This place was absolutely incredible. Every detail of my stay was extremely thought through by the hotel staff. I had no idea how personal the experience would be or that the property would have such a rich history. The owner is the chef, and he cooked the dinners in front of us, explained several Japanese culinary traditions, showed us the artwork collection on the property, and gave us the history of his hotel and his family. The food was top-notch, traditional, and different each night and morning (great for seafood lovers!). I don't speak any Japanese unfortunately, but there are enough English speaking staff members on-site to provide translations for everything.
My recommendation for staying here is that guests plan their stays in Kyoto around spending a significant amount of time at Izuyasu in the evenings to fully appreciate the experience. For those looking to stay here but also experience night life in Kyoto, I recommend splitting the trip between Izuyasu and another simpler hotel (unless cost is no object). Note that Izuyasu has an 11 PM - 7AM curfew.
My only suggestion for improvement is that the hotel add an explanation on their guest book about how massage payments work. I was unaware that I was supposed to pay the massage therapist directly, rather than through the hotel, and I was lucky that I had enough cash on-hand.
