Outstanding staff; always friendly and helpful (before and during the stay). Authentic ryokan within walking distance of the Snow Monkey Park. The highlights were the meals and private bath. Highly recommend booking with dinner and breakfast included (at check-in we were offered dinner seating times at 6, 6:30 and 7PM; breakfast seating times offered were 7:30, 8 and 8:30AM). The meals were course-after-course of beautifully prepared foods (you will not walk away hungry). In addition to having two public baths onsite (one for men, one for women), a private bath is available onsite (booked in 50 minute increments) suitable for 1-4 people. If you want to ensure bath availability--or meal timing--request in advance. I believe they can also assist with visits to local baths, but we found their baths perfect for our use. Additionally, they have a shuttle to the Snow Monkey Park at 9:45AM (sign-up during check-in)--they don't offer a return shuttle, though it's a beautiful hour-long walk back. Finally, they offer a very useful shuttle to the train station (request time at check-in: 9:05, 9:30, 10:20, or 10:50AM).

This is not related to the lodging, but ensure you have a solid transportation plan to get to/from the area (schedules change throughout the year). There is a Snow Monkey Park voucher that includes train/bus to/from Nagano, entrance to the park, etc. It's a good deal--but more important, it's flexible and convenient.

Overall hospitality of the staff, kaiseki dinners and breakfasts and onsen facilities were simply outstanding! It is conveniently located not too far away from Snow Monkey park.

The kaiseki dinner was incredibly delicious but VERY generous, almost more than I could handle! I'd suggest to make individual courses a bit smaller, I'd hate to waste wonderful food and leave anything on the table. I guess it is a good problem to have!

Convenient access to monkey park. Owner involvement in meeting & greeting us, despite language challenges. Nice meals.

Overall very good, but could have been great if: a) better attention to communication before check-in. I asked regarding arrival pickup from station weeks before, but response was late (actually almost reaching Yudanaka!) b) since monkey park is so near Masuya, perhaps can offer guests pick-up also (& I'm willing to pay if required) Much opportunity to improve.

If there was only one word; Extraordinary. The staff were amazing! The whole experience was just out of this world fantastic from the start. A bit unique, the Ryokan experience, but wish we could have stayed longer. We opted for the breakfast option and it was just perfect. We booked the room with the private onsen room which the whole family appreciated. Any visit to Japan is not complete with this kind of experience and hospitality. As a hospitality professional, it was second to none. The most amazing thing was when we were leaving, the host was there waving goodbye until they couldn’t see us anymore. That just made my family and I feel truly appreciated.

Everything. Just book it. The staff were the highlight, but the whole experience was worth it.

Authentic Japanese style accommodation but with private bathroom and toilet in our room. Very quiet and comfortable. First time for us sleeping on futon on tatami, and all the customs of the Japanese inn were explained to us by the amazing staff. Speaking of which, the staff were incredibly welcoming and took great care to make us happy and comfortable. We learned so much and increased our vocabulary of Japanese words, and they were very patient and good-humoured with us. We chose to book all inclusive with dinners and breakfasts, without making any special requests or dietary requirements, so we left it all to chance whether we would enjoy it. The food was very different to western style, and was a bit of an adventure, but every dish was presented beautifully and it was obviously made with great care. And we ate so much! Left the table full and satisfied every time, and tried many new things. Very high quality. At the inn you are supplied with yukata (cotton robes) and slippers to wear in your room and throughout the property. We wore the yukata to dinner and breakfast and most other guests did too. The whole experience was so much more than a place to stay, it was an immersive cultural experience we will never forget. If you want to try a Ryokan or Japanese accommodation but worried about how you will go as a westerner, don't worry, and we highly recommend Masuya. Convenient to Snow monkey park, onsens, and the ski area is just a short way up the mountain.

An absolutely godly ryokan, it exceeded our expectation in every possible way. We were a bit awkward as we were staying just one night and have never stayed at an onsen ryokan before, but the staff was very accommodating and were extremely friendly. Everybody is in traditional kimonos and it feels very traditional, it was exactly what we were looking for. The shuttle service is extremely handy and includes a shuttle after checkout, with times corresponding with the train departures. There were two onsen, with them being swapped between women and men in fixed intervals. They are available 24h a day, so you can go night dipping as well. Yukatas and a guide for putting them on is also included. Traditional shoes and an exit onto the famous onsen street is also provided and is a must have experience. The kaiseki dinner and breakfast were very adventurous, as we were not used to japanese cuisine. After the dinner, the ryokan's okami-san came to ask us our opinion about the ryokan, which was very heartwarming.

We loved our stay at Masuya. Everything about the place was perfect! The staff were the friendliest and most welcoming people we came across in our entire holiday (and that's saying something!) and made us feel so special. We travelled with our 6month baby and the team were so nice and playful with her, she absolutely loved them too! The hotel is very well located and has beautiful onsens on site (much nicer than the photos show). The room was comfy and clean and the meals were incredible! All the food was beautiful and so tasty. The best experience!

Not an issue but the hotel isn't officially part of Shibu Onsen, despite being literally next to it, so you don't get access to the 9 onsens there. But there are two in the hotel, which are incredible, and you get access to two other public ones which are close and very similar to Shibu Onsen so you don't miss out.

Our stay at Wafu-no-Yado was nothing short of amazing. We booked a half-board stay (breakfast and dinner included) and it was the best decision we made. Our meals were carefully prepared and tasted so good (even better than some omakase courses we've had in Japan). We found ourselves looking forward to meals! The private onsen and shower area in our room was also amazing. The ryokan staff were so hospitable and caring, and did everything they could to ensure our stay was comfortable and pleasant. There truly isn't anything to dislike about our stay. Would totally come back!

Loved everything about our stay here! They were very responsive to messages prior to our stay and accommodated a seafood allergy in our party. The staff was extremely friendly. We felt welcomed from the moment we arrived at the train station and were met by the shuttle. The meals (breakfast and dinner) were some of the best that we had during our entire trip. The location was ideal for our plans to see the snow monkeys and there was a shuttle from the hotel to the park. The bath (onsen) in the hotel was clean and an absolute joy. Overall, we felt very well taken care of and have fantastic memories of this experience!

Loved everything!

We loved everything about this place - the location right on the main onsen town street, their own onsen, the wonderful dinners nd breakfast, and the very attentive service. The first night we arrived late, tired and hungry to find out that we need cash for the sushi that was the only one still open. They were so kind and generous, and realizing the despair, that the person at the front desk hoped in her can and drove us to an ATM that was 20 mins away. this level od attantivnedd remained throughout our stay. We enjoyed it so much we extended a day.