Outstanding staff; always friendly and helpful (before and during the stay). Authentic ryokan within walking distance of the Snow Monkey Park. The highlights were the meals and private bath. Highly recommend booking with dinner and breakfast included (at check-in we were offered dinner seating times at 6, 6:30 and 7PM; breakfast seating times offered were 7:30, 8 and 8:30AM). The meals were course-after-course of beautifully prepared foods (you will not walk away hungry). In addition to having two public baths onsite (one for men, one for women), a private bath is available onsite (booked in 50 minute increments) suitable for 1-4 people. If you want to ensure bath availability--or meal timing--request in advance. I believe they can also assist with visits to local baths, but we found their baths perfect for our use. Additionally, they have a shuttle to the Snow Monkey Park at 9:45AM (sign-up during check-in)--they don't offer a return shuttle, though it's a beautiful hour-long walk back. Finally, they offer a very useful shuttle to the train station (request time at check-in: 9:05, 9:30, 10:20, or 10:50AM).

This is not related to the lodging, but ensure you have a solid transportation plan to get to/from the area (schedules change throughout the year). There is a Snow Monkey Park voucher that includes train/bus to/from Nagano, entrance to the park, etc. It's a good deal--but more important, it's flexible and convenient.

Overall hospitality of the staff, kaiseki dinners and breakfasts and onsen facilities were simply outstanding! It is conveniently located not too far away from Snow Monkey park.

The kaiseki dinner was incredibly delicious but VERY generous, almost more than I could handle! I'd suggest to make individual courses a bit smaller, I'd hate to waste wonderful food and leave anything on the table. I guess it is a good problem to have!

Convenient access to monkey park. Owner involvement in meeting & greeting us, despite language challenges. Nice meals.

Overall very good, but could have been great if: a) better attention to communication before check-in. I asked regarding arrival pickup from station weeks before, but response was late (actually almost reaching Yudanaka!) b) since monkey park is so near Masuya, perhaps can offer guests pick-up also (& I'm willing to pay if required) Much opportunity to improve.

Authentic Japanese style accommodation but with private bathroom and toilet in our room. Very quiet and comfortable. First time for us sleeping on futon on tatami, and all the customs of the Japanese inn were explained to us by the amazing staff. Speaking of which, the staff were incredibly welcoming and took great care to make us happy and comfortable. We learned so much and increased our vocabulary of Japanese words, and they were very patient and good-humoured with us. We chose to book all inclusive with dinners and breakfasts, without making any special requests or dietary requirements, so we left it all to chance whether we would enjoy it. The food was very different to western style, and was a bit of an adventure, but every dish was presented beautifully and it was obviously made with great care. And we ate so much! Left the table full and satisfied every time, and tried many new things. Very high quality. At the inn you are supplied with yukata (cotton robes) and slippers to wear in your room and throughout the property. We wore the yukata to dinner and breakfast and most other guests did too. The whole experience was so much more than a place to stay, it was an immersive cultural experience we will never forget. If you want to try a Ryokan or Japanese accommodation but worried about how you will go as a westerner, don't worry, and we highly recommend Masuya. Convenient to Snow monkey park, onsens, and the ski area is just a short way up the mountain.

Our stay at Wafu-no-Yado was nothing short of amazing. We booked a half-board stay (breakfast and dinner included) and it was the best decision we made. Our meals were carefully prepared and tasted so good (even better than some omakase courses we've had in Japan). We found ourselves looking forward to meals! The private onsen and shower area in our room was also amazing. The ryokan staff were so hospitable and caring, and did everything they could to ensure our stay was comfortable and pleasant. There truly isn't anything to dislike about our stay. Would totally come back!

We loved everything about this place - the location right on the main onsen town street, their own onsen, the wonderful dinners nd breakfast, and the very attentive service. The first night we arrived late, tired and hungry to find out that we need cash for the sushi that was the only one still open. They were so kind and generous, and realizing the despair, that the person at the front desk hoped in her can and drove us to an ATM that was 20 mins away. this level od attantivnedd remained throughout our stay. We enjoyed it so much we extended a day.

The staff are super friendly. Our family of 5 checked in slightly past the time, and they were flexible to wait for us. The staff paid special attention to details and all our dhoes were cleaned when it's kept at the storage area. We tried both public onsen and the private one, too. We love the outdoor public onsen. It's clean and relaxing. We booked 2 rooms, and the bigger room facing the river is scenic, especially when it's snowing. We had dinner and breakfast at the inn, and there was more than enough to fill your stomach. Food was presented nicely, and the individual course was served gradually as we ate and enjoyed the beautiful view from the private dining area. Snow Monkey is just a short drive away, around 15 minutes. Overall, a wonderful experience for my family!!

It would be ideal to have an adjoining room for a large family. Direction for transport from Snow Monkey could be better as we were not sure of which bus to board, but eventually, they sent a driver to pick us up.

Wow! We had the most amazing experience staying at the hotel. They served us hot tea and desert as soon as we arrived. They also provided Yukata that’s suitable to you. They gave us thorough explanation about the hotel, the town and all the facilities. We didn’t book the room with open air onsen as the facility has one you can book! The room we booked was a western style Japanese room with twin beds which was overlooking the river. The beds were comfortable and the room itself was pleasant. We like to sleep with window opened. It was snowing outside but we could hear the river, which was really nice. The private onsen was incredible! It was specious and clean. Although it’s advertised as indoor private onsen, you can open the bifold door all the way to make it an open air onsen. The public onsens were really nice and pleasant. It was extremely cleaned! The food here was incredible. Service was the best we’ve had in Japan! We can’t wait to come back, and this is the place we would be happy to the spend money. The hotel is connected to Shibu onsen town, which had multiple incredible onsens all around. We didn’t use any of other onsens as the hotel onsens were incredible. PLEASE NOTE SHUTTLE SERVICE AVAILABLE - they have bus shuttle service from hotel to monkey park and to Yudanaka station! Read a few reviews and thought they didn’t have any shuttle service but they do!

The public onsens closed at 9am, so if you check out that day, I’d suggest using the onsen before you breakfast to make the most of it!

The onsen was very clean and instructions given by staff on using the Yukata was clear. The dinner was exceptional except that my children could not really enjoy Kaiseki style so perhaps can consider simple ala carte options (udon or soba) for children as alternative options. We love the rooms as well, futon was very comfortable.

Location was a little difficult to reach from yudanaka train station. There was no taxi available and we had to take a bus. It was not far to get there but perhaps owner can provide bus instructions on the website or after booking for us to get clear directions.

Staying at MASUYA was an unforgettable experience. My mum and I thoroughly enjoyed our stay. The staff were incredible in their attention to detail, kindness and thoughtful gestures throughout our stay. The food, we had two vegan breakfasts and a dinner. Delicious. It cannot be faulted. I have never experienced such wonderful ingredients cooked together and beautifully presented. The dinner had about 5 courses, each showcasing different flavours from the season. I’ve never had anything quite like it. The location is brilliant too. Sitting in the middle of shibu onsen you are spoilt for choice of onsens, including the wonderful ones inside the hotel. The room is very comfortable, spacious and with lovely views, the entire layout of the hotel is very relaxing and peaceful. I highly recommend you stay here. I would love to visit again!