Hotel Romantik di Shimotakai District

We stayed 2 nights at this delightful ryokan. We chose a western style room with a private onsen. It was a thoroughly enjoyable experience and more than we had imagined. Our room was quite large, and had an outdoor onsen with a spectacular view of the mountains. The meals were fresh and delicious, especially the amazing fish. The owner, Yuki, is so gracious and very accommodating to any need you might have, from a ride to the train, to whisking you off to the snow monkey park (we saw over 100 monkeys), or taking you to a massage appointment. Yuki takes immense pride in her hotel and it truly shows!

Incredible experience staying at the Shibu Hotel. Felt very privileged to experience the hospitality and exceptional meals at the hotel. Lovely hosts collected us on arrival at the train station, delivered us to the snow monkey park at the requested time and collected us again after we had finished (with a detour to an amazing photo stop on the way back.) Meals are equivalent to a dégustation fine dining experience with Japanese delicacies. Private family onsen was available which was wonderful. We were a family of 4 and stayed in Japanese style room. Rooms well equipped with everything you could need - complimentary drinks on the fridge a wonderful touch. Incredible views of the mountain ranges from the rooms. Kids loved playing in the snow in the front garden. Hosts helped ship our bags to our next destination If you ever have the chance to stay at Shibu Hotel - do not hesitate and book it!!

We went as a triple generation group of 8. The staff was so helpful and polite. We could only get the family rooms, which was 4 to a room but they were very spacious so we didn't feel crowded. I would highly recommend getting the kaiseki dinner. We enjoyed the private room, the sushi chef preparing our sushi, the owner coming in and checking on us, it was all very special & attractively presented. We all wore our yukatas to dinner and will have an amazing Christmas card picture. The onsen was wonderful, so spacious and full of amenities. They provide lots of amenities in your room too. The breakfast was amazing. My mom grew up in Japan and couldn't get over the selection of Japanese items. Best breakfast we had during our Japan trip. We also utilized the shuttle to Snow Monkey park (which was a highlight of our 12 days in Japan, so many baby monkeys, go early). It was also easily walkable to the train station, even with luggage. We bought gifts in the little gift area and really appreciated the hospitality of all the employees.

We recently stayed here for one night while visiting the Snow Monkey Park. First of all, the location is fantastic. It's less than a three minute walk from the main train station and it's also located right by the bus stop which you take to the Snow Monkey Park entrance. I'd estimate that the bus ride took about a 15 min (maybe even less) because we actually walked the whole way back from the park instead of the bus, and it took us about 30 min. The staff was incredibly nice in the hotel. They didn't speak much English, but they tried to accommodate us the entire time and were always warm and friendly. We were greeted on arrival with a choice of free drink, while we sat next to a cozy fire in the lobby to warm up. We booked the Japanese room, which was very spacious in size. We had a small issue with the heat and a request for an extra cleaning in our bathroom, but the staff was on top of the issues immediately, and took care of everything in minutes. We ended up booking the private onsen on the roof, which is definitely recommended! We were there during a pretty bad snow storm, and it was a very unique experience to be in the onsen, as snow was falling around us. The next morning, breakfast was included in our rate. We were positioned in our own blocked off booth, and were given a HUGE spread from a traditional Japanese breakfast. Though the food was very foreign to us, we did try most items, and were very impressed by the classy presentation of each of the items. Overall, great experience at the Hotel Tsubakino!

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.

Wonderful place to stay with such accomdating people. The room was super spacious and clean. Plus the views from the balcony were amazing. It was so nice to relax at the onsite onsen at the end of the day. I'm excited to come back when I'm in the area again. I would highly recommend it, a great price for an excellent stay! The owner even took a picture with us and sent a follow up email with it attached. Made it such a memorable experience.

This traditional Ryokan hotel is a little gem of a place and the family hosts are just wonderful. Had the best night sleep of my 2 week trip to Japan sleeping on Ryokan bed. Rooms and hotel is extremely clean, we had our own toilet and washbasin but you have to share showers which wasn't an issue. The family are so friendly, speak very good English. It's a short walk (10mins) to Shibu-Onsen village and only 5mins to Yudanaka train station. We stayed here for one night to visit the Snow monkey park and to experience an Onsen. The hotel has 2 onsens, shared and private. You can pre-book shared Onsen at check-in. I'd love to return to this Ryokan at winter time.

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。

１：　通常、ホテルサイトから直接予約・宿泊しています。今回、Online Travel Agent （”OTA”)経由です。ホテルサイトからの直接予約とOTAからだと結構、差異が有ります。ラウンジでのドリンクバウチャーが付きません。直接予約・宿泊での夕食に親しんでいると違和感を覚える（クオリティの話ではないので為念)と思います。 ２：　館内履きをハウスキーパーが使用していますが、部屋に入る際、其の館内履きも脱いで部屋を整えてくれます。清掃を含め、行き届いています。パリで猛威を奮うトコジラミへの対応も既に織り込み済みの模様です。トコジラミは、ホテルの☆数や清潔さとは無関係にやってきます。志賀高原の最深部ですが拠点病院情報を含め対応力は日本のホテルの最先端と思います。 ３：　”Stella”でブイヤベースをまたまたリピートです。標高1600Mで味わえる絶品料理です。〆の『おじや』、敢えてリゾットとは言いません。”Ottimo !!” です。和食『篝火』の海鮮しゃぶしゃぶもお気に入りです。勿論、〆もです。スタッフのサービスもとても良い。昨今、何処のホテルでもマンパワー不足から新人が多い。ここも同じですが頑張ってますね、”Forza !!” ４：　良い事ばかりではないのが現実です。余りにお粗末なインシデントには驚かされます。対応も不十分。またマナー違反（大浴場、レストラン）の宿泊者への適切な対応も必要です。レストランに強いパフュームやコロンを付けたゲスト、迷惑至極ですね。 ５：スタンダードでも十分な広さが確保されていますが窓際のパネルヒーターだけだと深夜～明け方にかなり寒い。パナソニックのエオリアが設置されているが夏季冷房使用のみで冬季のエアコン暖房不可と言うのは如何なものか？シャープの業務用加湿空気清浄機もウォータータンクのキャパが不十分で24時間自動運転すると2回／日の給水が必要。尚、給水はバスタブのカランを使用せねばならず不便。誕生から約30年、かなり頑張っていますが時代の変化が早過ぎますね。 ６：　世界中からゲストを引き付けるホテルになりました。欧米からのゲストに加えタイ、シンガポール、中東、中国等々。眺望サウナで楽しいトークタイムです。ロシアからの方もおられましたが勿論、”Détente”です。彼らが汗を流しながら言うにはスタッフに”More Smile”があればとの事です。一所懸命に聞こうとして質問に答えるのが精一杯。チャーミングな女性スタッフともっと話したいのだそうです。 以上

Gem in Nozawa. One of the best ryokan in Nozawa. Professional top quality staff. Breakfast and dinner (optional) are served on the second and third floor. English speaking staff available. A showcase of Japanese hospitality.  We had the kaiseki dinner and shabu shabu dinner at the ryokan which was excellent.  Within the ryokan, there are single sex indoor and outdoor onsen (with sauna facility) and also a private onsen for reservation. The ryokan is in the middle of Nozawa village, with a short main street of shops and many free public onsens. There are a few hot steam buns stores and also multiple craft beer joints.  From the ryokan, walk 3-5 minutes up a steep hill to reach the moving walkway up the ski hill. Very convenient.  From Nozowa village bus station, there is a free shuttle bus which can bring you to five different ski resorts around town.  Ryokan Sakaya is highly recommended and early reservations are necessary