Shibu Onsen KOKUYA

Traditional Ryokan with many onsen baths. We had our own outdoor onsen which was nice but you could also use one of the other larger onsen by free reservation, these were great. Traditional Japanese meal for dinner which was lovely and very authentic feeling. Quite expensive.

Amazing place! Loved the kaiseki and on site onsen experience

Absolutely loved our stay here, it was one of the highlights of our trip. The staff were very attentive and kind and helped us whenever we had a question. We loved the private onsen in our room as well as the option to use the other onsens on the property. The beds were very also one of the most comfortable throughout our entire trip. The dinner and breakfast meals were amazing. We would have loved to stay longer but it was outside of our budget. Thankyou for an amazing experience.

Wow what an experience. The service was amazing. So glad we decided to spend a night here. The futton was comfortable and the onsen baths were so relaxing. One of the highlights of our trip.

Loved our stay at Shibu Onsen Kokuya and would highly recommend. They made the trip into the mountains and to see the snow monkeys very easy - with transfers included and bag drop to the station. The traditional dinner and breakfast were a great experience. Also loved the variety of onsen’s available within the hotel itself - and private Onsen with your room if you want!

This was one of the most amazing experiences of my entire life. The staff there made everything perfect. I didn’t know a place like this existed and I was deeply impressed by every aspect of our trip here. It’s unreal

We cannot say enough good things about this property. The staff were incredibly thoughtful, informative, and fun to chat with! We had never stayed in a ryokan before and would recommend KOKUYA to all our friends and family. The food was incredible and we enjoyed the variety of Onsen available just in the hotel (we never made it to the public onsens). They also had a shuttle to the snow monkey park in the morning, and will transport your luggage back to the train station upon departure. We will be back to spend more time in this wonderful place.

Such a lovely Ryokan, the staff were all so kind and nice. Super friendly! Explained everything so well and offered pick up from a nearby train station and drop off at local monkey park. The baths were all so different and the vibes were really good. Would definitely go again! I'd recommend everyone to go if you want to stay in the area.

Super helpful staff and they speak English. The customer service was excellent with thorough explanations of the facilities, the meals and the van service to see the snow monkeys the next day (free van service) Great meals (plenty of great food) and the baths were amazing (onsen). You can book the indoors baths twice in a day (heaven!) and I had a private onsen in my room as well. Even when the weather was super cold and rainy, I was able to enjoy and recover from my long trip. I was not able to get out and walk around the property at night since it was very cold outside. Would definitely love to return!

For my overnight trip to Nagano, my focus had always been to visit Togakushi Shrine for the giant cedar trees and Jigokudani Yaen Koen for the snow monkeys. This meant that I had to find lodging that was within a reasonable drive from both locations as one was west of Nagano and the other east. As I favored more of visiting Jigokudani Yaen Koen when there are lesser crowds, which meant early morning hours when the park just opens (keep in mind it takes 45 minutes to hike up to the park), I decided to go with Shibu Onsen Kukuya, which was comfortably situated in Shibu Onsen a small onsen town that is 10 minutes drive away from the park. My overall experience with this Ryokan style lodging was exceptional as they were easy to get in touch with, responsive with inquiries, English friendly and very accommodating to their guest needs. The food that came with my room reservation (dinner & breakfast) was comparable to fine dining that you would find in luxury hotels and restaurants from larger cities like Tokyo and Kyoto. The private onsens found within the premises as well as within certain rooms offer a very intimate and comfortable experience. As for the staff, they all offered a world class service from the moment they greet you to moment they bid you farewell, I was truly impressed by the attention to detail and professionalism that each staff member shared. Overall, Shibu Onsen Kokuya has exceeded my expectations and has provided me with an enjoyable and memorable experience.

A traditional Japanese hotel. They served breakfast and dinner. Exceptional. Staff very helpful, punctual, and sweet. The resort even has onsens within the hotel that guests can use. There is about ten of them. We used them instead of using the Puplic Onsen which we also had access to. Only issue was my husband is tall and had to duck in many doorways. Also we are in our 60’s and sleeping on the floor on mats was a bit uncomfortable. But definitely worth it. And going to the Snow Monkey Park was just awesome. Shuttle service was available at 9:15am. It is best to go early. Loved this place for traditional Japan hospitality.

This ryokan was an absolute dream. The staff goes above and beyond to make it worth the price. My husband and I got to Nagano station and the only train to get to the ryokan was out of service and we had to take a bus to the snow monkey park with all our luggage and the ryokan used their shuttle to pick us up. They also provide free shuttle service to the snow monkey park in the morning (timed) and free bagging storage. The staff also had amazing English and explained everything the ryokan had to offer as well as helping us with how to get to our next location. Aside from the staff being great, the room we stayed in was amazing (we had the traditional futons, you get to wear traditional yukatas during your stay, and you have access to 6 or so onsens on the premise (you can privately use alone or with your partner/friends/family) and all 9 public onsens in the town. Also, we did the half board and everything we ate was delicious!!!

Amazing property in Yamanouchi. Staff was very friendly and the rooms were amazing. The open air bath in the room was serene and relaxing. The private hot springs on the property were all great as well.

Staff and Manager went out of their way to accomodate our group itinerary, including transportation.

We absolutely loved our stay here. Everyone was so lovely and helpful. It was an amazing experience. We’re planning on coming back.

A great selection of onsens right inside the ryokan. Nice Japanese food in the half board. Very accommodating staff.

This property was one of best stays I’ve ever had. The staff were extremely professional and courteous. Food/meals felt authentic and abundant. The onsens offered a more atheistic variety with the added privacy. We cant thank the staff enough for how polite and helpful they truly were!

We stayed at Kokuya for one night. It is a larger Ryokan compared to some of the others we stayed at. The advantage of this place is that they have at least 8 baths within the property that are very different in look and feel (both indoors and outdoors) and can be booked just for your party (so a couple can use a certain bath without having to be separated by gender) - this is free for all guests. They also provide a key to the town's public baths. Very centrally located. There are yukatas in the room. Would definitely stay again.

It is a nice Ryokan style hotel, hot springs very close to snow monkey park, short train ride to nice sight seeing and cultural sites and great if you want to disconnect from normal day to day life

Very unhappy with our stay. We confirmed 3 times by email that we would be arriving early. We were told we couldn’t check in but that we could leave our bags and get key to local onsens. We showed up and no one was there. Lights out and a sign saying they would open at 3 pm. Then when we did checkin the room was dirty and dated. We paid for 5 futons and got two (one each). Floor was so hard.