I have to agree with the review by decca_mac, unfortunately we had the former experience.

Travelling in Japan for 3 weeks we try to temper cheap hotels with a few special ones. The Kanaya was supposed to be a special one and in a way it was. The lobby is beautiful and you feel like you've stepped back in time to the hotel's heyday when the guest list read like a who's who from the Western and Japanese world. The hotel pays homage to some of these guests with displays of letters, photos and copies of pages from the registration book with the names of their esteemed guests. There is a also room full of glass cases displaying some of the hotel items used many years ago - it's a little like a museum.

So for anyone interested in history and fusion architecture it is a truly wonderful example for the period. And the garden is equally as lovely.

The staff are amazing and were always there to help, whether it's finding you an umbrella in the rain, or changing the pick up time for the car at the hire company, everything was done efficiently and with a smile. At the moment I have to say it's the staff that breathe life into the old girl.

Now to the disappointing bit. The room we had was 2 floors above the lobby overlooking the car park (which was a surprisingly pleasant view). It was old, tired and in desperate need of renovation. And I don't mean it needs modernisation, but it really needs some sympathetic treatment with respect to it's history. There are certainly ways of restoring a grand hotel like this to make it less musty, worn and aged. I find it rather sad that it has been let go when it has some truly wonderful original features.

The single beds were comfortable, but the covers were shabby. The furniture was old, but I suspect not from the period. Perhaps from a revamp mid last century. The fabric on the chairs was shiny from wear. And yes the old steam heating system was there. My husband started it up and the knocking noise it made was frightening, and took about 10 minutes to subside after he turned it off.

The bathroom had been updated at some point, but not very well. No matter how authentic I cannot stand shower curtains - they feel cheap, not to mention unhygienic.

We did not eat dinner in the restaurant as we considered it way too expensive, so went to the steakhouse as other reviewers have done. We were also very impressed with the hen of the woods mushrooms. A must try!

As it was raining when we were there we did not feel like trying our luck in the town for breakfast, so paid the exorbitant hotel prices. The service was impeccable, it was lovely using the old silverware, and the food was good, however that did not stop us from thinking it was way overpriced.

We also had the internet connected up in our room via the telephone outlet by a very kind and efficient staff member. But because of the particular set up required there were cables running everywhere. Not particularly safe as far as trip hazards are concerned but at least it worked.

The old bar was small, cozy and wonderfully atmospheric, but a single drink each was all we could afford. And was all we had time for. The bar tender seems most preoccupied with the four guests at the bar, and I must say they were the only other guests in the room, and took at least 20 minutes or more to bring us the hotel's special cocktail and a beer.

Surprisingly the souvenier shop had some very reasonably priced items, so it's worth a look if you want to take something special away with you.

The Kanaya has the best location for seeing the temples, so is ideally situated for sightseeing at Nikko. If you arrive by train, I would guess it's a considerable walk. We took a taxi as the rain and our luggage were not a good combination.

I really have a hard time rating this hotel because I want to love it, and I really do think it can be the grand old lady again, if only someone would put in the effort to do so. In which case I am forced to say, try this hotel based on the knowledge that if you pay a lot of money, you might get a half decent room, but then again, you might not.

I have stayed at the Nikko Kanaya twice. Five years ago i stayed in a deluxe room in the annex and i loved the experience (especially because my father was paying for it). The hotel is incredibly well situated near the bridge and it has a lovely old school feeling to it. It was magicial! But . . . i recently booked the Nikko Kanaya again for my honeymoon. We booked a Standard B via email that noted that we were a couple on honeymoon but when we were shown the teensy tiny room it had two less-than-twin tiny beds (instead of a queen). Worse yet it smelled very bad and moldy as has been reported by others on this site (the heating in the main building is an VERY old steam system retroactively fitted into the rooms at the turn of the last century and i suspect it leaks badly in some rooms). Deeply disappointed with the room and unable to stand the smell, we paid dearly for an upgrade to a Standard A in the main building which had a Queen bed and smelled a bit better, but was in no way close to the deluxe room i had previously stayed in. For example, when we sat in the "stuffed" chairs they were so threadbare that we could feel the wood frames poking us.
So if you have been wondering about the very different reviews on this site, the answer is it all depends on the room/building -- DONT bother staying at this hotel unless you are willing to splurge for the Deluxe room and INSIST on a room in one of the annexes -- the rooms in the main building are not up to the standard of the rest of the hotel and desperately need to be upgraded (both heating and furnishings). Book carefully and get it in writing from the managers by email that you will be in one of the annexes.
Re the sites, they are wonderful and worth staying over to visit early in the morning. One night and a full day is all you need. Re food -- the steakhouse on the same property is wonderful and serves marvelous hen of the woods mushrooms in a variety of ways -- grilled, in soup, etc. Its a steakhouse that is a real score for vegetarians (or anyone that loves mushrooms!).

We stayed for my birthday in April courtesy of a Japenese friend doing the booking. I'm not sure what to say.
There was no acknowledgement of my birthday but my day was spectacular and then the next day i woke up to snow.

The French restaurant was superb, Japanese (yoshio) ordinary but maybe because we have done some spectacular places on other trips. the room nothing short of spectacular, service beyond compare

This hotel really is very beautiful. The service is outstanding! The hotel does look like it needs a little renovation, but it is the oldest hotel in Nikko, so keep that in mind when you visit.
My partner and I had a very comfortable stay here for 2 nights. It is located approximately half way between the main part of town and the shrines. It is literally about 5 minutes walk to the shrines and temples.

Food was extremely overpriced at the hotel, there is a small bakery owned by the hotel located at the very entrance of the driveway on the left hand side. It's a great option for a quick bite before hitting the shrines, but it doesn't open until 10am........sometimes i think they do that because they want you to eat at the hotel and there really is nothing else around unless you take the 15 minute walk into town.

The hotel has a lovely bar, very small but great atmosphere. It's decorated with very dark timber and leather couches, jazz music playing and old photos of the hotel adorn the walls. We decided to enjoy a drink here on one night, only one though as it is very over priced.

Nikko is a lovely place but you wouldn't really stay here for longer than 2 nights. I was really disappointed in the shopping and food options as well.