Hotel Dengan bar di Shiga Prefecture, Japan

Whenever I travel, I always choose a hot spring ryokan to make the entire trip even more perfect. This time, I stayed at Hanadouya Ryokan. Overall, it wasn't bad, but I wasn't entirely satisfied either. The ryokan's hot spring facilities didn't offer milk or popsicles. In the past, many hot spring ryokans I've stayed at in Japan provided milk and ice cream. Additionally, the staff's attitude was just average; not rude, but they lacked warmth and smiles. For this price, we definitely have better options.

One of the best hotels I’ve stayed at. The hotel feels grand and worth the price. Room was spacious and comfortable. The onsen was amazing with multiple options such as a sauna room, an outside jacuzzi style onsen and the main inside onsen. The food provided (breakfast and dinner) was a traditional Japanese style multi course meal. Highly recommended! Room also had a lovely view of Lake Biwa and a comfortable outside bath.

Stepping out of JR Ogoto-onsen Station, I spotted the shuttle bus across the street, waiting at a red light. I quickly waved, and to my surprise, the driver motioned for me to wait, then circled back to pick us up – incredibly grateful for that! 😊 The drive to the hotel took about 5 minutes. Upon entering the lobby, I noticed a slightly odd smell. The staff asked us to take a seat in the lobby. After checking us in and confirming our meal times, they showed us to our room. There was no odd smell in the room or restaurant areas. They even helped with our luggage – truly excellent service. The private hot spring in the room had continuously flowing water; I'm not sure if it's recirculated, but you can see Lake Biwa from there. The summer dinner cuisine was delicious! 😋

Yumotokan was our first stay at an onsen and first trip to Otsu and Lake Biwa. It blew us away at how amazing and wonderful everything was. We took a local train from Kyoto Station to Ogotoonsen Station. The views of the mountains on one side and the lake on the other were stunning and the shuttle service from Ogotoonsen Station to Yumotokan was much appreciated. We reserved two of the Kotone suites with their own private baths attached to our rooms for one night and we were not disappointed. The rooms included breakfast, dinner, and a hour later check-out time with the reservation. The staff were very kind and accommodating, helping us with whatever we needed (so glad we asked for help with the yukata! It became a cute memory for us). The rooms were comfortably spacious with a gracious amount of amenities and the attached private onsen baths were incredibly healing. We utilized them as many times as was healthy. Both the breakfast buffet and course dinner were amazingly delicious and something that'll be on our minds for awhile. Even our check-out was stress free and we were able to buy souvenirs from a little shop they had inside the lobby. I wish I knew what shampoo and treatment they use or where I can purchase it because it left our hair super soft and silky smooth, nothing like what we use at home. Our stay was amazing and we would highly recommend Yumotokan. We'll definitely visit again on our next trip to Japan, hopefully for a couple more nights!

As a long-standing five-star hotel, the overall hardware is pretty good. I originally booked one night, but the beautiful view outside the window prompted me to book another. However, there's one thing few people might notice: the hotel doesn't have a medical room, and there are few hospitals nearby with no emergency services at night. This is a heads-up for future guests to be prepared. My child got injured, and I wanted to call 119 for an antibiotic, but unfortunately, we ended up having to handle it ourselves with simple first aid. The front desk was cooperative, providing disinfectant, and tape instead of bandages. Luckily, we met some kind folks from Shanghai who offered comfort with their familiar dialect and helpful assistance in looking things up. All in all, it was a mix of good and bad, a memorable experience.

The views are absolutely stunning, but this hotel has quite a few downsides. First, the good points: The scenery is incredibly beautiful, and you can see Lake Biwa right from your window. The public bath isn't crowded, and the views from there are also lovely during the day. This was the hotel with the best views during our entire trip to Japan. The room itself is huge, with plenty of space for multiple suitcases. Now for the cons: 1. It's an 8-minute shuttle bus ride from Otsu Station. However, the shuttle bus is a mid-sized vehicle, and I always felt bad for the driver struggling with luggage, especially when it was full during peak hours (packed, with just enough seats for everyone). The bus's air conditioning wasn't very strong, so it got quite hot when there were a lot of people in summer. It would be great if they had a larger bus, similar to the Biwako Hotel. 2. The hotel has a very strong, unpleasant odor, almost like body odor. It lingered for several days and was really off-putting. I'm not sure if all rooms have this issue. 3. You absolutely cannot open the window at night. They should really put up a warning sign, because if you do, a swarm of small, light-seeking insects will fly in, and you won't be able to get rid of them all. On our first night, we didn't realize and didn't close the window tightly, and we were incredibly bothered by bugs all night. Even though it's an older hotel, I really hope they can address these issues.

Excellent location, right at the station. Check in 16h00. No wifi offered. Hotel access via public restaurant - feels weird to walk between diners to go out / return. Lockers far too narrow even for airline carry-on. Bathroom is clean, shower has small dry area, and water pressure varies. Capsules are spacious with power socket, lights, shelf, etc. The mattress is a few cm thick piece of soft foam and is so worn that it feels like a slab of concrete wrapped in a sheet. Very uncomfortable! And I am 77kg, not overweight. The pillow is a bag filled with what feels like gravel stones. Breakfast comprises one hot / cold drink, a small pile of lettuce leaves with dressing, a thick slab of white bread that is scored about half way deep into a small chessboard and very lightly toasted, and a thimble-size serving of sweet fruit yoghurt. They do offer to hold luggage until 16h00 after check-out, and collecting it is easy and fast.

The hotel in general is better than expectation. It has a long history but still maintain an elegance and utmost cleanliness. The view of the lake from the window of our room is perfect. We even watch sunrise in the morning.

This hotel is literally a stone's throw from Kusatsu Station, right next to the station exit with the elevator. It's incredibly convenient for getting to Otsu, Ishiyama, and even Kyoto, truly a prime location. The room was surprisingly cheap and incredibly spacious, especially compared to rooms in Osaka and Kyoto. If you're exploring the Higashiyama area of Kyoto, staying here offers fantastic value for money. However, the facilities felt a bit dated, and the air conditioning was very slow to respond.

The bath was spacious, and it was great to be able to bathe in the open air! I was lucky to be the only one there, so I had plenty of space to use. The surrounding restaurants closed early, so I considered skipping dinner, but I ended up using the restaurant inside! The hamburger and fries made by the chef were incredibly delicious ^ ^ The washroom was also very clean! However, the road to the station is very dark at night with no streetlights, so it can be scary. I recommend coming early! It felt great in the mornings and evenings.