Homestays in Gunma Prefecture, Japan

This was my first and only stay at a ryokan so I don’t have much to compare it to. I chose this lodging because of the cats and good reviews on the food. The cats were really sweet and I enjoyed playing with them. I have 2 cats of my own so it was really nice. The food was so beautiful and delicious - the mushroom soup at dinner was amazing. I really enjoyed it. The private bath rooms were very convenient and open 24 hrs. I thought the facilities were clean and very pleasant. The location was very close to the central area and a quick walk to all the important sites including the bus station. The only comment I have was in the morning someone was smoking and the smell got ****** into the 2nd floor hallway so maybe more care should be taken to be sure the smoke stays outside. The host was so nice and sweet and I used google translate to ask questions. The matcha madeleines are so tasty I bought a box to take with me.

This is the best stay I’ve ever stayed It’s a family run pension with two super friendly golden retrievers, the whole house is newly built, extremely clean, and decorated with good taste The dinner and breakfast are western- Japanese fusion, everything is homemade, definitely worth trying There is a nice and clean private onsen, or you can take a bus to have a day trip to other bigger onsen Minakami itself is a countryside area, and the pension is right next to the bus station There is literally nothing around the stay, so you need to get everything you need in Minakami station, but I think it’s a characteristic rather than disadvantage

The family room didn't include breakfast. It had a spacious living room and bedroom. The free parking was a bit far, but still manageable, as the staff would help drive the car to the parking lot and carry your luggage to the room. The manager then gave a very detailed explanation of the hot spring facilities (using Google Translate), which took quite a while. They said it was a hot spring where adding cold water was allowed in small quantities! I quickly realized that to enjoy the original hot spring water, they didn't add a single drop, allowing it to cool naturally to around 45 degrees Celsius. For me, that was too hot and completely unacceptable. Luckily, we added a lot of water here, and it was comfortable. Even the kids dared to come in!

We had a pleasant stay at the Mitsuba House for our holidays. It’s a beautiful house, and has everything we need to cook and play. The Owner kept the house so nice and clean, and most importantly, the house is warm. I had a bad experience before staying in a Japanese House and it was very cold. The Owner is super friendly, walked us through the house to make sure everything is fine and we stay comfortably at Mitsuba House. I will definitely like to stay at Mitsuba House again when we come to the area. Highly recommended!

The place is far from the city so it’s actually pretty hard to access to this place. But the owner is really nice, she helped us with a lot of stuff, including with luggage transfer and taking us back to the train station. She also made us food because she’s worried we’re not eating enough and it’s cold. On top of that, if you are planning to go snowboarding or skiing there is a shuttle bus near by that takes you to the Kawaba ski resort for free!

Booked the Japanese style room with toilet. Shower room has to be shared on the 2nd floor. Room has no amenities at all. Basic hair dryer and hot flask are in the communal area. We had to set up the bed ourselves. Room was dusty and was freezing cold even tho there was heater from the air con on winter’s night. There’s instructions to learn how to kill the stink bugs. The hotel facilities are good but the overall experience wasn’t good.

Most of the other rooms that stopped on the same day were foreigners, probably because tourists from abroad used the main place. I stayed without meals, but there was a large kitchen on the first floor, with dishes, cooking utensils, seasonings, etc. It's a little far on foot to go to Yubatake at night. It was cold, so I bought it at the supermarket and cooked myself in the kitchen. It was very good as if I was drinking at home. There is also a kotatsu. It was fun to drink with tourists from France! There are two baths separate from the shower, and it is a hot hot spring. There is no preparation for yukata and you need to bring your room clothes, but the heating worked well and it wasn't cold. The toilet, bath, dresser, etc. were shared but not crowded and very beautiful. The staff is not resident, check-in and check-out are unmanned and done on a tablet, but it was easy and smooth. I would like to use it again if I have the opportunity! Thank you!

It was my first time staying at the shukubo, but in a good way it was a very cozy inn without being ”formal” or ”stiff”. The food was just right and delicious. The story of the priest in front of zazen was also very good. It was a feeling that life experience was oozing out.

Very recommended, the host is very helpful. There is breakfast and dinner similar to fine dining, delicious food every meal. The room is clean with an onsen as well. And the atmosphere is very good If you come back around here Will stay here again If you come a month with snow, it should be very good.

Dinner and breakfast very good and location is ok but Behind the 7-11 need 15 minutes