Spa Hotels in Yamanouchi

It is by far the most outstanding place we have stayed in throughout Japan. The level of service excellence, the amenities and the attention to detail reaches heights unmatched by any other place we have seen or stayed at.

Location was very good for skiing. Ski room locker directly opened onto slopes and the top of gondola was steps away when returning on the last lift. Have stayed here before and the private onsen room includes a private dining room with full multi course Japanese meals. These Japanese meals are very traditional and not for the western palate but are a great experience for the adventurous. The normal rooms and shared dining work but the private dining is the real treat and why I booked. The shared onsen is also very good but maybe not great if it was busy - we were the only ones there and the sauna and outdoor pool were a bonus. If the private onsen room doesn't make too big a dent in your wallet and you want to experience traditional Japanese dining then go for it.

I liked the Ryokan feeling of the room and hotel as a whole.

Breakfast was immense, value unmatched and so close to the piste. Incredible Izakaya underneath and absolutely lovely staff. We will come back!!

Very good stay here, friendly staff. Fully tatami floored hotel with a small garden inside. We booked a room with an onsen bath attached and it was easy to use and very comfortable. The signs on the outside for the bath (attached to the room) are not in English but if it helps anyone the tap on the wall is cold water to dilute the onsen water in the bath if it is too hot to be comfortable. Staff were accommodating and had English menus for the restaurant if required. As is the style in many Ryokans there is a set menu for dinner with only a choice of mains. So keep that in mind for allergies or food dislikes, you can't make changes with regards to the starter menu. During various times of day in the hotel they offered free ramen, ice cream or light meals. If I ever go back to Kusatsu I will most likely stay here again.

Nice large tatami room Rotenburo by the river

Lovely and very helpful staff. Exceptionally beautiful Onsen that can be booked for private use. Fantastic traditional Japanese breakfast. Big and comfortable room with nice beds.

As a tourist, this is as close as you can get to living as part of a Japanese family, and in a historic 400 year old house to boot. You enter to the warmest welcome in English from the owner and manager Torazo, who settles you in and then provides help and advice through the stay from his post behind reception. He encourages you to make the yukata and kimono they provide for free as your go-to clothes around the inn and indeed the town - a great touch, even if we didn't go as far as donning the wooden slippers outside! We'd chosen half board, and this was our favourite bit out of all the positives of this inn - served in your own screened dining room around a low table. Every meal had about a dozen small but involved dishes, a lot of the ingredients which we had difficulty identifying but which were almost without exception memorably delicious. It was fun trying all sorts of dishes you'd never know to order, and we ended each meal nicely full. The inn itself is a delight, timeless with ancient polished wood beams, tight woven matting, sliding screens. We'd chosen a room with futons, which had a small entrance area having a basin at one end and toilet behind a door at the other, and then the main room behind another sliding door. The beds were large and comfortable, and piled with thick blankets, glorious to nest under. Two heaters in the room kept it toasty even when it hit -13⁰ outside with snow. Each afternoon we retired for a luxurious snooze, how could we not. Downstairs at the back of the inn are the two indoor onsen (small hot spring spas). This area decorated with beautiful light wooden panelling, and leads to the fairytale garden. A stone bridge curves over a brook, the path taking you past the classic Japanese evergreens to an entrance hung with blinds. Here is the outdoor onsen, the only one in Yamanochi - and it is yours to enjoy privately. We sat in the pool with the steam rising and the snow falling on us, and marvelled.

friendly. perfect position near chairlift. you ski out the front door onto a lift. good breakfast. dinner is excellent also. roomy onsen

A beautiful studio with amazing aesthetics, gorgeous drinks in a cool bar, great location and super helpful staff. The studio got our family of 5 (three teenagers!) perfectly