Shirakaba

Small boutique hotel - beds and pillows best ever. Large room. Own Onsen although small - had to ourselves so was great. Close to bus terminal and easy walk to places to eat. Nice Japanese breakfast - lots of choice - plus croissants.

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Location Space

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Great place to go with family or friends. No complaints.

Check in was simple and easy Room format and toilet is spacious Onsen essentials in terms of outfit and towel are provided Fresh towels everyday Super comfy comforter Local buffet breakfast with lots of green and local grown apples Proximity to the village center

Public bath for men only

Very comfortable, great location, staff super friendly and helpful

Breakfast was very limited , traditional but no variety

Great location close to food, shops and the slopes, big rooms, breakfast included, friendly staff and a free laundry!

The breakfasts were a great start to the day. Location was extremely handy to the town and a short walk to the Yu Road to access the Hikage ski area. Helpful staff. They provided discounted ski passes and rentals. The snowy view from our room was amazing

The room was very contemporary and comfortable. The view was an added bonus.

The service was greatly lacking, we were made to feel like we were intruding and that they really didn’t want to have to do anything. The property was clearly full of the family and really felt like you were in a child care facility, not a premium hotel that the price would indicate. The breakfast offerings were heavy, fried and lacked freshness or consistency in options. The air conditioning in the rooms sounded like a blizzard at all hours of the night. You could also never seem to find anyone to assist when needed, particularly the young lady who seemed to be sitting at the front desk but unable to answer question, help with check in or explain how things ran at the hotel.

Second time we have stayed here and we love it

The authenticity

I loved the almost traditional feel of the building with some modern parts. During winter time it's pretty cold, luckily the tatami and duvet kept us warm. The bathroom was clean and pretty standard. The Japanese breakfast was amazing, though not for everyone. I love that it was nearby the main bus stop (chuo) and close to downtown food/shopping area. The staff was also very nice and helpful, remember to use the shipping to airport service (Min. 2days). In terms of noise, it felt quiet, though most likely our kids were more noisy. If you here for skiing etc, then be warned there is a 15 min uphill hike to the Yu road, which is effectively (Luckily) a long long up hill escalator. If you do stay, remember to pickup discount ticket and use their rental and to keep it up the mountain rental at the Hikaga stop. Of course after skiing onsen was great too.

The room can be cold (winter), though they provide gas heaters. Also not much hanging space for ski gear. No lift to 2/f though unsurprising for this kind of building.

Location was fantastic. Close enough to walk to the slopes. In town so easy access to restaurants.

Staff fantastic, very friendly, nothing too much trouble. Great view of mountains. Good sized rooms for Japan. Dinner was excellent. Good location at bottom of the village close to main bus stop. 5 minute walk to shops & restaurants. Would definitely stay again.

It is Japan so not a deal breaker but storage, hanging space a little limited for 2 people with ski gear & 2 suitcases. Only place to sit was on the bed. It would be nice if there was somewhere for a chair. Ski lifts a decent up hill walk away, would be advisable to get driven up if carrying skis.

Breakfast was amazing, with different delicious dishes each morning! The beds were comfortable, and we had a nice view.

It would have been nice to have a bench at the front reception for removing shoes. Could hear next room talking quite clearly

Excellent hotel, modern, updated, and clean. Includes a small shared onsen onsite as well as the ability to book a private one. Great breakfast with fresh veggies and savory options. Took about 20 minutes to walk to the lifts.

A little more expensive, but felt completely worth it.

The staff was amazing. They are extremely helpful and kind. Our accommodations were beautiful and comfortable and spacious. We also love the private onsen.

The breakfast was delicious and very Japanese. It was hard for us to eat tempura shrimp at 7:30 in the morning. That’s our own problem though.

The property was in a good location, about 150 metres from the heart of the busy centre of the village. The room was very clean. The suite we had could accommodate up to 5 people, even though we were only two. It would have been tight and would not have offered enough privacy even for close friends if there were 5 people with boots and helmets and ski clothes. The property offered a public onsen for hotel guests and there was even a private onsen that guests could rent if they wanted.

The price was high in comparison with other similar properties in the area. Also, the property did not have an elevator so it made moving the luggage up and down the stairs inconvenient.

Staff friendly and helpful View out of room amazng. Has laundry. Great breakfast. Comfy beds and all the mod conveniences in a traditional feeling home Great location. Easy to rent skis and get lift tickets from front.

Could hear next door talking. Pillows were not what i am used to. Better if i was good with japanese.

Good breakfast with enough options to provide variety.

Nothing to speak of.

the room was okay not worth the cost at all.

Dinner bookings not available. Booked the onsen and when i arrived they forgot to put water into it and said i could use the gym and wait or sit outside in the snow until it was fixed.

It was beautifully appointed, modern with traditional charm, great breakfast, location was so convenient. And staff were so polite and accommodating.

Staff didn’t speak English well which made communication a little challenging, but we could also do to improve our Japanese!

Great position for snow access. Fabulous room and breakfast. Staff super helpful.

Location was ideal and overall love the space and it's pretty modern

Close to the bus. Nice people and nice town. The room was nice.

It was over $400 per night in mid-December and I feel like we didn't get our money's worth. Included breakfast was not that good. The room was nice, but nowhere near what I expected for the price. Onsen looked like an oversized bathtub, compared to the ones I experienced in Hokkaido for half the price.

The staff was super nice and the room amazing. One of the most memorable stays I had, and I travel a lot!

It would be nice if they offered a discount for single travelers. I had to cover the costs for 2.

We stayed in the annex and had a lovely large suite. Breakfast was great, the laundry facilities were really useful and we loved the private bath. Access to the snow was easy and we appreciated the discount on ski hire.

Location was perfect and close to the main street.. The breakfast was tasty and the staff helped with discount lift passes and discount snowboard hire. The hotel’s private Onsen was the perfect way to end the day (just have to prebook)

Nothing, the perfect place to stay for a snow holiday

Wonderful traditional ryokan, great location, traditional experience a combination of western and Japanese bedding- all comfy beds and great service

- great location close to the bus stop and main street, about 10-15 minutes walk to the ski area - very polite and helpful staff - 30% discount for ski lift tickets and rental! - onsen and sauna can be reserved for private use - tasty breakfast - room was clean and had very stylish design, the equipment was new - great view from the window - good shower, separated bathroom and toilet - check-in procedure was convenient - enter all data online beforehand and after arrival just input the code on tablet, no need to fill forms by hand - welcome snack

- the price was quite expensive - futon was a little too short, barely covering legs - it was japanese-style room with tatami, but would be nice to have some little chairs to sit on the mats

Great location and amenities. Very well presented

Shirakaba was located minutes away from the bus terminal which is important if it’s snowing. The room could accommodate 7 adults very comfortably. The front desk were so helpful with dining reservations, massages and getting us to the Snow Monkeys via taxi.

Unfortunately these ryokans do not have elevators so we had to carry up our luggage to the 3rd floor.

Shirakaba is an outstanding property. The rooms are beautifully appointed with great attention to detail and very welcoming and comfortable. Breakfast was fabulous, Japanese style or western options if desired. The staff went out of their way to help us when my husband had an accident. The location is great, a short walk to the moving walkway. We hired our skis at shirakaba hire up on the mountain and left them there at the end of each day to walk back to shirakaba accommodation.

The property was excellent in every way. Our room was a family room and it had two separate sleeping rooms and a living room. It was bigger than I expected. The room and bedding were super comfy and cosy Japanese style. Breakfast was amazing. Fabulous choice of Japanese and western. Location fabulous and staff really nice and accommodating.

The private ONSEN was amazing and the whole place is very cozy. We loved our stay and wished we could’ve stayed longer. The rooms were great and beds very comfy. We hope to be back sometime in the future .

very good location

breakfast choices

Very helpful and friendly owners Excellent breakfast.

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Location, facility is very good. I love the room with individual shower area and toilet.

Laundry 1ashing machine and dryer can be better.

Comfortable room and with super soft fluffy down comforters. Beautiful traditional building. Fabulous location

Very Comfortable Loved the private outdoor Onsen (pre-booked)

- Excellent location, walking distance to the town's main street and the ski field access. - Room was very clean, the shower had excellent water pressure. - The bookable in-house hot tub, ice bath, and sauna pulled no punches temperature-wise, which was much appreciated after days snowboarding. - They sold ski-lift passes at reception, and had a sister rental store at the gondola station where visitors could get a discount (Note that the code for this is at the reception desk).

A beautiful Ryokan, very comfortable. Our family room was very spacious and well appointed. Great location in the centre of town, easy walking distance to the travelling walkway, restaurants and bus station. Breakfast was great, with day to day variety. Lovely hosts.

Super cute and cosy lodge right in the middle of town. Helpful owners and lovely decor and rooms.

The best Ryokan-stay in the mountains. Booked the 4-5 beds duplex room (family room with shower). Nothing basic but super modern with 3 heaters, 2 bedrooms, livingroom. Very good tea, nice kimonos in the rooms. Location was just 350 m from the bus-stop (25min from train station), and a 3 min walk to the main street of the village with restaurants, shops, public onsen and a short walk to the ski areas. You get discount for ski rentals and you get a heated safe room to store ski gears next to the gondolas. Last but not least, the breakfast buffet was the best. Offered in a cosy breakfast room each morning from 7am onwards. Highly recommended place ! Showers, Japanese modern fully automated rinse and flush systems, ....

all perfect

Location was excellent & close to all the restaurants

Location ok and cleanliness

No hot water during first night. Staff promised to set up extra bed and none until last day. Room never cleaned. Requested for waiver as we want to check out a day earlier due to no snow (as we staying for ski trip) and was refused. We ended up checking out anyway. Wouldnt pay almost ¥100,000 a night for this Ryokan.

Great location, easy to find and check in. Nice breakfast in the morning and super quiet. Our warm was warm and dry and very comfortable

Great facilities, great location, staff were incredibly friendly.

Buffet, breakfast and dinner

Room service. Made up bedding too early while check into the room by four persons. There was no room for us! Maybe can offer the option of scheduling for making room.

Lovey place, nice Japanese style room, delicious breakfast

amazing views

The accommodation was very clean and the staff were all lovely, welcoming and incredibly helpful with organising things like lift passes, snow hire and making dinner reservations. Delicious breakfast every morning with mostly Japanese food + tea and coffee. The accommodation was in an excellent position, just a short walk to the moving stairs, the shops, restaurants, onsens and bus station.

The room and the bathroom are extra-large and modern. It is located next to the main shopping streets of Nozawa Onsen.

My room was in the anex so you need to exit to the street to get to the main building were breakfast is served.

The location was really great. We had a great time staying here together. The breakfasts were AMAZING!

Very friendly and helpful staff and good Japanese breakfast. We were worried about lugging our ski gear up the hill each day, however they had a place that we could store our gear up at the base of the lifts.

Breakfast was sometimes cold if you didn't get there early.

The staff was excellent and so accommodating. We also were able to purchase our ski passes from the hotel for a discount which helped save money and skip the lines.

the inn had a good location and the room was nice suite with a bedroom, loft room and living room.

for the price, the inn seemed very expensive to us, but that may be a nozwawa onsen thing. very nice owner’s trying to please guests.

A lovely traditional japanese hotel in a great location in the heart of the Village, with friendly and helpful owners. I would definitely go back.

Great location and short walk to the slopes. Hotel had a delicious tradition Japanese breakfast each morning and the baths were great! The staff were super helpful and booked dinner for us each night.

Centrally located in Nozawa Onsen. Amazing Japanese breakfast. Onsen on site. Able to hire ski equipment from rental owned by same people at Hikage station.

The toilet and bathroom did not have heating so got very cold at night especially in the winter.

Very comfortable, good location, great traditional breakfast, lovely helpful staff, nice modern ryokan style rooms

very expensive (same charge for adults and children per person in one room) and cafe restaurant wasn’t open.

family run ryokan with a traditional flavour

Very nice hospitality. We arrived early, let's say that it's before noon, and they let us check in. Room was comfortable and the bathroom was pretty clean and good.

The hot tub in the public bath is too hot at the time I used.

Great location and atmosphere. Excellent breakfast and accomodating of vegetarians.

Feels a little run-down, especially the onsen. Room was a little small.