4-Star Hotels in Yamagata Prefecture, Japan

This hotel is about 1.5 km from Tsuruoka JR Station. The nearest bus stop is 'Science Park.' There's a direct bus from Yamagata Airport, but other bus connections are unavailable, making transportation a bit inconvenient; it's more suitable for those traveling by car. The hotel itself is newly renovated, surrounded by rice paddies, offering a beautiful and clean environment. Breakfast is a Japanese-style buffet featuring locally sourced ingredients. Dinner requires a reservation, as dining options nearby are limited to a convenience store. There are three dinner set menus, which I found a bit pricey, but the food was delicious, especially the bread and desserts. Service was, as always, attentive, and the hot spring facilities were excellent. The only downside is its relative distance from famous Tsuruoka attractions like the Dewa Sanzan mountains and Kamo Aquarium. It's also a bit far from the S-mall bus terminal and the JR station.

This hotel exceeded my expectations completely. The yamagata airport shuttle (from airport) has a drop-off point right in front of the hotel. The hotel is a 5minutes walk from yamagata station. There is a seven-konbini on 1F of the hotel building, and a toyota car rental directly across the street (1min walk). The hotel room was much bigger than hotel rooms in tokyo, with an amazingly luxurious toilet. Bottled water is provided everyday, as long as you remember to place the ”Make-up room” magnet outside your room door by 10am. The restaurant on 1F sells delicious yamagata beef sukiyaki, it is highly recommended though semi-expensive. The surrounding area of the hotel has a good mix of izakayas, konbinis (all 3 big brands incl lawsons & familymart), and fast food; you'll never go hungry. The reception desk is on 3F and the self-service amenities were of good quality (i.e., scented and thick oshibori, 2 different brands of facial cleansers & lotions, and drip coffee). The staff deserve praise for being so friendly, helpful, and accomodating; they allowed our request for cleaning to be done after 11.30am instead of the usual 10am, and gladly provided extra hangers and laundry bags. Speaking of laundry, there are coin operated laundry machines in this hotel, which have both washing and drying in a single machine; the machine is also password-protected per wash, which gives one a peace of mind. Stayed here for 9 nights as my base of operations for this holiday, I thoroughly enjoyed my stay at Daiwa Roynet Yamagata Ekimae. 10/10.

As it is a long-established luxury inn, there are no problems with the facilities or the service. However, one thing that bothered me was that I had to wait a long time for dinner when I went to the dining room at the designated time. There were no strings to fasten the sleeves of the yukata anymore. It may have been a coincidence, but it was a great disappointment for a luxury inn that I rarely go to.

The hotel is quite old but very well-maintained. The onsen facilities are a bit lacking, but the quality of the hot spring water is genuinely good. I booked the Rian Sansui room with an open-air bath, but the staff informed me that it was just regular hot water and that I had to fill it myself. It felt like such a waste to have booked that room. Plus, the room was on the top floor, so I had to climb a lot of stairs, and then take off my shoes on the last floor before entering – it was quite exhausting. After checking out, the hotel dropped us off at the bus station. I didn't see the proprietress, only a welcome note.

The room was spacious, easily accommodating three suitcases. There was a well-functioning massage chair in the room. The bathroom was large, and the shampoo was excellent, leaving my hair soft. There was a dressing area outside the bathroom with a large mirror. Amenities were complete, and the face cream was very good. The location was excellent, just a short walk from the west exit of Yamagata Station. It's close to Kajo Castle (a 7-minute walk). There's a 7/11 and a Maxvalue nearby. There's a Toyota rent-a-car service at the 1st floor of the hotel, which is very convenient. The hotel offers free ice cream, drinks, and soba noodles (during specified times), which tasted great. The staff were very enthusiastic and helpful; I was very impressed.

We were going to Zao Onsen for skiing, but the onsen town was fully booked out. Searching a little farther, we found Tsukinoike offering rooms and Kaiseki dinner + breakfast for a reasonable price, and that's how we decided our booking. To our surprise, the images of the hotel is accurate, as the hotel was newly renovated. There's design elements and details at every corner, and our stay was perfectly pleasant. It's only a 30 min drive from Zao Onsen, making the commute fairly reasonable. Lastly, the food was absolutely worth the price, as the chef creatively used local ingredients to make delicious Kaiseki dinner. We stayed for two nights, and the food did not repeat. Tsukinoike has been an unexpected gem during our trip. 

The location is super convenient, just a 2-minute walk from Zao Onsen Ropeway Station. There's a ski rental shop about a 1-minute walk away. You can store your ski equipment in a specific locker in your room on the ground floor, or use the password-locked lockers in the lobby. Zao Bus Terminal is about a 7-minute walk. They even offer a free ride back to Zao Bus Terminal when you check out. For dinner, there are six delicious and beautifully presented options to choose from. A Lawson convenience store is about a 5-minute walk for evening snacks. The onsen (hot spring) is a good size, not too big, not too small. And since there weren't many guests, it was a very pleasant experience.

Hotel located at hilltop adjacent to Zao ropeway station. It’s onsen is really good despite quite acidic. Don’t soak too long or it’ll be exceptionally itchy to your skin. Package dinner is ok.

The room is spacious and in traditional Japanese style. Was expecting a private onsen in the room but it was only a bathtub. The staff couldn’t communicate well in English which caused some misunderstanding during our stay but they’re friendly and responsible enough to solve the problem for us so it’s still a great experience overall. The breakfast was very traditional and got more and more abundant every day. We had a great 4nights stay in Hayamakan. The highlight has to be the nearby restaurants. The hotel will give you some recommendations nearby, please make sure you try some of them!

The room was a bit small, but it had all the necessary facilities and amenities. The staff were generally friendly and helpful. While the breakfast didn't offer a huge variety, the taste was quite agreeable. My only real complaint about breakfast was how crowded it got; I felt quite squeezed in with other guests, which made conversations awkward and a bit uncomfortable. Another minor issue was the strict check-in time. You couldn't get into your room until 3 PM, and checking in earlier required an additional fee.