The room size, staff service and food was spectacular. It was as competitive as the service I experienced in Kamikochi.

Though people use to go to the onsen outside the inn, the shower room could be in better condition.

We were welcomed by friendly staff upon check in. They only speak simple English but that’s not a big issue as we have translation apps nowadays. 4 of us stayed 2 rooms, and the room were big, biggest we can get during our trip in Japan. As this is a local operated ryokan, the rooms are not identical. They served dinner and breakfast and it’s really good. You get to eat Yamagata beef and sashimi.

The downside is you have to carry your luggage up a very steep and narrow staircase. There is bathroom and toilet is outside and shared but I think this is expected in most of the local ryokan. At least one of our room has a basin, that’s more convenient.

This Ryokan is family-owned and everybody is super friendly! We arrived one hour before checkin time and it was pouring outside, so they already let us into the room! We really appreciate this and it gave us the opportunity to warm up a bit before we explored the Onsen in town. Dinner was amazing too!

Nothing really! The bathroom (no onsen) at the Ryokan is quite old and it was cold in the changing room. I think some people might mind it, but it was ok for us. :)

A friend and I stayed there during one week-end. It was a very good experience. The room is quite large and very clean. The highlight of this stay was for sure the dinner. The food was delicious, made with high quality products and with a large selection of different dishes. The owners were very nice with us. If you want to have an experience in a traditionnal family owned ryokan, I highly recommend to stay there :) It is exactly the kind of place that I hope will still exist in some years!

The breakfast and dinner is traditional Japanese and is excellent and value for money. The dinner was especially sumptuous and was more than expected. It had a small onsen and for the more adventurous you can also use on of the 3 public onsen that was only steps away from the front door. It's exceptionally close to the ski lift - easily walkable even with gear.

For what we had paid and the location I would say it was as per expectation, so there isn't anything that wasn't to my liking.

Family friendly (we were family of 6, 8 yo, 14 yo , 18 yo and 3 adults), the hosts/owner was very accommodating, kind and helpful. Room was clean, traditional tatami room, also kept clean every morning. The dinner and breakfast is a must have if you want to experience traditional, delicious, home cooked Japanese meal (locally sourced). Few mins walk from all the 3 public onsens which is very convenient, you get to try them for free too (the ryokan provides the coupons for you). The inhouse public onsen is also a great option, a few steps from the rooms. For those who ski/snowboard, it is also a few minute walk from the Ski resort (ski ticketing/renting area). You can buy lift tickets from the ryokan at a discounted rate as well They also assisted is in shipping (Takuhaibin) our 5 luggage of ski gears to our next destination.

I wish we stayed longer :)

- The staff are very nice. - It has its own public bath. - ⁠the style is lake a Japanese home with tatami mats and a kotatsu, you have a sink in your room and a heater. - ⁠it’s easy to get to it from the bus statio.

The pillow was hard and thin and it was the type that you can only use if you sleep on your back, if you sleep on your side or stomach it might hurt your neck.

Thank you for providing such an amazing stay in Zao Onsen! The food was so good, lots of local specialties with amazing taste. The facilities are old, but very clean and I enjoyed the traditional Japanese room a lot. Everywhere was warm, even though I arrived perfectly with the first winter weather.

I chose this place based on the ratings and it did not disappoint. It was great for foreigners but it would help to have some Japanese or access to Google translate. Definitely do the hike to the outdoor Onsen on the mountain while you’re there and you can call a cab if you need to make an earlier train. The room was incredibly clean and the tatami mats were among the most beautiful I have ever seen. The futon they use for your bed is thick and actually comfortable. You do not feel like you’re sleeping on the floor at all and the pillow was fabulous. Since the yen is so weak in November 2022, I considered buying a futon from their supplier - no lie. The food portions are large so skip lunch if you need to or learn some phrases in Japanese to apologize if you cannot finish it. Please try every dish though even if you can’t eat all of it. This is one of the best value ryokan in Japan with the meals included. You can’t beat this and Zao Onsen seems like it is underrated compared to Kusatsu. I would prefer Zao any day over Kusatsu and it isn’t so crowded. I will absolutely be back. What a gem. I would not have found this if it weren’t for booking.com and the over 9.2 rating. Privilege to stay here.

I would be nitpicking at this point and I won’t do that to them.

Our package had included breakfast and dinner. The food is mostly in Japanese style and is super value for money and of course delicious.