Nagano hotels & places to stay

This was my second stay for another 3 nights. Would recommend booking the Superior Twin Room. Very much bigger at 30 sq m. Worth the extra $$. Very reasonable price for the quality of sleep you get. A real 4=-star hotel. Very convenient to book tickets for outstation. The Apico Highway bus office is just opposite. Booked my ticket to Togakushi Shrine (must do) Buy the Togakushi Travel Pass which comes with a free ride to the famous Nagano famous (Zenkoiji). The walk back is all doiwn hill for 1,8m. Yopu can also buy tickets from here to Takayama, Matsumoto and Kamijkochi. At the East Gate of the Nagano Station, you can take buses to the surrounding ski resorts e.g. Happo-One . Or to Omachi or Shinado Omachi Station for the start of the Tateyama Alphine Route (Snow Wall) Will be back again.

The hotel is just in front of the Nagano train station and bus terminal, which is very convenient. Many convenient stores and restaurant around the hotel. The room itself is quite spacious and fully equipped with air conditioner and hair dryer. The toilet is clean and has amenities. A few down things are -Laundry... No obvious coin washing machine and dryer in the building. It said in the paper staff handed during check in that " to contact the staff if need to wash clothes". -The electric outlet is quite hard to find. Two are hidden below the desk and two are at the side of the TV table.

I booked 2 rooms for my family of 3 young children. Check-in was efficient and the receptionist even offer me non-smoking rooms upon noticing my kids. There are free amenities and drinks at the lobby. Location of this hotel is close to Nagano Station with many nearby shops and restaurants. The hotel rooms were quite spacious for Japanese standards, very clean and comfortable. The staffs are very helpful and speak good English. My family and I will definitely stay in Chisun Grand Nagano or other affiliate hotels in the future.

We stayed 2 nights at this lovely hotel while travelling Japan. Nagano is a lovely smaller town and has many wonderful sights. Those snow capped mountains are everything!! The hotel staff at Nagano Tokyu Rei are delightful & very helpful. The hotel has a smoking room on the 4th floor for those not wanting to stay in a smoking room, but enjoy a cigarette. The hotel room was nice & modern, but a little small compared to other Japanese hotels. Despite this, it is a very affordable & great place to stay. We will definitely stay here again. They have a nice restaurant/brasserie that serves breakfast as well. Thanks for the lovely stay 😀

Sadly we only stayed two nights at the Dormy Inn, because it was so relaxing and comfortable. The hot spring facilities on the top floor of the hotel were perfect for starting the day super early and relaxing after a long day exploring Nagano. The location of the hotel is also perfect for day trips because the train station is just around the corner. Overall one of the best hotels we stayed in on our trip to Japan regarding comfort and price.

Breakfast restaurant on 16F has great view. This could be the best view from the breakfast restaurant among the hotels around Nagano station. I was so satisfied with the menu of the breakfast buffet which includes some of local food like Shinshu Soba and also several dishes can be treated as main menu. The hotel is bit far from the station compare with others, but the clean facility and great breakfast are enough to stay here again definitely.

I was surprised with this hotel when I reached there. Not as bad as I thought it was because I read there’s a lot of negative review about it. I stayed in the West Wing hotel. It was better as it’s nearer to Ichinose (1 bus stop away will be the night ski area, 2 bus stops away will be the food central). The rooms are decent. Hotel staffs are friendly. I did not try any food in the hotel so I can’t rate it. The ski lift is conveniently located just outside the hotel. There’s a convenient store in the hotel that closed at 9:30pm, just in time if u want to grab some essentials or tidbits after the night ski. The ski rental shop and the ski lockers are conveniently located in the hotel. There’s an Onsen but I did not try it. The only negative thing and I will Prince Hotel will improve on, is the heater in the room. Hopefully it can be tuned warmer and allow hangers to hang our ski jacket and pants over it to dry. Else, everything is fine. Will return to the same hotel again.

Hotel location is within walking distance from the bus terminal. There are few public onsens nearby and the hotel’s onsen provides a beatiful view of the surrounding mountains. We were there just before the actual ski season was opened but were lucky to experience snowfall while we’re there. The staff were very accommodating and friendly. Our room for 3 people was huge with good in room heater.

Kokuya was the best accommodation that we stayed at in Japan during our three week stay over the holidays. While the price is a bit higher than some of the other properties in the area, we found it to be well deserved. Some of the highlights for us included: a) A personalized welcome, with the staff from the Ryokan coming to the room with us to show us its various features, and explain the facilities and food options b) The dinner and breakfast (additional extras) were exceptional. These were quality we would expect at a Michelin restaurant. c) The eight onsen available within the facility were impeccably clean, and absolutely gorgeous. They were the best onsen we experienced during our stay in Japan. d) The location is within walking distance to the Monkey Park Absolutely would recommend anyone to stay here to experience the onsen, meals, and service.

We had a great stay at the Sunroute hotel. The staff were great, the hotel was really clean and the location was amazing. It's a 2 minute walk from the JR station if you take the Mi Do Ri bridge exit (grabbing some amazing food on the way through!) and everywhere around Nagano is really accessible from this hotel. If I had another decision to make with hotels in Nagano, this would definitely be top of the list.

Stayed 1 nite , however should have booked 2 nites but price rather hefty as we booked the room with own private bath. Rather rushed to visit the snow monkey at Jigokudani just with 1 nite. The hotel staff was so nice as to pick us up from Yudanaka station upon arrival by Nagano Dentetsu line , and thereafter dropped us at Jigokudani by 3pm. Snowing very heavily then , but the driver was so nice to escort us to the initial path of the monkey park up the mountains as we were rather doubtful of the way in the heavy snowing. Onsen/ open bath was superb in the cold winter.

We stayed 2 nights at this ryokan towards the end of December 2017. The trip to the ryokan from Ueno Station in Tokyo took around three hours total, involving both a shinkansen train to Nagano Station followed by a 2nd local train up to Yamanouchi. This was the only taxing part of the trip. Once we got there, the staff was exceptionally warm and helpful, the kaisaki breakfast and dinner were memorable (some travelers chose the western style breakfast, which I don't understand at all-- why travel thousands of miles to the mountains of Japan to order an omelette?) , the indoor hot springs were always clean and well maintained, and the day trip to see the snow monkeys was fantastic (but be warned, it involves a bit of a hike, and the trail is slippery during winter). The ryokan does everything it can to immerse the foreign traveler to a luxurious local hot spring culture, and I didn't have a single complaint.

The hotel has really good location and very easy to find. Price is considered okay not very cheap. Can easily hear noise from nearby rooms or corridor. Though it's not my major concern. Hotel provides breakfast, which considered slightly better than normal b&b hostel. You can keep bags there. Staff are polite and good with their service. Toilet is clean. My room has the residual smoke smell, but it's common in Japan. Considering I booked the last room available for that day, I could not complain that. But it's better to state the room is smoking rooms. Overall experience is good.

Delicious dinner on both nights. We were initially very disappointed having booked the hotel for its private outdoor onsen which after paying(non refundable) we were told was not going to be open due to snow, which given this weather should really have been expected and explained, however staff were very accommodating and upgraded us to a room with its own outdoor bath so we really enjoyed our stay. The food (especially dinner) was delicious!

The dinner was fanatic!! The host family was very nice!! They drived us between different locations, (bus stop, ski area and hotel) The rooms are big. However, we stayed at this hotel in early Dec, season of skiing has just started, only 2 rooms were reserved. Too few people in the hotel, I was a little bit scared, especially, I stayed alone in the spring which is located at the basement. Haha...

This was one of our favorite Ryokan stays in Japan, a lovely place with incredibly friendly staff, a delicious restaurant, a cozy vibe and great service. The staff went out of their way to always be helpful. Each evening felt like coming home. The location is excellent, right on the main drag of Shibu Onsen public bath area, with tons of little shops and cafes nearlby, and easy access to local buses. The staff are a wealth of information on everything to see and do in the area. You can tell they truly enjoy working there and aren’t just typical employees. Would highly recommend this place to anyone visiting the Nagano area!

We had a fantastic stay. The town is absolutely wonderful; walking between the local Onsens in Yukata is very magical. I highly recommend doing the dinner at the Ryokan as it was delicious and one of the highlights of our Japan trip. The staff is very friendly and accommodating, they even drove us to the snow monkeys on our final day and had our bags transferred to a coffee shop across from the train station.

It is a budget hotel that has excellent location for skiing. The Nozawa Onsen Ski Resort is just right in front of the hotel. We rent the ski equipment from the house next to the hotel. The gondola, lift and snow scooter are just right in front of the hotel!!! This hotel is very clean, good breakfast and friend staffs. The room has futon and tatami mat and also heater to keep you warm. Moreover, hotel has a small bath tube Onsen (for 4 people at the same time) which is very good. The water is natural water just like the same in public Onsen bath. The only thing that I don't like about this hotel is just cigarette smell from the lobby because they allow people to smoke on the 1st floor lobby (it is small hotel so if someone smokes on the 1st floor then you can smell it). However, I recommend for this hotel and I will go back again!!!

My husband and I were excited to spend three days in an onsen town lazing about and taking a lot of baths. He ended up getting sick during the first leg of the trip and was sick the entire time were were in Nagano. First of all, the ryokan was really easy to get to. Apparently, if you call them from Yudanaka station, they will come get you. We didn't know so we took a cab. Easy. Lovely room. We didn't have a river view but had the city view which ended up great since every morning we watched monkeys scamper across the retaining wall and across rooftops. The ofuros were really clean--it looks like this ryokan had some renovations done recently. Everything was really clean and a lot of it looked failry new. Loved the heated toilet in our room as well. As hubby was sick (mostly dehydration), we stayed in a lot. The nankai sans were really sweet and accomodating--offering onigiri and things were they discovered hubs wasn't able to eat breakfast at all. So there's not much to do in Andai/Shibu itself during the day. Most businesses are closed until the tourists come in the afternoon. It was pretty cool to walk around the deserted town and take pictures. So, this ryokan is located in Andai. This is only of importance if you plan to do the Shibu Onsen soto-yu because you won't get a key to Shibu onsen's soto-yu. You will get a key to Andai's soto-yu. Agoda doesn't make a distinction between Andai and Shibu (really, there isn't one, unless doing the 9 Shibu soto yu is on your agenda). You can still get the towel and stamp it but won't be able to take a bath in them. That was the only bummer for me personally. That said, I loved both the inside and outside baths at Masuya. The food was excellent, with locally sourced dishes. The staff was really wonderful and attentive. It felt like we were the only ones there even when they had full occupancy.

We had booked a Japanese Style Room including Japanese Set Breakfast in order to have such an experience during our Japan trip and have to say that the Shibu Hotel definitely provided the same with a high standard. The room was spacious, the bathroom, toilet and amenities provided adequate.The Japanese Set Breakfast was nicely prepared, but one had to choose between two breakfast times, which were either at 7.30am or 8.00am and the staff were quite particular that one didn't forget about it, even calling the room to remind us. And the times given made you ready for the day, so that you could pursue your daily activities from an early time onwards. One would presume the main reason for most visitors to go to Yudanaka is to see the Snow Monkeys Park and experience a traditional Japanese Onsen Town, for both of which the Shibu Hotel is well located. Plus the hotel has its own private bath for hotel guests only as well as a public bath with a soaking pool indoors and outdoors. There are several restaurants and shops located along the main road of the township where you will also find the public bath houses, for which Yudanaka is famous. The hotel does not provide a restaurant service. A simple but good Sushi place is right next to the hotel. And should you consider to explore more of the region by visiting the Shiga-Kogen ski area, Nagano and Matsumoto, it would be recommend to consider renting a car in Nagano. Shibu Hotel provides adequate parking space, the staff taking charge of the parking of vehicles as you leave the keys with them. A little drawback is that not all staff members understand English well, but they make it up by always trying to find one of the staff who will understand your queries. We very much enjoyed the stay at the hotel. P.S: Don't be surprised if you encounter a small earthquake. We had such an experience one evening, the building shaking for a few seconds, but as no alarm was sounded we didn't investigate further until the next morning, when

This is hands down the best hotel for it’s facilities (onsen, smoking area, and even free breakfast) for a really cheap price! We even got a welcome gift from the staff. The place itself is around 7 mins walk, with a lot of eating places and cafe. Not to mention the places opens until around 4 am. For those who are staying looking for a night out, this place is surely close to it!

The best place to stay in Yudanaka onsen because of so many things. The location is perfect because it’s only 7 min. walk from the Yudanaka Station so If you just want to rest and relax after a tiring commute around Nagano this place is not too far. Checking in was also a breeze because Mr. Ichiro is right there to greet you as you come in the front door. All the rooms gives you that traditional japanese room feel. They have an in house bathhouses separating male and female but if you guys are a coulple or a group of friends Mr. Ichiro offers a private onsen just a couple minutes walk down from the Hotel for ¥600 yen each for 40 min. And I gotta say the private onsen was definitely worth it because we had it all for ourselves. We went at night so we got some Yudanaka town night lights and starry sky. If you are also thinking of going to the snow monkey park you don’t have to worry about bus schedules going up and going back because all you have to do is mention it to Mr. Ichiro.

We stayed at Tawaraya Ryokan for two nights, and could not have asked for a more perfect experience. While the ryokan in itself may not look extraordinary at first glance, its staff makes it just that. They are absolutely amazing, so helpful, sweet and thougthful. One of the best "hotel" experiences I have ever had, although I would not call this a hotel. We felt perfectly taken care of upon entering the doors. The staff knew exactly what we wanted at all times, they gave us a ride to the snow monkey park, they reserved a table at a Michelin star restaurant in Tokyo for us, remembering to tell them about my shellfish allergy of course, they even cleaned off and dried our shoes after the visit to the monkey park, as they had become wet and dirty. We had both breakfast and dinner at Tawaraya and both were delicious and attractively presented. Among the highlights was an egg cooked in the hot spring water! The onsen was so nice and relaxing, we even got to experience it while it was snowing! It was easy to book the outside onsen for private use both evenings we were there. When we checked out we received the most beautiful mobile made of origami swans. Thank you! They also gave us a ride up to the train station. I would love to go back!

I have mostly only good things to say about this ryokan. It was right after Christmas when we got to nagano and by the time we got there by train it was early evening but already dark. We had some hassle trying to find the place and it was slippery so that made looking for the ryokan slightly harder. This ryokan is roughly a 8 minute walk to the train station which makes it easy to access public transport. The signboard has big japanese characters and below it a really small "hakura ryokan" so be prepared to squint. This is all however worth it as the room was incredibly comfortable with a bed area and then a tamami floored tea/tv area. Yukatas are provided for you to go around the ryokan and of course, this ryokan has a indoor hot spring (onsen) you can use during nightime. The hot spring bath closes during the day for cleaning. Right outside the hot spring bath they will provide things like shower caps and hair dryers you can bring in to use. Because of this, we did not use the shower in our room even once during our stay. I found the whole ryokan really relaxing with a homey feel, the general area even has a wii and massage chair. The lady that runs the ryokan was extremely accommodating and friendly. She talked to us whenever she saw us and even asked to arrange transport for us to see the snow monkeys or to the train station and such. Wifi is only available in the lobby/reception area and not in the rooms sadly. A very small minifridge is provided along with a jug and TV in the room. If you are going during winter season and didn't bring any snow boots, they can lend you some for free but those are limited so first come, first serve. There are many local restaurants a lawson within walking distance. The town is lovely and we really enjoyed staying in Yudanaka.

Also stayed at 4 air bnb's around Japan but it was great to stay at this local Ryokan for a different experience that gave our family a closer look at Japanese culture. Host takes a personal interest in welfare of guests, 25/12/17 were not many guests so he had time that may not always have but provided snow boots and took us up to snow monkey drop off point for no charge, recommended local ski field Ryuoo Ski Park which is 20 min free ski bus ride from ski shop opposite Yudanaka rail station. Very easy to organise while you are there. Also gave us large juicy seasonal apples, much better that what we get in Australia. Coming up here was not difficult. 1.5hr bullet train from Tokyo to Nagano, 1 hr local snow monkey train from Nagano to Yudanaka to arrive at lunch time, Snow monkeys pm. Ryokan is very short walk from Railway station (also information and bus station). Ideal location and place to stay. Highly recommend the Ryokan and coming up here for snow monkeys and skiing.

It's walking distance from Yudanaka Station. Upon reaching the hotel, it's a bit old. At night, it seems empty like you won't see any people and it looks like what horror stories are made of BUT it makes up for a lot of things. The room we got was so spacious and comfy. Their in-hotel onsen is clean and had several baths. It's free for guests but outsiders can pay to use it which is why it is nice, not the typical in-hotel public baths. There's a shuttle to monkey park every morning. The man at the reception is super friendly and nice! We wanted to book this again for our last night in Nagano but unfortunately it was booked out.