It’s in a compact town far back from the city of Ueda. There is a feeling of serenity in the air possibly from the nearby temples which are easily accessible. The food is flavorful and satisfying. The baths are relaxing—in the early morning, you can see steam rising from the outdoor pool while the inside one has a nice view . There is a rest area near the baths where soothing music, reading matter, water and miso soup are available. When checking in, general procedures were touched upon with my name and room number on a printed form. Staff were friendly and knew my name and room. Shuttle service is available when you arrive by train.

There is an incline up to the ryokan and to the temples. There are not many stores and restaurants here so you will need to catch the train or bus to Ueda if you cannot find what you want.

The small town of Bessho Onsen is pleasant and restful. Hotel staff were very friendly and spoke English, which was appreciated. The food was delicious and the outdoor onsen very relaxing (if quite busy!), with a view of the wild wisteria growing on the hill from the outdoor bath. I particularly appreciated, as a solo traveller, the dining room's consideration in situating me at a table by the window, facing out over the view, where I could watch dusk swallow the hills. The peony garden at the temple below the shrine closest to the railway station was a delight: in full flower during my visit. I highly recommend visiting during May.

My room was slightly noisy in the afternoon and early evening, opposite the lift and situated two doors away from a family with small children having room service from the small service area/kitchen opposite, with a lot of knocking and coming and going. My fault: I didn't think to ask for a quiet room on booking. However, the mild noise abated by 9pm, when I had a delightfully peaceful sleep. NB: Leave some time to work out the ticket machine at the electric railway station, which has a slightly complicated sequence!

Lovely attention to detail. The collection and drop off from the station. The effort to create be a vegan dinner and breakfast. The friendliness of all staff. The onsen is amazing loved the outdoor areas. The town is very small recommend booking half board stay you’ll struggle find food in evenings.

The room was very traditional. Had two wicker chairs on the floor. I personally struggled to sit in them had to just lie on the bed. Also the bathroom was small and airless def lets the room down.

The location and transport service to and from Besshoonsen Station facilitated arrival and departure. The dinners and breakfasts were memorable. Staff service was promoted and spot on. The Onsen was cosy and comes with two rest areas, one inside the bath and another outside. The one outside was equipped with a modern sitting area and guests were provided with a pot of special miso soup and a water dispenser. Here we were surrounded with mountains and woods.

Nothing.

Onsen was good. We stayed in 2 twin tatami rooms. They were comfortable and clean. Although the tatami room was small, it had most things we needed. We love the hotel's attention to detail in terms of amenities. All staff at the hotel were friendly and helpful. Special mention goes to Mr Kano, who made a point to attend to us personally as he could communicate with us in English.

We would suggest that a hairdryer be placed in the room too as 2 of our friends didn't use the onsen facilities.

The staff’s hospitality made us feel so welcomed…what a memorable stay:) the dinner was served with great attention to detail, not to mention it was delicious:) the staff were very patient with our needs and explaining the components of the dinner to us even though we arrived late to the hotel and the dinner:) we had a very spacious room, all very well heated with a comfy tatami mattress. They made our beds while we are at dinner:) we paid a small fee to use the private bath, which was amazing:) we didn’t thought it would be such a great experience before entering, a gem in Bessho onsen town!

Nothing:) I’d like to visit again

It was an amazing stay with great food, very friendly staff and relaxing onsen. The room was comfortable with a kotatsu and they laid out the futon at night. Also they provided a few local snacks, free drinks next to the reception in the morning and afternoon/evening and there was a free shuttle service to the train station. The staff were very kind and recommended some things to do.

The staff was very attentive, the person from the reception desk overheard us talking that kids need water and brought it even without asking. The ryokan has a 150 years history and you can feel it. Beautiful view from the women's rotemburo, I recommend going at dawn. The breakfast was absolutely fantastic.

It was a pity that during the reservation process through Booking.com there was no option of dinner and we had to eat bento at our room, but when going to onsen we saw other guests eating their dinner at the restaurant.

Beautiful ryokan, friendly and helpful staff (if you need it, they will come and pick you up from the station for free). The Onsen is just perfect: two pools outside and one really hot inside, the public onsen is available from 15 pm until the next morning for free and there is the possibility to book the private pool. Dinner was delicious. Absolutely recommended.

Breakfast was absolutely wonderful and beautiful . A lot of options. They especially prepare vegetarian meal for our family. Great onsen and lounge. Staff were very attentive and welcoming.

The room was very old, partially damaged walls. Small bathroom. Booking promote it as 4 stars hotel and it wasn’t look like this. Very expensive for the facilities proposed.