The warm reception and fabulous customer service!

I wish I could have stayed longer!

great to have choice of two onsens lovely traditional room and bedding nice big window with river outside amazing location board games in lobby :)

found it a bit strange not interacting with any humans during check in/out hard to get hold of owner with questions have to shower in onsen which is okay as long as it’s not booked out confusing to find the onsens - ended up in staff only area

Good value for money. Great location in the middle of Shibu Onsen, meaning you get the special key to unlock the 9 public baths. 30ish mins walk to the monkey park, or you can get a bus. 20ish minutes walk from Yudanaka Station (or bus) 2 lovely onsen baths in the ryokan that you could book to use privately. Nice traditional room, plus a fridge and a kettle. Yukata robes and geta sandles available to borrow to walk around the town. Check in was automated and really simple to use. A great instruction manual for everything in the ryokan, including how the 9 baths system works and general tips on how to use an onsen. It's an old building so you expect a bit of wear and tear (this wasn't an issue for me) Because check in is automated I didn't meet any staff while I was there, but again it isn't really a problem. There was a phone number and LINE account to message if you had any issues.

I agree with other comments saying the pillows and futons could do with an upgrade, they felt very hard.

this is the real traditional Japanese room. so expect no more. Yet for what we expected full score. we loved the 9 onsen tour. beware. some of them are really really hot - and I like it, just go in slowly and bit by bit-. mountain monkeys is a must do

just try it

Amazing location! Super easy to get to the mountain and the onsens!

Once we turned on the heaters, the room was quite toasty. We tried to check-in early, but was redirected to another hotel, where we could store our bags. They moved our bags into our rooms after the check-in hours, so our stuff was available to us when we arrived. The private onsens were the highlight. You are able to reserve 30-mins time blocks in 2 private onsens on the property. My partner and I got to enjoy the hot waters together. There's an underground hallway that leads to a bar, one block over, and lets you out right next to No. 9 onsen. This hotel is a part of the onsen association that gives you a key to the nine different onsens in town. Even in winter, with snow on the ground, we were able to walk from the hotel to the snow monkey park (45-mins) down a road that is closed in the winter months.

The bed was 2 twin size futon mattresses that were very hard. The walls were very thin, meaning you could hear neighbors and you needed to keep the heat on high to stay warm in the winter. Because of this, we needed up getting the sniffles and sore backs. Just saying the beds/rooms could be more comfortable. Check-in/out is done via a computer. Just didn't like the impersonal feeling. Occasionally there was someone at the front desk/near by, but otherwise, you were on your own.

Traditional type Japanese Ibsen in a traditional mountain village near world famous Snow Monkeys

All good

Very nice ryokan, and the staff was exceptional. The young gentleman (unfortunately I don't recall his name) was extremely helpful. He helped us figure out bus schedules and even carried our very heavy suitcases up and back down three flights of stairs. We are very grateful to him. He really made our trip more pleasant. The private onsite onsens are so nice. We especially liked Iwa with its waterfall. Comfortable room and good location to the bus stop. We'll be back!

Nothing.