Traditional and taught us a lot about Japanese culture and cuisine. Best night sleep in months on the futons. Staff were delightful and informative.

There was an occasional strange smell in the rooms which we got used to in the end. We smelt this in other hotels so wonder if it was due to some cleaning materials. Massive mark up on the local wine which we found much cheaper in a tourist resort later.

* Extremely tasty Japanese breakfast! Significantly different meal on the two different days that we had it, which was a nice surprise. (We did not opt for the dinner, but I imagine it would also have been great.) * Beautiful property/landscaping/etc. * Onsens were very nice. The private one(s) are obviously much smaller, and have a worse outdoor view than the separated men's/women's ones. On the days when we were there, the group onsens were not busy at all. * Walking distance to the Snow Monkey Park. * Location is pretty far from the center of town, but it's not too bad of a walk. * Great, helpful staff.

* Fairly dated bathroom facilities; they're fine, but don't expect them to be very modern/state-of-the-art, by Japanese standards. * Note the check-in window; if you arrive after this time by train, you'll probably want to take a taxi from the train station; luckily, there is a taxi company office right next to the train station.

We love everything about this hotel - the service (English is spoken here), the food, the comfortable room (beds, size, tea-making facilities, view, etc). It snowed a lot during our stay and thankfully, we booked the breakfast and dinner with the room package, because there was only 1 cafe and 1 high-end restaurant nearby that were open. The location is perfect for visiting the Snow Money Park. About 40 mins' walk.

Although the bathrooms were well-equipped and heated, but there were no hand/face towels and no place to hang up the bath towels. It's nice that they provide cotton kimonos, socks and slippers for our daily use, but wished there was a small bench/stool near the door, to sit on when we are putting on out boot and shoes.

Everything was amazing. The front desk staff was attentive - they helped us coordinate our schedule so that we were able to make the most out of our short stay. We had a perfect, stress-free stay that was truly one of the best hotel experiences that either of us have ever had. Our room was clean, comforting, and the shikibuton was so soft and comfortable. The private onsen was also clean and easy to use. They even surprised us with nice memorabilia and their Japanese-style room. We felt so special and welcome. We hope to come back, and to surprise my parents with a stay there one day!

Our stay was perfect, we had no complaints the entire time. We wish we could've stayed longer!

Absolutely gorgeous ryokan! My partner and I specifically booked here due to it's close walking proximity to the Monkey Park. The ryokan itself was an experience on its own-- comfortable tatami, yukata for everyday wear. A highlight was definitely the gorgeous view of the mountains from our balcony! Definitely recommend booking the meal plans! It includes multiple courses showcasing Nagano's delicacies and specialities. We also booked a private stone onsen, 10/10. Incredibly relaxing. It was specially soothing in the outdoor onsen! The staff were incredibly kind and helpful. My partner and I spoke a bit of Japanese, and they went above and beyond to ensure we had a fabulous stay! We will definitely return again!

Nothing!

Great location for snow monkeys, could just walk out of hotel and up to entrance. Just had heavy dump of snow and looks like a magical winter wonderland with beautiful garden features. We had dinner and breakfast included and it was delicious if you are looking to experience multiple Japanese dishes (if you want western cuisine I don’t know what it would be like). We had a private onsen which had an indoor and outdoor door bath, just wonderful. This place is a bit old school, I loved it, authentic and a step back in time. The staff were great too, a real highlight for us on our trip.

Nothing

This is an excellent high end ryokan. The location is superb if you want to visit the snow monkey park (we were a 3 families group of 11 people from New Zealand, 2 families had not been to the park). Otherwise it is a destination property as it is outside the Shibu Onsen town area and not within walking distance. It is a great stopover if you are on or from the way to ski Shiga Kogen (we came from Nozawa Onsen). The hotel itself is beautifully designed for the 4 seasons (we came in winter). It has a great Japanese art collection. The historic works are lovely. There are nice design features dotted throughout the property. The koi pond on the way to the onsen area stands out (especially when the fish gather around the hot water vent). The rooms are spacious (esp. by Japanese standards) and well appointed. The futons and pillows are very comfortable and the duvet is thick and plush (but see my comment below on the thing to watch out for). The room had an outdoor balcony. The view from our rooms looked back towards the mountains. We had a clear day and sunset was beautiful. The food is excellent. We had the Japanese dinner and breakfast. What you would expect from a high end ryokan, and it met our expectations (exceeded the expectations of the families who had not been to Japan before). The service is top notch. Food allergies (eggs, nuts) were catered for. I think staff were matched to the group, as everyone who looked after us had reasonable to very good English. The comms before arrival was good. The onsen is nice. The mineral water is wonderful. It is not cheap per se but it is worth it. You get what you pay for, but in this case I think you get a wonderful Japanese experience for a reasonable price. Totally recommend.

We are gaijins (foreigners) so we are not used to how hot the Japanese love their rooms. The heat was cranked up way too high (26°C when we first got to the room). Had to open Even when we turned the heat down to 18°C, it was way too hot overnight, especially under the duvets. One of our group had the smart idea of turning on the aircon in his room (in winter!) to cool it down. Should have done the same.

Food and restaurant service was great, I recommend having breakfast and dinner here as it's worth it. You can tell this is a classic japanese ryokan where local people go to, which was very nice to see and experience - not the usual touristy ryokan. The japanese garden in the middle of the building is absolutely stunning, with a little waterfall and koi fishes in the pond, it was pretty magical to see in autumn!

The private outdoor onsens weren't that special considering that you have to book them and pay AUD $15 each to use them.

The entire experience was amazing - we fully immersed ourselves in the experience with a Japanese style room, clothing, food, and onsen. The dinners and breakfasts were tasty and beautifully presented. They were even able to accomodate my vegetarian diet, so I was able to fully experience the meals. Staying here was truly a highlight of our visit to Japan!

The room had lots of glass (window/door), so part of the room got very warm when the afternoon sun was shining and also the hotel is on a single boiler system which means you cannot adjust the room's individual room temperature, so we also were slightly too warm at night (we solved this by cracking open the door).

After doing lots of walks through the Japanese alps and the Nakasendo Way, we decided to spend a little bit more money for a really beautiful and luxurious hotel. This hotel was worth the price. If you let them know in advance they will pick you up from the Yudanaka railway station (and drop you back there). It is a very short walk to the entrance of the snow monkey park from the hotel and it is located among beautiful mountains so the scenery is spectacular. The staff spoke English which we really appreciated and were really helpful with all our questions. We let the hotel know in advance that we needed a gluten free dinner and breakfast and they went to an amazing effort to accommodate this request. The meals were some of the best I’ve had in Japan and I will never forget their wagyu beef. The restaurant staff were fabulous too. The twin bed room was really spacious and comfortable, way more room than we expected. The private outdoor onsen is easy to book when you check in and was delightful, especially when it was snowing. A beautiful hotel with wonderful staff, I hope I get to stay there again one day.