We had an unforgettable stay at Sakaeya, which was our first time in a ryokan. The building, well-located in Shibu Onsen, is large with a few floors and quite a number of rooms, but feels very peaceful and quiet when walking through it. The traditional room was comfortable and spacious, and the staff fantastic. The public onsen in the hotel is clean, modern and large, and we particularly enjoyed the outside area. The dinner far exceeded all of our expectations, and was a highlight of our whole trip in Japan. We found the price to be largely justified by the quality of the amenities, meals and service.

Everything was perfect

The staff were all so welcoming & friendly, the room was great. Highly recommend adding on the meals as they were really special. We loved our stay. Thank you!

Not a negative, but just be aware there is no shower in your room, the hotel public onsen however is 24 hours and the facilities are great.

It was perfect - the most special stay. It was the most expensive hotel of our trip but worth every penny and more. The staff were wonderful, the room was exceptional, private onsen brilliant and the food was incredible. We've eaten at a lot of fancy restaurants but this was up there with the best of them. Really special to have your own private dining space and server. It's fab to wander around and try the local onsens too - the hotel provides towels, shoes, Yukata and key to the onsen. This wasn't as daunting as expected (as westerners) but we still preferred the private one at Sakaeya the best. Didn't want to leave and felt privileged to stay here. Shibu onsen is beautiful - do explore!

Beautiful boutique-feeling ryokan with really wonderful staff. We celebrated two birthdays and I was able to coordinate the delicious cakes over email. They even helped us take a photo and printed it out so we all had a little souvenir <3 So thoughtful! The rooms and building were lovely, as was the outdoor onsen. We did the private onsen experience too which was a little extra, but worth it especially to spend time with a partner. Food was tasty and yukatas were very pretty. Felt like a little dream.

Harder to get to without a taxi. But do-able and not an issue for us!

Before arriving, i loved the fact that they were so responsive with our messages. The property even texted us about our arrival time since we got lost and only arrived past 9pm. The property itself is very well maintained. The room was spacious for my 4yo to roam around and play. They also had a lounge where they had hanko, coloured pens, crayons and even water colours. My 4yo loved going there to pass the time. We were also given complimentary yukata to wear around town. It was a first experience wearing one for my family. Definitely go for their breakfast options. They served traditional Japanese breakfast in a private room. And the menu was never a repeat.

Eating options for dinner may be limited. Please bring some food ration in case of emergencies.

Everything about our stay at Sakaeya was a perfect experience. The facilities were wonderful, very clean and well-maintained. The hotel hot spring baths (indoor and outdoor) were so clean and relaxing, and the reserved private spa in particular was an exceptional experience (highly, highly recommend this). Our reservations included breakfast and dinner, both of which were fun experiences with absolutely delicious food. Every staff member we talked with was extremely kind and accommodating. The surrounding Shibu Onsen area and public baths were delightful as well. I'm extremely glad my friends and I were able to stay here, and would highly recommend this ryokan to anyone visiting the area.

Everything about Sakaeya was wonderful: we were greeted by friendly staff and had tea while they checked us in. (By the way, it was about a 2 minute walk from the Shibu Onsen bus stop, so very convenient to get to.) Our room was spacious, clean, and comfortable. Our dinner and breakfast were amazing, delicious, and filling, and we enjoyed exceptional service. I cannot think of anything negative to say about our stay here -- we would gladly come again!!

Nothing -- everything was exceptional!

Wonderful location, easy access to transportation, the staff were very accommodating, we had a private dining room dedicated to us during our stay with a very generous amount of food and the room was beautiful.

My only complaint was that our room made a decent amount of noise. It sounded like a hammering noise in the pipes. We stayed in the room with our own private onsen and maybe this is where the noise was coming from. Otherwise, there was nothing else not to like at the property!

Very clean and our Onsen room was SO lovely! Excellent service, food was mostly good. Stick to Japanese, we had a day when they served Jap-French style dinner, it was no great. Their Japanese meals were way much better!

We hated the pillows there; it was so soft and basically no support. Wished they had option for latex pillow or at least firmer ones. Given the fact they put a lot of details taking care of their guests… the amenities etc… there wasn’t a shower cap!

This place was amazing! Such service! Beautiful, quiet, soothing ambiance, spacious rooms, bidet that senses when you are coming and opens up! We were blown away. We regret not getting the set dinner and breakfast because the Japanese meal experience in your room is really special, so make sure to book that! This onsen gives you keys to the 9 pools to try.

Nothing, except that the 9 pools are so hot I could only get into one of them without scalding myself. Maybe it's better in winter. The experience is still fun and unique.