Quiet and peaceful environment. Room is big and bed and comforter were extremely comfortable to rest on. The onsen facilities are great

Had wished that the dinner served would be local Japanese instead of French cruisine. However the dinner and breakfast were good though.

the location is great, tucked away in nature. the staff were extreamly nice and easy to comunicate with. the food was fantastic even though the vegan option contained a lot of processed food (but they had a vegan option if you let them know ahead). the onsen onsite is increadible and the room was specious and futons were comfy.

the design of the common spaces and corridors was a bit hospitalish. the vegan food for breakfast was all highly processed food. there was no flexibility for checkin and out even tough the space was empty. the windows in the room looking into great view were covered with a grid pattern disturbing the view.

Snow is a novelty for our family of 4 who hail from the tropics & hence, we chose to stay here for a night in mid-February, where we were confident we would be safe & well taken care of, with snow-boots & snow-shoes being provided for snow activities. We are happy to report that we were proven right & we thoroughly enjoyed our stay in this lovely lodge located in a beautiful winter wonderland! The lodge is a short scenic 10-15 minute drive up a hill from the picturesque village of Shirakawa-go (you would need to pre-arrange with the hotel for the complimentary pick-up & drop-off by van from/to the Shirakawa-go bus station). Itinerary-wise, this worked perfectly for us - we spent the morning exploring the village before catching the van up to the lodge after lunch. Shortly after check-in, we had great fun sledding down the snowy slopes for about an hour (we were the only ones during the guided session) - we actually didn't feel too tired pulling the sleds & tubes up the hill non-stop, due to adrenaline overdrive. The next day, we enjoyed the guided morning forest walk with show-shoes - while our helpful, friendly & enthusiastic guide (Lin Lin) did not speak much English, we still managed to communicate through gesturing & a translation app, so we learnt about different plants & their uses & medicinal values. There is also a snow play park, with shovels provided, which we used to build our very first snowman. A tip is to dress in water-proof jacket & pants (raincoat pants - which we bought from Shopee - over our jeans, worked well for us). The lobby, with wooden beams across its high gable ceiling & tall wide windows offering a beautiful winter scenery with snowy mountains in the backdrop, is a lovely place to relax with a good story book & a cup of hot drink in hand. We also loved the fine French course dinner & the Western buffet breakfast which included delicious soft rolls & pastries.

The location is within a 10-minute drive from the Gassho-style village in Shirakawa-go. Even the public outdoor hot spring bath is fine landscape design to provide visual enjoyment while soaking. Simple trees just happen to extend the hot spring skyline. The breakfast is decent, considering it's a nature school after all. But what truly shines here is the offering of both paid and free outdoor activities; that's the real attractive point of this nature school.

None, the hotel meet my expectation.

Hotel has great facilities - free activities for guests to do. We tried the morning snow walk and it was so fun. They have multiple free activities for guest to do as well. Dinner (French course meal) was great but would be better if it was Japanese meal. But overall still really good. Room was big and clean, not very modern but very clean and tidy.

Hotel was far from the main bus station…. But able to arrange free shuttle service to hotel. Breakfast buffet did not have a lot of options…. Very basic.

The eco institute is something like a large family camp site, that probably accommodates school groups at times too. It was very quite when we were there in late December. Main areas comprised of large light filled buildings, with stunning views of the falling snow and a beautiful French cuisine set-menu dinners. Breakfast spread was lovely too. The onsen was wonderful, with both inside and outside areas. Unfortunately we chose a dorm room with shared bathroom, which wasn’t really what we wanted. No shower - had to use onsen to bath. Good hearing in our room. Warm beds. The staff were very helpful.

Felt cold and not cosy. No where to get warm or a hot drink. Room was not what we were expecting. No shower.

We like this hotel as it has everything you need for a comfortable stay. We participated in the hike through the forest and it was both fun and informative. We also participate in the snow sliders. Good fun for kids. Heavy snow during our stay but it was all very beautiful. We had a lovely French meal part of booking half board and it was a perfect way to end the day. The onsen was very nice, both the indoor and outdoor. Highly recommended for families.

-the hotel is located in a forest, with ground still partially covered in snow in late march. The location feels like a resort. in fact, it has free activities like forest walk which we enjoyed thoroughly (boots and snow shoes provided). But if you don't drive, you will need to use their free shuttle to and fro from Shirakawago bus terminal. about 10 mins drive. -great outdoor onsen. We enjoyed the stars and moon while we soaked! -french style meal and fine dining, which is a pleasant surprise for us. (altho the fish was overcooked)

--fish a bit overdone for dinner. -- can be inconvenient to reach. But the hotel do provides free shuttle. you can send them message through booking platform to book the shuttle beforehand. they were responsive and helpful to the queries.

Food was exceptional, highly recommend the full dinner (even though it’s expensive). Truly amazing chef. I did like one day better than the other in regards to the meal. Though it’s not walking distance to shirakawa go, the shuttle service is exceptional and I didn’t feel like it was a hassle to go there and back. Onsen was also great!

I wish they had slightly better onsen facilities, such as q tips and better hair and skin products for after showering. It was also weird how the washroom had a slit in the door, where odor and noise could escape (felt awkward going to the washroom).

The facility was great in general with well-kept cabins. The staff provided us with tools to play in the snow with

The snow piled up on our car which it took us a while to clean off. It would be nice if there was a shelter. There were no showers in the cabin so we had to shower in the osen, which my kids were not so keen on. Overall everything was fine.