Yamanouchi Hotels with Breakfast

Amazing family run ryokan just few minutes drive from Snow Monkey Park. Booked a room with a private in-room onsen but it didn't make much sense as the bath was hot but there was no hot water in the shower. The room was spacious with comfortable beds and futon. Nice yukatas and socks were provided in the room. Public baths in the ryokan are great (especially outdoor area), we tried both of them. The kaiseki dinner and japanese breakfast are VERY delicious. The staff and the owner are so nice and welcoming. The free transfer to the Monkey Park is available at 9:45 am

Located in the heart of Shibu Onsen, Kokuya is a traditional Japanese inn that has been operating for over 400 years. It's the only inn in the area with its own six different 100% natural hot spring baths, featuring eight public baths and ten rooms with open-air hot springs. It has been passed down through 16 generations. Furthermore, the central area of ​​Shibu Onsen boasts a 1300-year-old hot spring town with nine public onsen (hot spring baths) for hotel guests and residents. The ninth onsen is the largest, featuring a golden bath and a sauna. Next to it is a hot spring shrine and foot bath, right next to Kokuya. Kokuya's hot springs are rich in minerals, beneficial for improving muscle, joint, and skin problems. A free shuttle bus (approximately 3km) takes guests to Jigokudani (Hell Valley) to see snow monkeys and enjoy the hot springs. A free shuttle bus connects to the train station, and freshly cooked onsen eggs (100 yen each) are available at the inn's entrance. The hotel boasts a clean and elegant interior with maze-like corridors and wooden staircases. There are dedicated luggage handlers (three floors in total), creating a perfect setting for a period drama, reminiscent of Yubaba's old house in Spirited Away… The hotel also offers traditional Japanese kaiseki dinners with over nine dishes. Ingredients are freshly delivered from Nagano. The menu changes monthly according to the season. Vegetarian options are also available (please inform us in advance). All guest rooms are designed in a traditional Japanese style, featuring Japanese-style bedding and a bathroom with a sink, TV, safe, refrigerator, towels, and yukata. Ten guest rooms have private outdoor baths. The hotel is surrounded by several temples of varying sizes and different springs nestled in the mountains. The water temperatures of these springs vary, with the highest reaching 56°C. Municipal water supplies are provided to each household. Several bridges connect the two sides of the river in front, including a red-painted bridge that resembles a scene from Spirited Away. I suspect that Miyazaki Toshiro may have drawn inspiration from this place… A very nice hotel and hot springs; the staff are polite and attentive.

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.

This hotel is definitely an older building and it does show. It’s well maintained but know that going into making a booking here! The staff are really incredible, I had an incident with my door and they immediately fixed the problem for me. Additionally I was hoping to get to the Snow Monkey park earlier than the shuttle service was set to depart and they were nice enough to take me! There were some minor cleanliness things like cobwebs and the fridge had a slight mildew scent to it that made me weary to put anything open inside. Additionally there was no hair dryer, I probably could have asked because it’s such a staple amenity but I was in a rush and never did. It’s about a 7 minute walk from the station and there’s a Lawson and Pharmacy en route if you need to grab anything. It’s about 4 minutes from a bus that can take you deeper into the area with more food and shops too. There isn’t much else in this area but it is about an hour from central Nagano. If you’re a solo traveler looking to explore the area but not wanting to spend too much on one of the famous ryokan’s in the area, I definitely recommend!

We really enjoyed our week long stay at Hoshikawakan in Jan 2026. We have been driving around Hakuba for 4 weeks to visit various ski resorts and spent our last week at Hoshikawakan to visit Shiga Kogen. The room was spacious and clean with a small toilet like most Japanese hotels but there was a large public onsen and 2 smaller private onsens that can be reserved once each day for 30mins so you could always take your shower in the onsens like the locals do especially later at night about 10-11pm where I was the only one in the public onsen. The hotel had a lovely buffet breakfast spread with local soba, Japnese curry, cold minced sashimi fish, grill fish station, fried eggs station that will keep you adequately fed for the day's ski trip - it even has a hot drink station with free oden daily at 3-5.30pm which we enjoyed as a snack after a hard day of skiiing. The service was excellent too with the staff helpfully arranging to ship our ski equipment directly to Hanade Airport, daily clearing of snow off the carpark and new towels provided daily. The location in Yudanaka is great too especially if you drive as it is between Shiga Kogen (25-35mins drive) and Kita Shiga Kogen (15-20mins drive) with many attractions like Shibu Onsen, Yudanaka Brewery and Snow Monkey Park within 10-15 drive. There were also ample dinner options nearby within 10-15 mins walk but you may need to try and make reservations by walking in on your first night. The only downside was that the WiFi network is poor and patchy when overloaded by a lot of guests over the weekend but otherwise it was good.

Shiga Palace Hotel is a great choice for its location alone—set right in the mountains, it offers easy access to the surrounding area and beautiful scenery that really adds to the experience. One of the highlights was the buffet meals. The food was plentiful, varied, and satisfying, making it easy to refuel after a long day of exploring. The rooms were very traditional Japanese style, which felt authentic and fitting for the setting. While simple, they gave a true sense of staying in a classic Japanese hotel. The communal onsen was also a memorable experience—relaxing, cultural, and something everyone should try at least once while visiting Japan. Overall, the location and meals are major pluses, and the traditional rooms and onsen make this hotel a unique and enjoyable stay.

Mostly good experience. The staff was super friendly and accommodating. The French restaurant was delicious. And it was great that there was a ski rental and storage right inside the hotel. Added to that, the convenience of skiing right to the lift is heavenly. The bar/ lounge was chill and cozy. However it either seemed there was a shortage of staff, mostly new staff, or both. The mandatory dinner reservations were very restrictive even though when getting there at the reserved time, the restaurant was half empty. And most frustrating was that there was no options for getting any type of food after 8:30. So if you get hungry after that time or want a snack, you better pre buy one of the 3 options of instant noodles from the lobby store (before it closes also).

It was cheap and very good! What particularly impressed me was that the front desk staff greeted me with a smile until I left, and were polite and kind in explaining things to foreign guests. I felt very at ease ❤️

We really enjoyed our stay at Shiga Kogen Sunvalley hotel. It's only a 20 mins bus ride from the Snow Monkey Park. The bus stop (S15) is about 100m away but when it's heavily snowing, it could be a little difficult to pull your luggage across the road. During the winter season, there's a free shuttle bus that takes you around the different resorts. The hotel also has ski rentals and the pricing is very reasonable and convenient for hotel guests to pickup and drop-off. The onsite onsen and sauna is clean and well maintained. We had breakfast included - food selection is good with a mix of Western and Japanese cuisine. Dinner required reservation and you have a choice of Japanese set course, or a casual course. Usui and the team really know how to provide great hospitality and we really enjoyed our stay.

Easy to go to Giant Ski Area because there is a slope to ski area directly. But I don't recommend for beginner to go ski area from this slope. And you can't go back to the hotel from this way, you have to go back by gondola to Yamanoeki and walk 300m. Too far if you walk with skies or snowboard. Yukata is not free of charge, you have to pay 300 yens for rent. There is a shower room in your room but you can't use it because there is ONLY cold water(hot water doesn't work). Some breakfast menu is not enough for customers. But dinner is ok.