Best Yamanouchi Hotels

"From the moment you enter Kokuya Ryokan, be prepared to leave the real world behind and fully immerse yourself in the experience. You swap your shoes for slippers at the door and don’t see them again until you leave. You will receive a warm welcome from polite and gentle-mannered staff, get taken up to your beautiful room, and once you’ve changed into your traditional yukata, it’s time to let the relaxation begin. The multi-course dinner will probably be one of the best meals you’ve had in your life, with many unusual textures and flavors to try. The futons are comfortable, and your room is kept toasty warm. There are even skincare products to keep you pampered and moisturized between soaks in the onsen. Honestly, you won’t even need to open your suitcase while you’re there. The staff will take you through all the logistics when you arrive, but there are some things that might be useful to know in advance. - The ryokan sends a shuttle to Yudanaka station at about 15:00 to collect new arrivals, so time your journey to take advantage of this benefit. - The ryokan also offers guests the opportunity to catch a shuttle to the Snow Monkey Park immediately after breakfast the next morning. - After you leave the ryokan, they will take your luggage down to the coffee shop opposite the station, so you don’t need to worry about those logistics. - Trains from Yudanaka back to Nagano leave at 12:30 and 15:30. - The ryokan itself has several private onsens that you can reserve for a 45-minute slot. Because the onsens are on the property, you can go in with your partner or travel companions regardless of gender. It’s a boutique hotel, so you don’t have to worry about not getting access to all the onsens you want. - The ryokan is on the main road of the Shibu Onsen town. The hotel will give you a key so you can wonder down the main road, visiting any of the public onsens you wish - however, with so many gorgeous and more private onsens in the hotel itself, you probably won’t have time or the desire for this. - Also, there is a coffee machine in the room! (I was worried about having to survive without coffee, and this turned out to be an unfounded concern). We had an incredible and totally indulgent time at Kokuya. Experiencing a traditional ryokan is a privilege that you should try at least once if you can. And adding the Snow Monkeys in give the trip a double purpose, making it that much more memorable. The only thing that would have made the trip better is if we had been allowed to linger longer over every course of our dinner."

"It's a 10 mins walk uphill from train station so maybe better to try to contact them for a complimentary pick up. The place is super grand and 2 onsens. A Instagram worthy one that the males and females get to use it at different timings. The shower stuff in the onsen are mediocre though. No fancy facial stuff for women unlike some other onsens at this price range. We had breakfast and dinner for the 2 nights. And well worth it. But you have to follow a fixed timing and we felt a bit rushed but otherwise it was really great and service perfect. We had one the biggest rooms I believe Room 716. Had a sitting area and also a sleeping area. Easily fits 8 persons. We were only 2. In the day they kept the futons and brought it out at night. Towels changed every night. There is a van that goes straight to Mount Yokoteyama ski resort. The receptionist didn't seem to know about it but you could try to Google. It was a complimentary ride to and fro if you bought the lift tickets. Took only like 30 mins to get there. You can get rentals at hotels there."

"The room is super super super great! The food is very rich and delicious. The front desk staff was very friendly from the time we got to the shuttle bus. The owner of the hotel came to greet us at dinner time. She is a very elegant Japanese kimono lady. There is also a collection of precious kimonos in the store, which is worth seeing. The private bath can be booked. Although the area is not large, it is worth experiencing. After checking out the next day, there is a car that can take you to Yudanaka Station or Snow Monkey Park. If you go to the Snow Monkey Park, you will also be given a guide map to Yudanaka Station by bus. In short, it is a very good experience."

"Very Japanese style, old couple, the boss is super nice, we went very late, the boss drove to the station to pick us up, love it! The meal was very good, well received"

"Excellent location next to ski lift at Sun Valley. 3 mins walk to the local bus station with buses going to Nagano Station direct (express service) or Yudanaka station. Room and bath room (2 basins and 1 sink) are spacious - we had 3 futons and 2 single beds for our family of 5. They may be a little dated but very clean. Room has a view to outside snowy forest during our time. Highlights of our stay: Half board meals - authentic Japanese! Big portions and lots of pretty and dishes served! Free coffee everyday in late afternoon. Service was impeccable - the front desk lady (very friendly and excellent service disposition) , and the elderly folks who served in the restaurant - thumbs up!"

"Some of the best customer service we've ever experienced. Ms. Abe was wonderful and her English was excellent. The outdoor onsen was perfect, truly beautiful. A big, well landscaped area, truly relaxing. All guests get to reserve 30 minutes of private use each evening, which was wonderful, but you can also go back during men's time, women's time, or mixed if you want to enjoy some more. The breakfast was also very good, and the room was sizeable. This was our favourite stay in Japan."

"We really enjoyed the experience of staying at the ryokan. Friendly hostess, neat house. We were treated to tea and buns. The location is very convenient, near the train station. There is a very beautiful pond with koi fish in the yard. We enjoyed the experience of the public bath. There are 3 baths in the ryokan: 2 public and 1 indoor. I visited one public, the pool was outside, which created an additional atmosphere for this place. We were a little puzzled by the early departure at 10 am, but the hostess kindly allowed us to leave our luggage with her for longer"

"More traditional Japanese-style hotel, dinner is eaten at the izakaya opposite, there are packages and a la carte to choose from, OK, relatively quiet, breakfast is simple, there is bread coffee juice, if you can be rich, it is better"

"由於剛裝修完，酒店硬件一流，所有設備都是新的，一進房間有香香的原木味，房間配置了一個露天風呂，水温足夠熱，但不確定是不是天然温泉。 預定是一泊二食，餐食也很滿意。"