Our room was large and beautiful. I liked that there was a shuttle to take us to and from the monkey hot spring park. The shuttle will also pick you up from train station. There were only 2 monkeys at monkey park , but the hike was worth it - really beautiful hike-eat at the park’s restaurant it was great food at a good price. The hotel gives you a key to all the onsens in town. The town had a few cute shops. The hotel employees were all very nice.

I assumed when I booked and they asked me about food allergies that breakfast and dinner were included- the price of this hotel was really high- mid $300’s so I assumed food included. But on arrival they said the meals were not included- though I will admit it was my fault that I didn’t scroll down and see the half board option.. it would have raised the price to over $500 for one night. Not getting breakfast was an issue because there was only one place in town to get breakfast and it was not good. For the price a basic breakfast should be included.

Shibu Hotel is an absolute gem! The beauty of the property is matched only by the incredible hospitality and service. From the moment we arrived, the thoughtful touches impressed us – our names were on shoe cubbies and our room door. When we went down for the multi-course traditional dinner, we were met with a warm welcome by a line of staff who even placed name tags on our shoes. This dinner was a culinary masterpiece, truly one of the most incredible dining experiences of my life. The ryokan was impeccably clean, and our room was spacious and spotless. The food, especially the unforgettable dinner and breakfast, is an absolute must-try. A delightful surprise was the availability of generously sized yukatas that comfortably fit both my husband and me (both over 280 lbs). The hotel’s hot spring was pristine and beautiful, offering a tranquil retreat and a lovely outdoor hot spring. They also offered a private hot spring for families/groups for an additional charge. The level of service was truly exceptional. They took care of our car, and upon check-out, it was brought to the entrance, backed in for easy loading. As a final touch, they even wiped our car windows before our departure. Without a doubt, this has been one of the best hotel experiences I've ever had, and I've traveled to over 20 countries. I wholeheartedly recommend Shibu Ryokan!l

The room is spacious and the onsens in the hotel are great. I really recommend trying the outdoor private onsen, that was our favourite. The food was very high quality and the staff was very polite and helpful. Very close to the public onsens of the village. They also offer free shuttles to the station and the monkey park if needed, that is explained in advance. They also had English speaking staff members (not so important to us as we speak Japanese) overall great service and very good hotel.

Not that we didn't like it, it was just unusual that they asked for our car key to park the car for us (it's similar to parallel parking which is not a thing in Japan, so I'm sure this is great help for many guests). We haven't experienced this kind of service in Japan so we were a little confused about it.

Even though the lobby is a little dated, our stay was awesome. Room nice and comfy. Breakfast was fantastic. Shuttle from train station and also shuttle to Snow Monkey Park and back was a great bonus. The owners are really nice. All the staff went out of their way to treat the best. Really enjoyed our time there. Comp drinks in lobby and in the room were great. We would stay here again and every time we are in this lovely little town.

The shoe thing in the lobby was over cumbersome. Took a couple times doing it to get it together.

Very nice traditional hotel decent price and friendly staff. They picked me up from the train station and even drove my luggage to the next hotel I was booked at since they only had the one day available. They also took me to the snow monkey park for free even though it was after my check out time and found my next hotels shuttle bus to have them take me to my hotel after I was done. Excellent customer service definitely worth staying there. Also you get access to the 9 pubic onsen in town.

The staff was helpful and pleasant. The food was great considering it is a traditional Japanese meal. We were a group of Asians and Caucasian Americans, with not everyone used to eating traditional Japanese food, but everyone enjoyed the meals. There was plenty to eat, and it was fun to discover what was next. I strongly recommended adding the meat option to round off your meal.

We tried the traditional room, sleeping on the mats. It was fine for me, but my husband would have preferred a regular bed, so if you have someone that has back issues or may need more comfort, you may want to consider the regular beds. However, they also provide extra blankets so you can layer them on the mats to have more cushion.

Loved it, didn’t want to leave. The food was outstanding and the service was amazing. Huge comfortable rooms. They even cleaned our boots for us. The owners are just so lovely and really add to the character of the hotel. Sitting in the hotel outdoor bath while it snowed is hard to beat. My suggestion is stay at least 2 nights and on the final day, leave on the 10.50am train which will give you enough time for one final onsen after breakfast.

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A wonderful stay. Chose this hotel due to having transportation between Yudanaka train station and the Snow Monkey Park. Very handy indeed! There are two public onsen within the facility (gender separated) and two private onsen (indoor, free and outdoor, 2000yen per 30 mins, or free with select rooms) in addition to the 9x onsen in town. In-room drinks provided (free) and replenished daily with local snacks provided in-room and changed daily also. A nice touch! Tip - choose a consecutive night stay (2 nights) and you’ll have the town onsen to yourself until 3pm when the guests start to check into their hotels. Most only stay 1 night so the town onsen can get quite busy from 3pm. We chose the “no meals” options in our booking and were spoiled for choice within Shibu Onsen (places open from 5.30-6pm), no reservations necessary which isn’t the case for most other towns in Japan!

The room was big and the view of the river and mountains were great. The garden overlooking the onsen looked magical in the snow. The staff was wonderful and very accommodating. They provided transport to and from Yudanaka station and Snow monkey park. Even did a small detour to a scenic spot for some photos. Totally enjoyed the highly traditional Japanese dinner and breakfast. The late night walk in the town after the onsen bath was magical.

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Everything, to begin with Yamada San our shuttle driver and tourist guide . Then to the amazing couple slightly elderly that ran the hotel to the young Nepalese staff that explained everything in English . The bedroom and private onsen were wonderful . But nothing prepares you for the utterly out of this world dinner that awaits you from the way you are served to the beautiful exquisite and so so delicious food . Breakfast was again exceptional. Shibu onsen town / village has such charm and the public onsens are perfectly quaint and boiling hot and scrupulously clean . Top top hotel from facility to staff to food

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