Overall Ratings & Reviews Satoyu Mukashibanashi Yuzanso Ryokan

We loved this ryokan experience! It had everything we were hoping for. Dinner and breakfast were magnificent, the multi-course meals had us full and pleasantly surprised. We love the private onsen and yukata as well The staff here were super helpful and wanted us to have a nice stay. Most of them can help in basic English, but there were a few who you have to take out the translator for which was not a big issue

Staff is extremely hospitable and helpful. I really liked how they gave me a ride to the station every morning. Breakfast was also very traditional and delicious. I felt like I got a good Japanese experience staying here, honestly I wish I stayed longer. Definitely planning to make another trip to Japan soon, and I would stay here again in a heart beat! :)

We request for a room with private onsen.They accomodate our request for halal dinner and breakfast. Transport provided to/fro the hotel which is convenient. They also made up our bed while we had our dinner

We stayed in satoyama room with 5 people, which was perfect fit. We enjoyed our room with the open air bath and shower outside, a living room and the sleeping room. The room had 2 separate toilet rooms. Breakfast and dinner were of japanese cuisine, amazing!! We used the public bath and it was beautiful. Hotel perfect for watching sunrise. It was beautiful view of lake as well. The hotel also had a little arcade and a wine bar and cafe and had massage services. They helped us carry our stuff to them room and during meal times they made our rooms. We had a very pleasant stay!

I am absolutely obsessed with this hotel & will be back for my next trip to Japan. staff were extremely accommodating & helpful despite any language barrier (easily solved with google translate). the amenities alone are amazing & don’t get me started on the breakfast! please be sure to book yourself breakfast for at least one or two days so you can experience it. one of my favorite meals in the entirety of my trip.

Amazing view from room and great dinner and breakfast served in a private room. A fantastic onsen experience.

It was a wonderful and memorable stay! Staffs are patient, helpful and polite. The room room is very spacious and clean. We enjoyed the hot spring bath with beautiful city and lake view as far as our eyes can see. The Japanese breakfast was the highlight of our trip. We enjoyed the food very much.

Very traditional Japanese ryokan. Vast majority of guests are Japanese and so is authentic but also a bit weird… that’s to say, it doesn’t cater to foreigners. Can’t decide if the decor is stuck in the 1980s or if this is just Japanese taste. We had one of the fancy rooms with a private lounge and a private bath tub (could fit 2 small people) overlooking the mountain and lake. This was lovely. Public baths were on 3rd floor, but we didn’t use those. Stayed for 2 days, so ate 2 elaborate dinners and breakfast. All multi course and to Japanese traditional meal etiquette. I’ve never seen so many little dishes. Don’t quite understand the balance of tastes. Loved the wagyu beef and the soup broth with fish. So many elements. This is definitely a place for authenticity. Can’t say I enjoyed everything I ate, but I appreciated it. Oh and we slept on the floor.. on traditional bedding. I don’t feel the need to do that again. Altogether a good experience.

The rooms were spacious and wonderful, and the staff were all very nice

We stayed here for one night… just as something different, as we both have never stayed in a Ryokan before. The Satoyama suite was one of the nicest rooms we’ve ever stayed in. You could tell that it was recently renovated/brand new. It also offered a perfect view of Lake Biwa and the surrounding Otsu area. The open air bath and shower was also a nice touch. We took the train from Kyoto to Ogoto Onsen Station. Once you get to Ogoto Onsen Station there is an area where you can call the hotel and a shuttle is sent to pick you up from the station. It was very nice, especially after lugging our bags around stations all day long. Check-in was super easy; the first question they asked us is if we spoke Japanese. We did not. The person who helped us spoke really good English. Everyone who helped us out was super friendly and accommodating. Since we were also considered VIP because we were staying in the suites we got unlimited free snacks and drinks if we showed our room key downstairs. The only gripe I had was the fact that we didn’t realize that we only paid for breakfast the next morning and not dinner the night we stayed. The only way you can get in for dinner is with a timed ticket which they only gave us for breakfast. They stop serving dinner around 8pm and only begin with room service after dinner is done being served. Since it was a long walk into town from where the hotel was located we had to wait until 8pm for room service. Other than that, the hotel was lovely.

It was a relaxing stay. Food was amazing. Convenient and easy for non Japanese people to get to and also very accommodating staff. My only complaint with my stay would be the fact the beds were not that comfortable. Especially considering the prices being asked.

We enjoyed very much! For sure we will visit again and will recommend to our friends. Thank the staff - they were all very professional and friendly.

The staff was extremely nice and accommodating and our dinner was very fancy!

very good ryokan, we had the private onsen and it was excellent. cleaners kept taking away the tatami room's bedding, it was a bit annoying. understandably English isn't their first language but i would expect slightly better business English in a hotel with non-japanese speaking guests. kaiseki was exquisite.

The spring water is not satisfying, Seems like it is not a pure one .

Very spacious and comfortable ryokan to stay. A lot of Japanese local food was served during dinner. We had very pleasant interaction with the two attendants that served our dinner. One lovely elder lady who tried to speak English to us and a younger lady that accompanies her; kept us entertained throughout dinner. Transportation provided to and from the nearest train station. Overall very nice stay. Also offer halal menu.

Our room was spacious with a good view of the lake. The 12 course meal was excellent, though too much to finish. The futon were a little hard and we missed having chairs to sit on. All in all, however, we found the hotel, food, and service tro be excellent.

Amazing halal traditional dinner was one of the highlights of our trip!

Wonderful atmosphere and beautiful room. The hotel staff are very sweet but they can be quite obstrusive. I think it's cultural. You cannot miss the breakfast slot or they'll call your room and even come up personally to check on you if you miss their call. Overall, a lovely stay. Thank you!

This was by far THE WORST property I have ever stayed in. I understand I’m in a different country, but NO ONE spoke English not even a tad it was all hand gestures and that would have been ok if everything else wasn’t AWFUL. We checked in at 3 and were on top of hill with nothing surrounding and had been traveling all day. We wanted something to eat before dinner but NOTHING was open until 8pm. They had a gift shop in the lobby but it was mostly food items to take home, i opted for an ice cream. We went back to our room which was DISGUSTING i took pictures that i wish i could load because it was AWFUL we tried to get another room but again there was a language barrier. So 8pm rolls around and we’re ready for dinner... they served me a frozen pizza that was taken out of the wrapper and STILL cold, my husband got some sort on fish oh and we had bar nuts, our bill was 50$! You’re joking me, right !? I honestly cannot stress the fact of how AWFUL, GROSS and OUTDATED this hotel is. NEVER AGAIN