AIBIYA

Living at AIBIYA felt like living at a friend's house! Seongmi and Yoshi were incredible hosts, and through my conversations with them over time, it really felt like they were friends. Perhaps my favorite part about AIBIYA was how thoughtful their recommendations were. As an example, on the day of check out, they learned that I had a couple hours extra before my train to Toyama. They suggested that I make a stop in Obuse, since it was chestnut harvesting season and there's also the Hokusai Museum! I ended up going, eating lunch at their recommended spot and had a fantastic day - there's no way I would have thought to visit there without their suggestion. Beyond their recommendations, the facilities themselves are great. Both the bedroom and the shared bathrooms were well maintained, clean, and cozy. I also appreciated the daily breakfast, and the ability to buy onsen tickets at a few nearby onsens. If you stay there for multiple days, it's really nice getting to try a bunch of different onsens (I especially loved the private onsen). All in all, I'm so glad to have found this gem of a guesthouse. I would happily stay here again, and recommend it to anyone staying in Yudanaka!

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AIBIYA is in a less touristy part of the area around the monkey park, which is what we needed after days in Tokyo & Kyoto. It is also easily walkable to/from Yudanaka train station and a Lawson - simplifying arrival and departure. Buses leave from the train station as well, making it very easy to hit the monkey park as well. Beds were comfy and air conditioning, etc worked well. Everything was exceptionally clean. We went to 2 different Onsen and a foot bath - absolutely loved it! We loved the architecture of AIBIYA with its wooden beams and calming Japanese decor. Maybe the best part of the stay was our hosts - Seongmi & Yoshi are fantastic, proactively helpful, and took time out of their busy schedules just to talk to us. Thank you both!

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I can't begin to describe how good my stay was here. The accommodations were amazing. The room was warm and cozy. The building was beautiful and looked new and clean but, had the charm of an old traditional Japanese home. I came to snowboard and they had a room to store and dry all my wet gear. They were able to handle shipping my snowboard to and from the airport with Yamato transport. There is a direct bus to and from Shiga Kogen every day as well. There is not an onsen on site but, you can buy tickets to various local onsens, all of which were spectacular. All onsens had an indoor and outdoor bath. Breakfast was served every morning and, it was great to eat and chat with other travelers. Truly, the best part about staying here was the owners themselves. Yoshi and Seong-mi were two of the kindest, most friendly people I've encountered on any of my trips across the world. They made my experience feel like I was staying with my brother and sister. In fact, the whole town of Yudanaka felt like home to me and, I know this is a place I will never forget for the rest of my life.

The worst part was having to leave.

I really loved Yudanaka and staying at AIBIYA made it extra special. What a gorgeous little town surrounded by mountains. It’s conveniently located for seeing the amazing snow monkeys and for having a proper Japanese onsen experience. The bed at AIBIYA was easily the most comfortable one I slept on in Japan and the room was a decent size. I had the best sleep. If you pay a bit extra you can access a few of the local onsen. I highly recommend the rooftop one overlooking the mountains. Wow! Seongmi and Yoshi who run AIBIYA are so lovely and helpful. They are what really makes this place special. Yoshi even ran to the station to deliver my backpack when I left it during checkout. Thank you again!

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I loved the look of this hotel from the outside in, it's so cosy. The beds were great and particularly the duvet / quilt. I'm still dreaming of the cosy quilt! Everything inside was so well thought out and beautiful - the games room with tatami, the inside garden window area, the dining room. I loved the breakfast of fruits, cereal, yogurt, toast, tea, coffee, juice - plenty to set us up for the day and nice and healthy. Hosts Yoshi and Sue were really welcoming and helpful, offering recommendations and help. We loved the sake on arrival too! We found Aibiya very convenient for the station and the bus to the snow monkeys and it was a lovely walk back from the snow monkey park, even in rain. Shiba Onsen, just up the road, is a more atmospheric town than Yudanaka, but they join together, and it's less convenient for the train! I also loved their ethos to have a little local craft shop at the front, to recycle and compost and to have an area in which guests could leave anything they didn't want to travel on with and Yoshi and Sue would repurpose, donate, or rehome it.

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Hosts Yoshi and Seongmi are really friendly and genuinely care about you having a great time. They gave us good tips for things to do and places to eat in the local area which really helped us. The place itself is really accessible via public transport and a great place to explore further from - we walked to the snow monkeys and used the train a couple of times to explore the local area. Rooms are very clean and comfortable, and the shared bathrooms were also exactly what we needed for our stay. Highly recommended to stay here!

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Everything exceded my expectations, the cleanliness, of all areas was more than I expected. The couple was extremely kind, caring and loving. The breakfast had almost all homemade, extremely good. If I would have to rate the overall performance between 1 to 10 it would be 100. Hope to keep up a long lasting friendship!!!! The Onsen experience was awesome. If you get to consider going to the Monkey Park don’t hesitate in doing so, it was amazing!! Thanks for enforcing me to do so!! Thanks for all!!! We had a wonderful dinner together!!!

Everything was excellent. Nothing to change!! Make the next stay longer to enjoy more!!

It is set about a 10’ walk (slight uphill) from Yudanaka train station, and is a convenient base for visiting the snow monkeys, and onsens. Inspite of it being an old wooden house, it was calm and quiet; and I had most peaceful nights. The hosts were very caring and gave me good tips on places to visit.

I was on a budget, so not having an ensuite bathroom/toilet was a bother for me. Having to traipse up and down to the bathrooms, was, frankly; a hassle.

Yoshi and Seongmi are fantastic and hooked us up with alot of local knowledge and even helped us get bookings at local restaurants! The location works well for Yudanaka as you're just up from the train/bus station, convenience stores and restaurants. Short bus ride to the snow monkeys! The snow is a decent bus ride away but speak with Yoshi as he will give you tips on where to go!

The property has some pretty steep stairs (just something to consider if you have any injuries).

We booked a deluxe family suite which had its own bathroom. The room was very clean and spacious with Japanese tatami flooring, bed was comfortable too. The hosts Seongmi and Yoshi were super friendly and helpful, they gave us heaps of great tips of what to do in the area. There wasn’t any onsen on site but many options close by that you can book through them, including a private onsen, which we enjoyed a lot. The location was great as well, just a few minutes walk from the station and buses, plenty of great food within walking distance, there’s a supermarket and a Lawson close by as well, very convenient.

The soundproof isn’t the best but already expected since it’s a traditional Japanese building