First time in a Ryokan, so hard to compare with others. Ryokan is a special feeling. Very friendly service. It was a while since the place was renovated so 1970ish is quite present. And food is very japanese. For westerners I think I night is enough. Price is also quite high. But if you never did this before it IS an experience. The Shrine with its gate in the water is magnificent. The Onsen in the Ryokan is soothing, etc.a trip with the cable car is interesting. This is also a very good complement when you any way visit the Hiroshima Museum

We were met at the ferry site by an Iwaso driver in traditional Japanese garb. We were taken to our traditional style set of rooms in an older building surrounded by beautiful woods and a nearby stream. Our building included a bath as well as two bathrooms. Our needs were all attended to by the same young woman (in traditional garb) and included a fabulous multi course traditional evening meal of Japanese foods. Our night was pleasant and even though we were sleeping on futons and tatami mats for the first time it was a great experience. In the morning we were served a wonderful breakfast (we chose Western; Japanese is also available). We were only able to book the traditional older rooms for one night so after breakfast we were moved to the top (5th) floor of the Iwaso Inn (small hotel). We had 501 which was a corner room and in fact was two rooms in size and had it's own bathroom. We had the same server/attendant and that evening we were again served a phenomenal multi course traditional Japanese meal (had blowfish for the first time!). The futons and sleeping on tatami mats was quite similar to the previous evening and was comfortable. The room in the inn had it's own bathroom with shower/bath. There is a traditional common bath in the building as well (separate for men and women) which was quite fun. The dining room in the inn served a similar and wonderful breakfast, again Western or traditional Japanese style meal. The service level was quite high and basically I believe they would try to offer whatever you asked for. The surrounding forest with creek is very calming. The inn is a only yards from the shops on Miyajima yet does not seem crowded by the tourist attractions. The island is a beautiful place to stay and visit and provided us with a wonderful experience for our family. It also served as a place to take day trips such as a water ferry to see the memorial and museum in nearby Hiroshima. Iwaso is a valiant and successful effort to preserve much of traditional Japanese culture on an island that is the home of one of the most important shrines in Japan. We will treasure our memories of Iwaso for a long time. It was a unique and pleasurable experience.

We stayed here two nights and had a wonderful stay. We had a corner room with views to both the colorful maple trees and the roof top views of the town.

We had both dinners in our room. They are of great quality and a true joy to us.

We spent one night in a traditional 'honkan' style room at Iwaso.

The setting, next to parkland and a stream, is idyllic and peaceful.

The welcome and service was typical of the best Japanese ryokans- friendly and highly courteous.

The kaiseki dinner that was served in our room was extremely high quality and beautifully presented.

The communal onsen baths were stylish and pristine and well worth a visit - the nicest of any we saw during our trip to Japan (and a must for us as our room did not have a private bath/shower).

At about ¥50,000/£450 for one night, this was a bit of a splurge, but we're really glad we stayed here!