food

Onsen.

Stayed in July 2025

The stairs. It might not be a problem for young ones.

First, the inside of the ryokan was neat and clean. We have to leave our shoes in the store room and the staff would clean the luggage for us before entering the complex. Second, our room was big, a bedroom with 2 mid-size single beds plus a sitting room. Third, the onsen was excellent in terms of water quality and it was not busy, the open air bath became my private bath during my 2 days stay. Then the food, both the breakfast and dinner were superb, a good balance of fish, beef and vegetables, serving hot which we enjoyed very much especially on the cooler days. The ryokan has a large relaxation area where we could use the two massage chairs and drinks for free. Lastly, we liked the hospitality of the staff, nice and warm people. We would surely choose this ryokan again when we visit zao again.

Stayed in June 2025

Thank you for the stay, everything was perfect. Highly recommend to anyone who would like to stay in traditional ryokan and enjoy onsen in a beautiful place

Stayed in April 2025

Not all staff were friendly, and in one case they provided incorrect information about a road being closed, which resulted in some wasted time Dinner time is very early and therefore it can be limiting.

Great facilities and amenities, including drinks, massage chairs and some traditional board games. The baths were nice.

Stayed in May 2025

The street and stairs to enter the hotel is quite broken up and barely lit

Beautiful hotel (on the inside) with great onsen and a nice relaxation space. Very spacious rooms as well. The hotel breakfast is an amazing display of Japanese variety in dishes.

Stayed in April 2025

Wonderful stay. The breakfast was absolutely amazing, the interior is beautiful, my room was much bigger I thought it would, the massage chairs were an absolute plus. The onsen was smaller than I expected however they are plenty other baths in the town if you want to have the big onsen experience, therefore it is not an issue.

Stayed in April 2025

An absolutely beautiful authentic Japanese stay! It’s located a short 10min walk to the ski lifts and has massage chair and a natural onsen to help wind down after a day of riding. The staff were very polite and helpful. The room itself was very clean and spacious. Loved our time in Zao all thanks to this stay!

Stayed in March 2025

No bath room in the room.

A very large room. Onsen is excellent. Near the cable car station.

Stayed in March 2025

Amazing place, super clean, great onsen, amd there is even some massage chairs in the common area!!

Stayed in February 2025

A fantastic Ryokan for those wanting a traditional japanese experience with friendly and helpful staff. The bedrooms are large and comfortable with a choice of standard bed or traditional futon (I went for a standard bed which was very comfortable). Start the day with a delicious traditional japanese breakfast and end it with an in-house onsen. Walking distance to the main gondola and restaurants.

Stayed in March 2025

Initially, the temperature was very comfortable, but the longer we stay, the room became rather hot, to the point where i wasn't able to sleep comfortably. The room was still very hot even when the heater was turned off. We couldn't open the windows either as it is snowing outside and will instead become unbearably cold.

I like the atmosphere very much. The onsen was also good. The japanese style room was also very nice.

Stayed in March 2025

Nothing

Room is spacious and comfortable. The staff tried their best to serve us during the trip. We would like to say a big Thank you. The Onsen experience is most authentic. We tried their in situ Onsen as well as those by sister ryokans. The Yamagata beef is so delicious.

Stayed in March 2025

YOU NEED TO TAKE SHAWER IN THE PUBLIC SPRING POOL MIGHT TAKE THAT INTO ACCOUNT

BREAKFAST AND DINNER IS EXOTIC AND LOCAL FOR FOREIGNER AWESOMENESS IS NOT ENOUGH

Stayed in March 2025

Absolutely beautiful Ryokan. Rooms were huge and breakfast and dinner were incredible. Wonderful Onsen onsite and location was great.

Stayed in March 2025

Ski room was not warm or set up for drying boots etc

Onsen/ Breakfasts /Staff

Stayed in February 2025

The breakfast was great but a little repetitive for 7 days straight. Location was perfect. Short easy walk up to gondola and easy walk to restaurants… loved the Onsen and loved the traditional style of the hotel…

Stayed in February 2025

Great location very close to the ski lifts and restaurants. The staff were very friendly and attentive, and the traditional bento box style breakfasts amazing. Rooms were good size with everything we needed. There is a lovely large lounge area with free drinks and massage chairs to relax in. And the Onsen was just what we needed after a full days skiing.

Stayed in January 2025

Onsen and water temperature was not hot enough.

Good size room Really friendly staff - if you speak Japanese.

Stayed in February 2025

The stairs (and it’s common in ryokan) and luckily we were not on the top floor. The stairs are narrow hence need to be extra careful.

Surprisingly the onsen arrangement works, as this is outperformed first time staying at a accommodation with shared bath. Staff does not speak much English, but very kind. Excellent staff by the name Ichikawa at the restaurant. The food is great. The lounge is great and they prepared daily cut fruits for our entire stay. A good walk to the Main Street and found my way to restaurants.

Stayed in January 2025

The hotel has a very comfortable Japanese-style ambiance, and the staff are all kind and friendly. The meals are prepared with great care, and I especially appreciate that they offer vegetarian options. The hotel also provides rubber boots for guests, allowing me to walk safely through the heavy snow. The onsen space is relatively small, I particularly liked the one with the circular bath. Due to the heavy snowfall, we didn’t experience the onsen at the sister hotel. We had a truly enjoyable time here.

Stayed in January 2025

Nil

Room Is spacious for a family of 3. Wonderful food from the restaurant!

Stayed in December 2024

There is no shower/bathtub in the room because you are expected to use the onsen. Onsen is a little small but not a big problem.

We got the room deal that came with breakfast. Breakfast was sumptuous with many varieties and change daily. I would have liked to try the dinner but didn't get the package for it. Location is a 5 minutes walk from Zao bus station. There is a small room at the side of the lobby to keep your snowboards or skis. This hotel is closer to the ski slopes on the north side. Room was impressive and large. Nice lounge on 2nd floor offering drinks, with some books and board games for borrowing.

Stayed in January 2025

Traditional decor

Stayed in December 2024

Long walk to our rooms

Lovely ryokan, good location, nice onsen. Ability to use onsens in sister hotel.

Stayed in January 2025