This is a superb place to stay as a base for adventures around Norikura Kogen. It is warm, inviting, and comfortable. The proprietor is friendly and helpful, the rooms are clean and well-equipped, and the private onsen experience is spectacular. We rented a car to get there and there was plenty of parking for us. We were on tatami, but there are spare pillows available for extra padding.

Not much to complain about. Sometimes other guests were loud early in the morning, or messy in the common areas, but there's not much to be done about it. Just a note and not a complaint - there really are sparse food options up near the guesthouse so bring some food. There is a shared fridge in the common area to store items.

Our stay at Hoshizora no Akari was the most wonderful part of our Japanese trip. Our host is extremely attentive, generous, and welcoming; he knows how to make you feel comfortable in his guesthouse. The rooms are simple but very pleasant, the private onsen is a dream, and the location of the place is ideal for staying in the region and going on beautiful hikes. We highly recommend it! Thank you again for everything.

The host is amazing. He was super friendly, asked about our plans and gave us good suggestions. When we forgot something in the room he was very kind and sent it to our next hotel free of charge. The place feels like home away from home. The common room at the first floor has many board and card games for the entire family and we had a lot of fun playing. There are also free beverages and snacks. The location is very quite and the sky are beautiful at night

What a wonderful guest house! We booked it very last minute for part two of our Christmas getaway, and we truly enjoyed it. Everything was really clean and cozy, with quirky decorations all throughout. The owner was very friendly and we chatted for awhile in the evening by the cozy stove. The onsen was fantastic, we even ended up buying some onsen powder to take home. This guesthouse is really close to a fantastic ski area, and I am looking forward to coming back and staying there again!

We had a little bit of an issue with the heater that kept beeping with a strange warning and were not sure if it was safe. Also, the bathroom is shared, even though on the Booking.com listing it says that it is private.

Everything was perfect. You know is not a luxury hostel, but it was cute and comfy. Everything was fine and the facilities are greatful. Perfect location to be far to the crowd, close to the nature. The room was really nice, the mattress was really comfy ! Thanks to the boss, he's an amazing person very helpful and kind.

Nothing.

The decoration was so sweet, everything was catered for and thought of, the owner was lovely and very friendly!

The onsen was nice, but the walk to get to the onsen is through a colder older part of the house.

The guesthouse host was friendly and very helpful. He made us feel at home right away and was able to have a conversation in English, helping us with sightseeing and restaurant recommendations. We loved the cute Japanese touches and the onsen.

Extremely friendly owner who showed us everything, comfortable room, very clean, during the night very quite even with the shared facilities; Onsen was fantastic, really rustic and authentic and the water felt extremely good

Excellent staff and service. All facilities fully functional and staff friendly and extended assistance to enquiries. Very clean, good onsen. Highly recommended.

What I love the most is guest can use the shared bathroom with hot spring water privately. Depending on the timing you might need to wait for others to finish but we were lucky not many guests use them during the night.