A nice vintage feeling setting. We chose to not ask for a pick up from the train station so we could walk over and see the town a little bit. Outside, my name was written on a chalkboard which was a nice touch. The owner greeted us in the lobby and helped carry our bags up to our room. It was everything I hoped for with a Kotatsu and futon beds. The owner also brought us an assortment of ladies yukata for me and her largest yukata for my husband. Our room had a private toilet. There is a communal space to refill your hot water carafe. The Ryokan just has a lovely space. The small bridge leading to one of the baths. The art on the walls and decorations in the acoves. Just a fantastic space with a charm from another era. We had a lovely and gigantic spread for dinner. There were so many fantastic flavors. Adventurous eaters will have a great time. Mushrooms, pickles, fish, and horse were some of the standout parts. After, with a light snow falling, we went on a stroll in the night. We wore the Geta (traditional sandals) with the yukata and borrowed umbrellas. We enjoyed the onsen baths after our return. The breakfast was another impressive spread. As an American, it was a lot of food! Tofu, fish, egg, salad, rice, pickles. The perfect meal before a nice hike. The Owner speaks English, and she checked in with us during our stay. She offered to give us a ride up to the to trailhead for the Snow Monkies after taking another guest to the station. We happily accepted. In case anyone thinks that they would need to hike with their rolling luggage, you can check your bags at the trailhead.

Amazing customer service, very attentive and informative innkeepers and they were incredibly helpful with all of our needs for dinner options nearby, and options for (non ski related) family snow activities! It was our first ryokan experience and in incredibly snowy conditions. The innkeepers asked the neighboring property owner to allow us to park in their spacious lot so that it would be easier for us to depart the next day. She also used her own vehicle to bring our bags and my children down to the parking lot where we were shoveling a path and clearing snow off our car. We had a huge traditional Japanese breakfast, which was ready promptly at 8am in the morning. The breakfast room was heated and very comfortable. My 3 children (ages 12, 9 and 7) couldn't possibly finish the sumptuous adult sized breakfast. In retrospect, I would only request 2 adult breakfasts, and since you can have as many helpings of steamed rice, I would've just shared our baked salmon, nori and miso soup with the kids. There was plenty of food and I felt terrible that we couldn't finish it all. Room: We stayed in a HUGE room with a kotatsu and 5 futon all lined up and ready to sleep in. It was very clean and tidy. We had our own private toilet and sink. Our 3 children enjoyed relaxing under the warm kotastu blankets and playing video games and eating the adzuki omanju served at check in. I loved sitting with them, decompressing from our morning adventures and enjoying my tea that was provided. My entire ohana also loved the hot hot onsen experience, taking baths together (men and women were separate, but bath locations were switched after dinner and after breakfast so that you can enjoy each one during your stay). We had a closet with many hangers for our snow bibs and winter coats. The gas heater kept us warm (we turned it off after the 1 hr timer went off, and it stayed off while we slept). We had a towel rack to dry our bath towels and small wash cloths.

We loved all of it. It's the perfect first experience in a traditional ryokan and it's exactly what we wanted to do. Great for large families who want to experience a Ryokan.

Excellent for diving into the Japanese atmosphere. Shiba Onsen is a very old traditional onsen village, and Andaikan is one of these nice ryokans that it is famous for. Breakfast is also awesome and in Japanese style.

Not a hotel's issue, but just a warning - it is very hard to find a dinner in Shibu Onsen without reservation in advance, only 6th place we tried had available table.

Personalised welcome sign outside was really sweet. The couple that runs the hotel are both lovely and went out of their way to provide a great experience. I missed out on dinner but the breakfast was a fantastic traditional Japanese affair. Upon leaving, I was given recommendations on where to stay next, a snack for the journey and a lift to the train station.

I thought there would be access to the 9 onsens of Shibu onsen. However, because the accommodation is lower down in Andai onsen that wasn't the case. Andaikan does have tow onsens however and there is also access to the onsen next door too