Shibu Onsen Kokuya

Great service and availability for any request I had. The several onsens are what make really the difference, as you can enjoy them privately (they are shared, but used privately), without the need to go to the public ones. Great kaiseki dinner, I stayed 2 nights and they served different menus both days. The ryokan is located in the center of the village, with all public onsens and other services easily reachable within few mins by walk.

The hotel is a bit run-down, with old furniture and worn-out walls. The wifi is very weak and unstable, and in several areas of the hotel there is no wifi at all. There is no luggage storage, and you are expected to leave the village, not just the hotel, at check out time (I was planning to leave the room at check-out, and stay in the village until after lunch, but I couldn't do that, they rushed me to go to the train station just after the check-out).

We booked a private onsen room with half board. The shuttle that picked us up from the station was great. The room was spacious with traditional Japanese flooring and all amenities provided. The service and food was five star. The staff explained everything about using onsens in English. There are also eight different onsens at the property for guests to book and use. The onsens were lovely - clean and really great for bones after sleeping on a futon. The food was really a fantastic, authentic, traditional. Japanese experience and we would definitely recommend choosing the half board option. The location was perfect - lots of interesting, narrow, winding streets to explore and really close to the snow monkey park. A free shuttle was provided for guests to get to the snow monkey park (before the crowds arrive).

The hallways to rooms are narrow with a good number of steps - this did not bother us as it did give a more traditional Japanese ambiance to the property but it could be a problem for some. The staff did carry our heavy luggage to our room. The hallways could do with a bit of an update - carpet is old and wearing and marked walls which just took away from the experience a bit. Sleeping on the floor on futons was a great traditional experience but a challenge. I would imagine some guests would not handle this well. Best thing to do for us was to soak in the onsen as soon as waking to loosen the bones. Anyone who is a fussy eater might not cope so well with the food.

Outstanding level of hospitality! All the baths outside of guest rooms post-Covid are private: you either sign up to book in advance for 45 minutes (then it gets cleaned for 15 minutes) on busy hours or you can use it freely and no other party will come in. This includes the enormous formerly women’s or men’s baths. They replenish your towels and yukata every day! They set up your futon beds during dinner and fold them up and place a table with traditional warmer during breakfast—even on the day you check out! In the afternoon, there’s a sweet treat waiting for you on the table. We were assigned the room Fuyo and its tub was lovely, with landscaping and I think granite in a square tub fed by six sources of mineral water. The cleaning products for face and body were also high quality. Fresh flowers in the room! Excellent and huge dinner and Japanese breakfast, varied daily!

Incredible service, welcoming staff, everything is taken care of for you the moment you arrive! They offer a free pick up and drop off to the Yudanaka Station, as well as drop off to the Monkey Park. The walk back from the Monkey Park is not long at all and is very scenic - so I highly recommend doing that instead of taking a bus or taxi back to the ryokan. The ryokan is located in the heart of the onsen town, minutes away from the shrines, shops and restaurants, as well as public onsens. Inside there are 8 shared onsen rooms, including both indoors and outdoors options. No booking was required, you could just come in any time provided it is not occupied by someone else. We travelled in early January just after the new year and found no issues using these rooms! Food was really good as well, and we feel like it got even better on our second night - it won’t be the most magnificent meal you can get in a ryokan, but it was great quality and variety!

We booked a room with our private outdoor onsen - which was absolutely amazing! What we didn’t realise is that the shower was also outside - and it was absolutely freezing and uncomfortable coming out in the morning and taking a shower when it’s around 0 degrees outside… Also, while sleeping on futons sounds fun in theory, it’s very far from comfortable in reality. While the futon itself and the blanket are nice and comfy, the pillow was like a brick. We couldn’t get a very good rest during our stay. Finally, remember that this is an old ryokan and walls are paper-thin. You can hear everything and everyone. We were prepared and brought some ear plugs with us - solved the issue!

This is a truly wonderful place to stay & highly recommended! The staff are fantastic - so kind, warm & welcoming with a brilliant sense of humour:) We loved our constant greeting of 'Harris San' given with never-ending smiles & enthusiasm. Nothing was too much bother - a staff member carried our son's breakfast to our room when he was having a lie in one morning & our requests for two vegetarian options & one non-fish eater were all catered for as if it were no problem at all. The suppers were delicious with a wealth of dishes & tastes; also incredible presentation. We ate like royalty! Plus an excellent selection of drinks on the menu. The many onsens in the hotel are absolutely lovely & a perfect temperature I struggled with the heat of the local ones though they were great to try - you get an access key to all of them in the village once you check in). The hotel onsens varied in size & setting - some indoors, some outdoors - with even a foot-massager in one! Onsen dress provided plus free covers for our tattoos needed for public onsens). Our room was traditional & spotless; it was converted to day-living or sleeping mode whenever we were eating. There was always a little snack left for us plus plentiful tea & even a heater under the table with blankets for a traditional experience. We had free lifts from & to the train station plus to the snow monkey park - perfectly arranged early in the morning so that we could visit without huge crowds & to see feeding time :) Overall, a really fabulous stay! A brilliant experience!

We were visiting Shibu-Onsen for two nights. While two friends were staying at a low-budget Ryokan we selected another option, which was then Kokuya. The picture looked just beautiful. But before arriving I got nervous because of the various mixed reviews. But we have to say it was a wonderful experience worth the money even though it’s a bit pricey. Personally, I’ve visited Japan many times and stayed in Ryokan hotels around Japan quite often. For the food I would rate Kokuya as really good, but for the Onsen experience it’s definitely upper class! The Japanese style breakfast was exceptional. We had a Japanese room with a private Onsen, which is really enjoyable especially in the morning after a cold night. Generally speaking that option is good unless the night temperature gets below 10°C since the shower is also outside. We visited in late October. The hotel also offers eight different Onsen (for hotel guests only) that you can reserve for you privately. All of them are just beautiful. The hotel staff including the owner are all very polite and helpful. Personally, I cannot understand why some reviewers complained about the staff being rude. The rooms and walkways are a bit old but still okay and nice. Since the hotel has a long tradition and was extended over time it comes with many stairs, which are easy to handle for average people. There is also a free shuttle transfer service from and to Yudanako train station. The village is also very beautiful. You can visit 9 small public Onsen in walking distance for free. It’s a great option to talk to other foreigners or Japanese people - all extremely friendly with quite good English. One day we walked along the various temples and then through the Forrest (regular street) towards the snow monkey park. The small hike is fun and you’ll see monkeys all around. For the return we walked along the official path leading through a cozy neighborhood with beautiful Japanese houses (around the same brewery).

The hallways (especially carpets and stairs) do need some refurbishing.

We had an amazing stay at Shibu Onsen Kokuya. On our arrival day the owner came to pick us up from the nearby station. After a short drive we arrived at the Ryokan where everything was taken care of. Our luggage was brought up to our room and we were seated for the check-in procedure. After a quick explanation of the hotel, we were guided to our room. This was everything we could have expected and more! The room was spacious and we were given some tea. The staff informed us of the hotel amenities and also the amenities which can be used outside the hotel. All of the onsens which are part of the hotel can be used privately which was amazing. At almost all of the onsens we could adjust the water temperature to our liking. We also enjoyed dinner and breakfast at the hotel. Once again this exceeded our expectations. The Kaiseki style dinner was delicious. There were so many little dishes to try out, we even got to try Wagyu. For breakfast we opted for the Japanese style breakfast which was also amazing and quite big. After breakfast the hotel provided a free shuttle to the Snow Monkey Park which we gladly took. They bring you there just before it gets really crowded too! Next to all of this, all of the staff was really friendly and spoke a bit of English. They ensured that our stay at the Ryokan was unforgettable! I would definitely recommend going here and if we are ever back in Japan, I will go back for another visit!

Absolutely wonderful ryokan. The staff was extremely hospitable and kind towards us and spoke great English. The meals we had for dinner and breakfast were excellent. The private onsen baths were phenomenal with a few different kinds on-site. We were also given a key to visit other public onsens if we so wished. The area is great as well in a quiet little town near attractions like the snow monkey park (which the ryokan staff are willing to arrange transport to as well).

No cons at all!

Free shuttle buses from station to accommodation around check-in time, and from accommodation to Snow Monkey Park in the morning. The 2-Day Snow Monkey Pass took care of the rest of transport to and from Nagano station. The staff were lovely and helpful, and the food was great. Having a private bath was a treat, as well as free access to the other pools.

Nothing in particular. There were a lot of stairs though, and it was easy to get lost in the maze of staircases. Big luggage is definitely not recommended.

Our one-night retreat in the standard Japanese-style room with an open-air bath was an immersion into cultural luxury. Below is a detailed review of our experience. Pros: - The highlight of our stay was the 7-course dinner and breakfast. This was one of our favorite memories for this trip, as well as our favorite meal. Our menu included (sashimi, tofu, fish, etc) -Our room came with a private hot spring, which we really enjoyed. - Sleeping on tatami mats and futons immersed us in traditional Japanese hospitality. -The hotel's beautiful hot springs were available for free, we really enjoyed going in these, especially the outside ones -They provided us with traditonal Japanese attire and we went to the public baths around the hotel, which were on the same street. -The staff were AMAZING! They went above and beyond.

Cons: -High Cost: Undeniably, the splurge for our one-night stay was considerable. The luxury came at a price, making it a significant investment for our budget. Limited Space: While our room was elegantly appointed, it felt slightly cramped for three people and luggage. The challenge of finding space for our belongings was noticeable, with luggage atop chairs and tables.