Popular Yamanouchi 4-star Hotels

My husband and I spent one night here as part of our honeymoon, and it was such a memorable and unique experience. We took the local bus up and only had to walk a few minutes before reaching the place. The hotel was beautiful, peaceful, clean, and quiet. We booked a private onsen and it was well worth every penny. We also added the dinner and breakfast package, and each of the meals were delicious. Such a special experience that I would highly recommend to anyone who has the opportunity. Also, make sure to try the local apples!

It is a very small town, very quiet. There are Chinese staff, very enthusiastic, you can ask them for help if you need any help. There is a wild monkey park nearby, you can go to see the little monkeys taking a hot spring bath. The hotel provides pick-up and drop-off, and there is a shuttle bus schedule.

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.

We wanted to stay in a traditional ryokan with access to hot spring baths and Kanaguya ticked all the boxes. I found this guesthouse while researching onsen close to the snow monkey park near Yudanaka Station, which we planned to visit. The fact that it is cited as inspiration for the bathhouse in Studio Ghibli’s Spirited Away was another reason for us to want to stay here. A beautiful traditional wooden guesthouse with eight baths, five of them private, and also access to the nine public baths in Shibu Onsen town (although we found these far too hot to actually bathe in, we enjoyed collecting all the stamps on a special towel!). Our room was Japanese style with sliding doors, tatami mats and futons. There was a bath and WC, but no shower, but it’s expected that guests use the hot spring baths available. All amenities are provided including yukata, obi belt, jacket, bathing supplies, and each bath has washing soap, shampoo and conditioner in dispensers. Staff were very friendly, and so polite, although the majority had limited English we did use google translate at times. The multi course dinners were amazing, served in the exquisite dining room at the top of the house, which was originally a theatre, at traditional low tables and seats. Served in beautiful individual ceramic dishes, with multiple appetisers, followed by main dishes, miso soup, rice, and lastly desert. Although not everything was to our taste, the presentation was amazing and it was a wonderful experience trying so many different flavours. We stayed two nights, and the meals were different each night. The guesthouse has a limited website page in English which directs foreigners to book via a specific third party (tour operator), but when I contacted her via the provided email was told the ryokan was closed for renovations during our preferred dates! Not helpful, as presumably they only wish to sell you a tour! I then did a wider search and found the ryokan available to book on Trip.com. Clearly it was not closed! I would definitely recommend staying at Kanaguya and visiting Shibu Onsen if you wish to experience a traditional ryokan.

The hotel is elegantly decorated, with exquisite furnishings and a very Japanese style. The hotel is about 500 meters away from Yudanaka Station. It is not in the same location as the Shibu Onsen Street and the hotel group near Yudanaka Station. It is a slightly deserted location. This Japanese-style river view room has a large area, is very warm in the room, and the window view is also unique. The room facilities are also complete, and there are drinks and snacks for check-in. However, the Japanese tatami feels a bit hard, and the pillow feels bumpy when sleeping. The sound insulation is poor, and you can hear footsteps upstairs. The breakfast is relatively rich, but there are more Japanese meals, and I am not used to it. The overall feeling is still good.

It was a very fun 2 nights and 3 days! It was the time of check-in that I was worried about before going. It was from 16 o'clock and I thought it was late ～. Arrived before 15 o'clock. If you thought you would go skiing as it was after check-in, you were ready for the room, so I was able to pass it. Thank you for upgraded to ”this is convenient”. I was happy with the room with a high top floor with a high ceiling and a snowy view. It was easy to get in and out of the ski locker and come back from skiing. I was happy with the air spray at the entrance of the ski area. I enjoyed the sunset from the bath and the pool. 3 days, we were able to enjoy it ＼ (^-^) ／

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 location of the hotel is close to Yudanaka Station,only 4-minute walk.The twin room is spacious and comfortable,but the area near the window is slightly cold.The onsen is clean and spacious.View woman outdoor onsen ia great,can clearly see the mountains.The kaiseki dinner was very deicious.We are very impressed with Tsubakino Hotel.

The boss service is very intimate and thoughtful! The room is very clean, the outdoor hot spring, the environment is very good

The hotel is old and the food is of average quality. For skiers, the traffic is not particularly convenient, but it is better than the lotus pond or the ichinose. . However, the hotel service is very good, especially the front desk manager Zen, very warm, and English is very good, it is called the hotel's smashing.