in their storage when we traveled to other cities. The whole place was very clean. In both stays, we were in one of the rooms with private bath. The... More

It's been awhile since we visited Sawanoya. But looking back at our old pictures, I just had to write a review for them. The sweetest old man, who spoke very little english, attended to us. He gave us information about the area around and how to go about. When we got into our rooms we were greeted with little origami... More

My husband and I checked into this wonderful ryokan on the last leg of our Japan trip. We fell in love with it as soon as we stepped in. We were greeted by Mr. Sawa, whose kindness and warmth made us feel right at home. The lodging itself is pristine and spotless, and has wonderful little touches (example: origami cranes... More

My children (11 and 10) and I stayed here for 5 nights on a recent trip to Japan. Out of the 3 places we visited in Japan during our 2 week trip, Tokyo was the kids favorite due in large part to Ryokan Sawanoya. We loved the traditional neighborhoods of Nezu and Yanaka and there was so much to see... More

Hard to find anything original to say! A friendly, family run, traditional Ryokan where we were treated with much kindness. My daughter still treasures the umbrella Mr Sawa, the father of the family, insisted on giving her when we left in the rain. It was a great advantage having use of a traditional communal bath overlooking a small garden -... More

I first stayed here on my first trip to Japan in 2004. It must have made quite an impression on me as I was back again in the summer of 2012 for a whirlwind stopover in Tokyo. Not much has changed since I was last here and the character and warm friendliness of this ryokan makes you feel right at... More

As sawanoya is nestled in a rather suburban area, the surroundings are relatively quiet from city hustle. The 20 minute walk to ueno station showcases some very beautiful old Japanese houses and shrines that are still in excellent condition. Ueno-koen is unbelievably huge and gorgeous. Otherwise, we reached most of our destinations easily via nezu station, which is only a... More

We stayed here at the end of a 2 week stay in Japan. We thoroughly enjoyed our time here and would recommend it. We had a room with private bathroom, so can't comment on the shared facilities. Our room was a traditional-style room with tatami mats etc. The room wasn't huge, but perfectly fine. As with everywhere in Japan the... More