Shibu Onsen KOKUYA

The staff could speak English very well and patient to help us with the private onsen bookings. There was also a shuttle bus from Yudanaka station to the hotel. Hotel was located just opposite the photo spot which resembles the one in Spirited Away. Onsen eggs for sale at 100 yen are just outside the hotel. Dinner and breakfast were both delicious too. Love the private onsen too!

Amazing stay! The location is great, plus there are shuttle services to/from train station and to the snow monkey park The food is a real Japanese treat The onsens are unreal, and I had no trouble booking them The staff is just amazing, very knowledgeable and professional, always willing to help you with a smile Will visit again

We stayed for 2 nights at a room without bath. When we arrived we were a bit concerned because it looks old, but after settling in we found this ryokan to be excellent. It's an old building linked with multiple facades and many stairs, but this ryokan has 6 different hotspring baths. All of them are awesome and there is no need to reserve, we tried all 6 of them + the 9 public baths in Shibu Onsen nearby. Enjoyed it very much. The meals are very good, great service and hospitality. 1 of the evening there was a geiko performing show, we had such a good quality time.

Super friendly host, very comfortable, clean and all staff speak English and very kind to foreigners.

It was a great stay. The staff was super friendly and spoke English. The had parking vallet, provided an outfit to change into and roam outside. The hot springs was super relaxing and great for the feet and body. We tried five of their private hot spring rooms out of the many more they had, some had super hot water while others were warm. The outside room hot springs were beautifully decorated. They gave us access to the 9 public onsens that had different minerals in the  for body healing. At night it was even more beautiful with the night walk and the town puts on a beautiful show and night market. Super glad we booked the stay.

food was good and the experience was perfect

Arigato kosaimas for everything 🙏

Great onsen!   Service is awesome!  Great location.  Very clean.  Close to bus station.

From the moment you enter Kokuya Ryokan, be prepared to leave the real world behind and fully immerse yourself in the experience. You swap your shoes for slippers at the door and don’t see them again until you leave. You will receive a warm welcome from polite and gentle-mannered staff, get taken up to your beautiful room, and once you’ve changed into your traditional yukata, it’s time to let the relaxation begin. The multi-course dinner will probably be one of the best meals you’ve had in your life, with many unusual textures and flavors to try. The futons are comfortable, and your room is kept toasty warm. There are even skincare products to keep you pampered and moisturized between soaks in the onsen. Honestly, you won’t even need to open your suitcase while you’re there. The staff will take you through all the logistics when you arrive, but there are some things that might be useful to know in advance. - The ryokan sends a shuttle to Yudanaka station at about 15:00 to collect new arrivals, so time your journey to take advantage of this benefit. - The ryokan also offers guests the opportunity to catch a shuttle to the Snow Monkey Park immediately after breakfast the next morning. - After you leave the ryokan, they will take your luggage down to the coffee shop opposite the station, so you don’t need to worry about those logistics. - Trains from Yudanaka back to Nagano leave at 12:30 and 15:30. - The ryokan itself has several private onsens that you can reserve for a 45-minute slot. Because the onsens are on the property, you can go in with your partner or travel companions regardless of gender. It’s a boutique hotel, so you don’t have to worry about not getting access to all the onsens you want. - The ryokan is on the main road of the Shibu Onsen town. The hotel will give you a key so you can wonder down the main road, visiting any of the public onsens you wish - however, with so many gorgeous and more private onsens in the hotel itself, you probably won’t have time or the desire for this. - Also, there is a coffee machine in the room! (I was worried about having to survive without coffee, and this turned out to be an unfounded concern). We had an incredible and totally indulgent time at Kokuya. Experiencing a traditional ryokan is a privilege that you should try at least once if you can. And adding the Snow Monkeys in give the trip a double purpose, making it that much more memorable. The only thing that would have made the trip better is if we had been allowed to linger longer over every course of our dinner.