Narusawa Lodge

The place was okay, but a bit rundown. We went as a family, and I would not recommend doing so as there is only one shared shower for the entire place, which makes the stay a bit inconvenient. We had two rooms -- one was renovated and looked okay, while the other was more rundown and not so nice. The toilets upstairs were also a bit old, but the one downstairs was renovated and much nicer. So it's a bit hit and miss. As this is bit rural, there are quite a bit of bugs around as well. The area is not very convenient as you'd need to walk 15-20 minutes to the central area for any food or to see the local attractions. It is a short taxi ride of ¥730, which isn't too bad, however. But if you want convenience, I'd recommend a place close to the stations where all the restaurants, stores, and buses are. If you stay here, I recommend to buy groceries for drinks and food as there are extremely limited options available at the lodge. Yuji, the owner, was okay...not that friendly or talkative...always seemed a bit rushed as well. But never rude. Plus, he can speak good English, which makes it convenient. All the people that stay there are foreigners, surprisingly with kids, so it's not a very communal or fun environment for adults. This was surprising as most people we saw visiting Nikko are Japanese, but I guess they are staying on hotels instead. You may want to follow their lead as they are likely using travel agents to find the best places. WiFi was also not stable.

we loved everything, Yuji was an amazing host who picked us up from the station and dropped us back into town every morning and then dropped us back off after we checked out. Nothing was too much trouble, the amenities were very clean. We would recommend Yuji's lodge for a great stay in Nikko. Price was great as well.

Staying here felt like home. I was treated well by Yuji and had everything I needed. I loved the evening trip to the Onsen to soothe my aching legs and feet from exploring Nikko. I felt so comfortable there and slept very well.

The owner offered free pick up from and drop off to the train station, which is convenient and necessary since the lodge is appr. a 20 minute walk from the station. Also very appreciated, a ride to the local onsen for a hot spring bath at 8pm every day. A well-equipped dining room to heat and take meals.

Yuri was an excellent host. Rooms were Japanese-style and comfortable. Would come back.

Yuri, the host, is exceptionally friendly and helpful and goes the extra mile to make your stay the best possible. Collection and drop-off at station, and at local onsen are a massive benefit, although it's only a 15 min walk to town centre. The dining room is a very good size, and tea/coffee/toast making facilities and fridge are very good, giving flexibility for cheaper eating options rather than restaurants.

Narusawa lodge was a very pleasing experience. The place doesn't look particularly pleasing from google street view but its nice, cozy, comfortable and clean inside. Yugi is a great host. He makes himself available and gave a lot of good information about getting there, pros and cons about the area. Nikko was an amazing experience. We woke up to see a family of snow monkeys (I think they're actually baboons) on the roofs down the street. For about 30 min we watched them make their way up to our lodge, climbing on trees and roof tops. They got so close. It was incredible. The rooms were just fine although bring your own pillow if you need a special one.

The owner is very friendly. He offers an onsen shuttle at night as well as a shuttle to and from the station on check in and check out days. The private room was nice and clean and the lodge had all the amenities I needed for a pleasant stay. Only downside was the location being a bit far from the tourist destinations.

Good Experience. For the price I paid I think it is a deal for me.

Superb stay - the location is excellent. The lodge itself is a friendly, comfortable and convenient pkace to stay for travellers who want to explore Nikko are and mountains. The owner kindly brings his customers to an onsen each evening by car - the onsen is outstanding - in a private forest. Very pleased with tge trip snd grayeful to Yuji - will definitely come back!

Comfortable floor mat accommodation with shared toilet conveniently located. Clean and fresh room with good heating (necessary in the foothills in May), and an owner willing to be helpful at every turn.

Host is great, we would choose him again for sure.

Nice place, 15 minutes from the main bus stop that goes to the shrines. Free ride to onsen was great.

This place is in a nice little neighborhood outside of town, up the hill. The owner is very friendly and helpful. The room I was in was setup for four people but I was the only one there. It was a bit cold, but there were kerosene heaters throughout to help.

This is the perfect stay with reasonable price ! N the owner is a kind n lovely person. Never be regret to make the choice!

The owner was incredibly accommodating. He offered services to pick up and drop off from the station and a daily trip to the onsen. The lodge is more like a pension or guest house so if you are looking for a fancy hotel, then try elsewhere. However, what a common western style hotel would offer, the owner made up with hospitality. It was super quiet and a great location only 1 km from the station. It is incredibly quiet at night since it is residential and a great place to start a morning run from. Once again, if you are looking for a friendly, helpful and genuine Japanese experience stay here. If one is looking for inflated room prices and superfluous western style hotels, then by all means spend over $200 a night some place else. As an avid traveler living overseas between Europe an Japan the last 4.5 years-staying at hostels, pension houses, guest houses, hotels, and campsites- this is one of the most friendly hosts I have ever had.

Yugi, the owner, was so incredibly helpful. When we arrived he showed us how to get to all the top sights by drawing it out on a map...and then driving us into town for free. He also was a HUGE help with sending our bags to another hotel. We didn't have any luck when we called them ourselves due to language barriers so he wrote up the slip and drove us there. When we realized my bag was too big to send from this location, he helped us in the morning AGAIN by driving us to the main branch office. Amazing. He gave us super helpful tips on where to eat and took us to a great onsen in the middle of the woods in the evening. Yes, the lodge is a 10 min walk from the center of town, but yogi will drive you in if you need, and his help and advice was well worth it! We would suggest this place to anyone looking for a budget friendly place and a really helpful, down to earth host. Ps, Yugi is a big-time snowboarder so ask him about it if you ride!!

Highly recommended for budget and non-budget travelers alike. I stayed at the lodge for 3 nights and had a great experience. The lodge is a relatively short walk away (10-15 minutes) from the Tobu Nikko Station, which includes a small walk uphill from the station to the lodge. If you are carrying luggage (like I was), I would recommend arranging for the owner to fetch you from the station. Lodge provides simple food (at an additional charges) so you would not go hungry at night, and although the toilet/bathroom is shared, they are clean and I never had to "fight" for them. The rooms are a little old, but clean and definitely comfortable to stay in. In addition, there is also free wifi and the owner speaks good english, which is fantastic since not many locals in Nikko speak fluent English. There is also a huge supermarket relatively near the station (about 25 minutes walk from supermarket to lodge), where food is half price (around 8pm) and there is a sitting area where you can heat up the food purchased there and eat it.

Great for low budget travelers who enjoy a quaint hostel for seeing the UNESCO world heritage tour. The owner is accommodating and speaks good English. I would stay there again

The owner is very nice. He picked me up from the JR station on a rainy day and also took me to the grocery store on the way to the lodge. That, plus the price, made it worth the stay. That said, although the rooms are nonsmoking, he's a heavy smoker and it wafted upstairs to my room both days. Ventilation isn't good. It is a hostel so you share two toilets and one shower. There's a junkyard of sorts across the street from the lodge, building materials that are rusting. Otherwise, the are, in the foothills of mountains, is very pretty. My Wifi upstairs was very weak both on my phone and laptop, but it worked 50% of the time on one or two bars.