Guests will receive a warm welcome from Akira-San at the Yudanaka Onsen Yamazakiya, a Ryokan which has been run by the same family for three generations in the main street of the Shibu-Onsen village. The Ryokan is very well-managed and efficient, with two spa rooms and a restaurant on site. As a traditional Ryokan rooms are carpeted with spotless tatami throughout and toilet facilities are shared, but also spotless, and are separate from washing and onsen spa bathing rooms. Bedrooms equipped with floor-sleeping futons are large and in winter well heated with an electric stoves. The day starts early with a traditional healthy Japanese breakfast prepared by Akira-San and his family. Akira Yamazaki is a helpful and gracious host, who also makes excellent coffee. We highly recommend a stay at Yudanaka Onsen Yamazakiya for an authentic experience of traditional Japanese hospitality. We will certainly return! Shibu Onsen village is a picturesque street lined with older Ryokan, restaurants, and bars. The local restaurants have an excellent range of local food, but bring plenty of cash as it's mostly a cash-only town and we did not see an international ATM. A coin laundry is located a 10-minute walk away from the Ryokan towards the train station along the main riverside road. The prices are ¥500 for a small wash, ¥100 for 10 minutes of drying time, and ¥100 for soap. A public bus serves the town area and monkey park, but everything (except the monkey park) is within a fairly convenient walking distance. The Yudanaka train station is only 5 minutes away from Shibu Onsen by bus, costing ¥210. Alternatively, it takes 25 minutes to walk there. English information about local buses and trains is available from the helpful Yudanaka station staff. Wake up early to visit the snow monkeys before the arrival of out-of-town tour groups. The Snow Monkey Pass sold by Dentetsu Railway doesn’t offer great value unless you arrive very early on the first day of the two-day ticket.

The true ethnicity of this onsen. The decoration and customs. The people were very welcoming and helpful. The breakfast was amazing. Various foods served in beautiful dishes. Highly recommend.

Akira and his family (the owners) are wonderful people. He dropped us off at the snow monkey park, as well as the train station. We very much enjoyed all our interactions and conversations with him, his mother and the rest of the staff. The room was spacious, feels traditional and homey with tatami flooring, paper sliding dividers and large windows out looking the river. The fridge was stocked with local beers and cider, etc which made it simple to try the excellent local drinks. The beds were comfortable, and the heating worked very well. We also highly recommend the breakfast/dinner as to experience a range of many authentic Japanese meals. Each meal was a set of many smaller dishes, so it was a great way to try many things at once. The onsen bathing experience was wonderful as well, the booking system was simple and easy, showers are inside next to the bath. The bath was quite large, a family could easily bathe with room to spare. The location was very convenient walking distance to many interesting sights and experiences in the area.

Shared bathroom, however I believe this is to be expected when staying in an onsen.

Akira and his family were the perfect hosts! We loved every minute of our stay here. The rooms were spacious and beautifully furnished. The breakfasts and dinner were plentiful and delicious. We couldn’t believe how many exquisite dishes kept coming out, along with a delicious green tea. On a rainy day the grandma of their family was concerned we would be bored, so she offered to dress us in kimonos for a fraction of the price in the cities. The onsen was gorgeous and the town was lovely to stroll around. Akira kindly drove us to visit the snow monkeys and to the train station. It felt like we had an authentic Japanese experience.

There are communal bathrooms which didn’t bother us at all, but may not suit some travellers. We really couldn’t fault this ryokan, it was a wonderful experience all round!

Location and decor are incredible - the staff made us feel welcome straight away - taught us how to wear a yukata , Akira was so nice to us he even drove us to the station when we checked out because it was raining. I have been to Japan before , this was definitely the best experience we’ve had. We experienced authentic Japanese culture , the private onsen facility are great , rooms were amazing , everything was impeccably clean. We recommend this place to anyone and we will definitely be back in our next trip to Japan.

Everything was perfect - we liked everything.

The room size was huge - the hosts were very friendly and accommodating- the breakfast was delicious and almost too much food to eat. The property has a private onsen that individuals traveling together can sign up for a time slot. Akira offered to give us a ride up to snow monkey park so that we could be there before it opened.

We had a shared bathroom. It was adequate but the only way to get a shower was before or after the onsen in the onsen room. This worked well for us but if you didn’t want to onsen (and why would you stay at an onsen if you didn’t want to soak?) I don’t know when/how you’d get a shower.

If I could rate them with 1000 I would. This place was an absolute gem of our travel. It is wonderful traditional Riocan with beautiful rooms, extremely clean and all together very original and magical. Nature around is beautiful and it is walking distance to snow monkeys national park. There are many restaurants and small shops near. You can book private onsens free of additional charge as many times a day as you want. Food was absolutely exceptional, they made a favor for us and made me vegetarian breakfast that was really delicious and definitely best breakfast I ate during our whole trip. The best part of the whole stay was Akira and his family, they were so nice to us, drove us near to snow monkeys free of charge, talked to us about various things in Japan and introduced us to culture of onsens. They gave us in the end even a little gift that was made by Akiras mother. It was by far BEST experience in Japan and if you shouldn't miss something visiting Japan than it is visit to this wonderful Riokan and this wonderful family.

Our host Ak (Akira) was amazing. Super helpful, friendly, courteous and accommodating. The room and facilities were traditional in nature, well kept and presented. The town itself is also very traditional in its architecture and aesthetic. The accomodation contained two traditional Onsens for private use. Breakfast provided was also traditional Japanese fare and made with care and attention to detail. It was a highlight of our trip. Close to the snow monkey park, beautiful location with mountains, rivers and forests in the nearby surroundings.

Yumi and Akira were supremely nice, courteous, helpful, and as a bonus spoke English! They made our stay very easy by helping us with our bags, driving us to the monkey park, and making sure we had a ride to the station. Our hosts even took the time to learn our names and set us a postcard after our stay, so sweet! Additionally, the onsen was piping hot, great for couples, and very relaxing. The room was enormous, had ac and a fridge, as well as large windows where you could hear the water traveling along the street. If we lived in Tokyo we would come here regularly. It was very easy to travel to as well as afforable. Everyone should be staying here.

The Yamazakiya Ryokan was one of our favourite accommodations on our trip. The moment we entered we were greeted very warmly by Mr Yamazaki. Our room was wonderfully prepared with a preheated kotatsu, hot tea and Japanese sweets. The little onsen is a treat, you can use it privately and it is a room of calm and tranquility, very clean, like everything else. Our breakfast was delicious and beautifully presented in the tatami-style breakfast room. Everyone was kind with our children. We all wished we could have stayed for a few more days. We are very thankful to Mr Yamazaki who helped us getting to the Jigokudani koen and the Yudanaka station with his own car. Travelling in Asia for two months we rarely felt so welcome and treated extraordinarily friendly. The third-generation Yamazakiya in Shibu Onsen is more then worth just one visit and we can recommend it a lot, for adults Just as much as for a family with children.