Homestays in Nagano Prefecture, Japan

It was very comfortable with the feeling of staying in a comfortable house. I felt the richness of nature from the window and was quiet and relaxing.

Honestly, I can't praise this place enough. The owners are a really lovely couple; very welcoming and extremely helpful. The rooms are great - plenty of space and all the amenities you need for a short stay. The onsen is just the best - it's a private one that you can lock the door to and have to yourself for as long as you can cope with the hot water! But the *food* - wow! The food is absolutely fantastic and expertly cooked. Honestly, I've eaten in Michelin starred restaurants with food that wasn't as good as this. On top of that, at our first evening meal, we found that the message hadn't been relayed about my wife being a pescatarian. Anywhere else that might have been a problem, but within twenty-five minutes an entire new fish meal had been prepared and served - and was absolutely amazing. We were SO impressed. Also, what a truly beautiful location. Oh yes, and they have *monkeys*!! They wandered past the property in the evening and wandered back the next morning. I'm trying to name anything negative and I honestly can't - the closest thing I can think of is that the property is hard to locate and you definitely need a car to get there, but if you can get there, do - it was one of two equal-best places we've stayed at in Japan. Thank you to the owners (sorry, I never asked your names) for a wonderful stay in your home.

This place is ~5mins walk from Zenkoji temple. neighborhood is peaceful at night. Shoes to be removed outside the accommodation. Rooms are on the 2nd floor so you'll have to carry your luggage up (there's no lift). Room (with window) is huge. You'll have to head downstairs to use the shared toilet and shared onsen (no toilet inside the room). We were only allowed 30mins of onsen time for 2 pax - couples weren't allowed to use the onsen concurrently so we had to go one after another (i'm not sure if the instructions got lost in translation..). Felt very rushed so i didnt really get to enjoy the onsen experience, but overall was nice and clean. Interesting 6.30am tour around the area and within the temple itself, followed by a simple vegetarian breakfast (porridge with omakase-styled sides with miso soup) back at the accommodation. The morning tour lasted from 6.30am - 8.30am. The accommodation provided a fleece blanket to each pax to bring to Zenkoji temple to keep us warm during the morning praying ceremony. We went on 30 Dec and it was SO COLD. Overall interesting experience but accommodation price is pretty steep IMO.

Wonderful Stay at Garden Pension Obogurgl We had an excellent experience at Garden Pension Obogurgl. The location is perfect—just a short walk to the Hakuba Goryu lifts, which made getting on the mountain super easy every day. The pension itself is cozy, clean, and peaceful, with a lovely garden that adds to the charm. Our room was warm and comfortable, with plenty of space for ski gear, and the communal areas had a relaxed, homely vibe. The hosts were friendly and welcoming, always happy to help with local tips and transport advice. We especially enjoyed being able to walk everywhere—whether it was to the nearby convenience stores, local restaurants, or just strolling among the beautiful pine trees. The large cherry blossom tree out the front added a special touch to the peaceful surroundings. If you're after a quiet, scenic, and welcoming place to stay in Hakuba Goryu, Garden Pension Obogurgl is a fantastic choice.

The meals in the evening and in the morning were delicious! I went in the middle of summer, but it was so cool and comfortable that I was able to sleep with the windows open at night without turning on the air conditioner. I was a little worried about the unisex toilets on the second floor, but the toilets on the first floor were separated for men and women, so I used the one on the first floor. The owner was also very kind, and after checking out, he drove me to the nearest station. This was very helpful as I had a lot of luggage. The price was also reasonable, so I was very satisfied. I would like to use this hotel again on my next summer trip to Nagano.

Not more than 10-minutes walk away from the Chuo Bus Terminal, and near to the Hikage Gondola station. The Shin-yu onsen is less than 2-min walk further up. It preserved the look and feel of a hotel late 90s - early 2000s. Clean, and tidy with a spacious tatami room. The hostess was very hospitable, and I was shown my room upon arrival at 12pm+, well before the official 3pm check-in time. The heater kept the room warm at 24C. Shared toilet facility. Even though it has its own public bath, clients were encouraged to make use of the free onsen facilities, with small buckets of toiletries placed near the main entrance which can be brought out. I kept my luggage there after checking out in the morning for free. Only came back to collect after my skiing at the end of the day. Be punctual for the breakfast at 730pm if you subscribe to the meal. Well, had a satisfying stay. 😊

The location is great and it is well maintained. I stayed in the 4 beds female dorm, it was spacious. The bed was big with a little desk at one side of the bed for organising personal items. Each bed has their own charging pod. There are some limitations though: the lift can't be used so suitcases are moved up via staircase. I have to go down to the 2nd floor for the bathroom and toilet. I am not sure how many people are sharing them but I never need to wait an they are clean.

The hotel is one kilometer away from the bus terminal, but there are small stops near the hotel to various ski resorts, which is very convenient. I booked a total of 5 nights, including meals. The 5 breakfasts are basically Japanese, very hearty and satisfying! It is a traditional Japanese-style bed and breakfast. The room is on tatami mats and you make your own bed. In some years, the furniture is not new, and you can hear it in the walking room in the corridor, but it is very clean! The quality of the guests is also very good, there is no loud noise, which is much better than the Europeans and Americans who later lived in the hotel! The boss is an old Japanese couple. They don’t talk much and may not always smile like other Japanese people, but in fact they love to help. After dinner every morning, they ask you where you plan to go today, and then pull you there. His map wall helps you plan your itinerary, and the hotel also has a lot of coupons or low-cost ski tickets for ski resort cooperation. Save a lot of expenses. After checking out, you need to change to another hotel. After the boss asks the address, he will send it to the next one, but there are still not many words 😁, thank you for your rigorous and lovely Japanese grandpa Very cost-effective, recommended!

The location is very good, a few tens of meters away is a free bus stop, you can go to various ski resorts, the boss is very enthusiastic, can provide the village station shuttle and a lot of help you need, we stayed for three nights, arranged a two-story suite, The toilet kitchen living room is independent, the tatami is upstairs, very warm and warm, next time you choose to go here

Meteor Garden is located conveniently 5-7min drive from main Hakuba Village. One thing to note is that the main cafe in the stay is not open so need to find other dining alternatives. Rooms and amenities are clean and well maintained, the one issue is that it’s not well marked on Google map as it keeps pointing to the restaurant which was not opened and gave us a false alarm. Wifi is not the fastest and does not handle multiple devices that well especially when you are trying to work. There was some confusion when booked via Trip as the contact information was somehow truncated so hotel was unable to contact me without going through Trip thus messages were delayed. Overall it was an enjoyable stay and everyone had a great time…