We stayed at many ryokans on our trip. None came close to Yamazakiya. The host family are friendly beyond belief, always smiling, always helpful. We got a free pick-up from the train, drop-off to the train and round trip to the snow monkey park. The place is cute, we had a huge room with fluffy, comfy tatami beds and a sitting area. Everyone got yukatas to wear around the house. It's a small place with two private onsens and we were easily able to book both for an hour for our group of four, giving us the chance to try two different rooms. We had messaged ahead to book dinner (good English spoken), a vegetarian option was no problem and my, what a treat we got. It must have been 10+ little courses, fine dining at its best. All around, highly, highly recommended! If you enter through the front door, don't forget to take a stroll out the back door - it leads straight onto the village's main street, filled with many cute, ancient houses. A few weeks after coming home, we had a hand-written thank-you card from Yudanaka Onsen in the mail. How sweet is that? Seriously, 10/10 and absolutely unbeatable hospitality.

Stayed in April 2024

Stayed here 5/31 and it’s a family run ryokan. Lovely owner and his family were attentive and so helpful. The dinner and breakfast were cooked in house and were absolutely delicious. The owner was so kind to drive us to drop us off at the train station when we checked out. He also mailed over a pair of glasses I had left in the room. Amazing family run property.

Stayed in June 2024

The best introduction to Japan was provided by this stay on our first night. Host, Akira, and his family are the greatest ambassadors for Japan with their easygoing, helpful, polite, and super respectful hospitality. I can not speak highly enough of the service provided from the meals to the intimate onsen to providing transport around town. Akira is a true gentleman with great English and a pleasure to have encountered in my life.

Stayed in May 2024

The owner was so lovely and accommodating. He clearly explained everything to us and dropped us off at both the Monkey Park and Train Station on our departure. It was great that we could book the private onsen. The owner also gave us the key to the public onsen which is just across the road.

Stayed in May 2024

Akira and Yumi are both extremely nice and lovely hosts . Akira picked us up at train station and delivered us back after our three night stay . He also dropped us at Snow Monkey park where we saw so many Macaques, many females either newly born babies . The Japanese breakfasts are amazing, so delish! The onsen is very nice and can be used privately which I did every day. I can highly recommend this property . Walking around Yamanouchi was so nice too, a beautiful little town in the Japanese mountains.

Stayed in May 2024

Very neat, traditional ryokan. Breakfast was delicious. Host was helpful and even gave us a ride to the station. Onsen can be used privately with the reservation.

Stayed in April 2024

Coming from four days of skiing in Hakuba, we were very much looking forward to a restful stay at Yamazakiya. Our overall experience was exceptional and definitely exceeded our expectations. Situated perfectly within the dreamy village, the location is perfect for accessing all the town has to offer, including the famous Snow Monkey Park. The service provided by Akira and his family was fabulous, they went above and beyond to ensure our stay was comfortable and enjoyable. Akira even went to the extent to provide transport to and from Yudanaka Station and to the Snow Monkey Park. The room itself provided a traditional Japanese stay and was very cosy, given the heavy snow during our stay. To top it off, the included breakfast was delightful and the onsen was very relaxing and clean. Would not hesitate to stay here again and recommend!

Stayed in March 2024

Such a lovely and special stay! Only wish we had more time. Thank you Akira and family ♥️

Stayed in April 2024

Magical location, super kind and helpful people, my room was a dream with a fantastic view over the river and mountains. Even though it's not directly in Shibu Onsen and you therefore don't have access to the onsens there, the private Onsen in Yamazakiya Ryokan was beautiful and so peaceful. Their breakfast was a great experience too. I'd highly recommend and look forward to coming back another time.

Stayed in April 2024

The onsen is great but might benefit from the minor update. But that is very topical for family ryokans. That does not affect the overall super positive experience!

A very comfortable, cozy and special stay. Our family of four was very happy and the welcome we had from the host was top quality! The dinner and breakfast deserve a special mention as it was very tasty and very beautifully served. The room felt very authentic and full of charm. Akiri went extra mile to drove us to the snow monkey resort and back to the station. We had a private access to the onsen which was special too. One nice stay to remember !

Stayed in April 2024

Absolutely amazing. Love ryokan and onsen

Stayed in March 2024

Akira , Yumi and beautiful Kyoko were amazing hosts. Kyoko touched our hearts. We wished we had stayed longer. We had dinner in house and it was the best meal we had in Japan on our 2 week trip. If you are travelling to this area of Japan to see the snow monkeys and the 9 Onsens, this is definitely a great place to stay. Kyoko was very kind to take us to the monkey park. A big thank you to you all at Yudanaka Onsen, 10/10

Stayed in March 2024

Akira is a dedicated host, he brought us to the monkey parc twice and also to the station when we left. As a vegetarian it's quite hard to eat well in Japan, not here. He made us customs menus for breakfasts and diner, both were great, fully vegan or vegetarian as requested. His Ryokan is gorgeous and the private onsen is the cherry on top.

Stayed in March 2024

Good room, warm atmosphere There is a free onsen on site.

Stayed in February 2024

Incredibly hospitable and helpful. Great experience highly recommend.

Stayed in March 2024

Nothing!

The breakfast was absolutely delicious! The overall ambience and accomodation was modern with everything you need available. And Akira San was always available and helpful, even dropping me off to the Snow Monkey Park the next day!

Stayed in March 2024

Pillow didn't quite work for me. But still managed to fall asleep and got my rest.

Very warm, attentive and helpful owner. Room and meal were set and prepared with excellence. The stay is very convenient because Akira san can fetch you from the train station and drive you to Snow Monkey Park, just arrange ahead with him. He even made sure that I know my way back to Nagano before we parted ways. Onsen is booking system, so it's private. Also impressed by his responsiveness over booking.com messaging platform.

Stayed in February 2024

This spot was amazing it's a thirty minute walk to monkey park. The rooms are very traditional, and the onsen was great. The location is great There are many restaurants and shops nearby. Akira was a phenomenal host and his mother was so sweet, before we left they cleaned our muddy shoes for us and gave us local apples.

Stayed in February 2024

Nothing.

The place is charming, the host and his family are the kindest and will go out of their way to please you and help with your requests. The rooms are spacious and very traditional. There are two Onsen, both super relaxing and very well taken care of. Finally, the breakfast was delicious!

Stayed in February 2024

That we didn't stay longer.

This was our favourite accomodation during our trip to Japan. Akira was the best host, making us feel welcomed as soon as we entered. The room was so clean and comfortable, and the breakfast provided was amongst the best meals we had in Japan. The private onsen was very easy to use. We stayed two nights and Akira generously dropped us off to the entrance of the snow monkey park, and then dropped us all to the train station the next day (even though it took two trips). He also gave us a bag of yummy Shinshu apples as a parting gift. We hope to stay here again someday.

Stayed in February 2024

Nothing

I highly recommend this ryokan. Dinner and breakfast was amazing. Onsen experience with family was great. We arrived by car and Akira managed to provide a parking spot for us. The rooms were spacious and futons were comfortable for us. Heating system works great during our mid winter stay. Toiletries and yukatas were provided. While we were about to leave, he is assisting some guests to be dropped off at Snow Monkey Park which I think is great if you have no car.

Stayed in January 2024

The ryokan experience, the onsite onsen, the helpfulness of our very welcoming host, and the gorgeous town.

Stayed in February 2024

A lovely, cozy ryokan with natural onsens, delicious food, run by a very friendly and welcoming mother/son team. Akira, the son, is the nicest host ever. He acoomodated all our requests, always with a smile. The location is excellent, right next Shibu-Onsen, the village with the hotel that inspired Ghibli’s Spirited Away, and an easy bus ride or drive to the Snow Monkey Park and to the massive Shiga-Kogen ski area. Breakfast and dinner are a mix of small Japanese dishes, like we’ve had at other ryokans, but the quality is a few notches higher - someone in the kitchen, mother I think, is a bit of an artist. The onsens can be booked privately. The bedrooms are very cozy and comfortable, with futons on tatami mats. Lots of other things to recommend.

Stayed in February 2024

It doesn’t include the Onsen key but it’s totally fine! You can wander around and use their private ones instead

Akira and his mother were incredibly accommodating and made us feel at home. They made me dinner and breakfast (gluten free and vegetarian) which was amazing. Their private Onsen is lovely and the room was really comfortable. Would highly recommend

Stayed in February 2024