Everything!

Nothing.

The location was great and the host lovely. We enjoyed the atire we were given to wear and the key to the Onsen's (which I unfortunatly found too hot) but we were lucky because we were only 1 of two sets of guests and so we were given private access to the private outside onsen and this was devine. The bed was very cozy and comfy and the experience was very traditional and hospitality was lovely. We also had a lovely welcome board waiting for us and a fairwell origami. The snow monkey park is well worth a visit and be sure to go before 1pm so you are there for feeding time if it's in the summer. we would reccomend this hotel to people and would stay again.

I tried to use the left side of the male/female onsens in the Ryokan (they switch gender during the day) and I saw a giant spiders web, so was unable to use it because it was so huge it covered the entire entrance to the second section of this onsen. No one's fault as thats nature but perhaps some regular checks could be done to make sure it's ok. We were a little confused about where we go to shower - it turned out that you go into the gendered onsen's to shower. I didn't realise that I would not be able to have a shower in an actual bathroom. I knew it would be shared, but I assumed I could have a private shower in a shared bathroom. What it really means is a public bathroom - the showers next to the onsen bath. I also went to use the shower around 10pm at night but the gender signs had been removed, so I used which one I thought might still be for me and just hoped that no one from the opposite sex walked in on me. The times used on the white board aren't very clear, i think an am/pm was muddled so I just hoped for the best. There are no hand towels for drying hands after the toilet and the towels provided are like micofibre ones and not very suitable. We only stayed for one night, so it wasn't really a problem, but if i was there longer, I would prefer proper towels. none of these things were big issues - just some things we noted. we would not hesitate to reccomend this place.

Onsen was nice and staff were friendly

Onsen and traditional Japanese stay

Everything was great. I especially liked the attire we were given, free access to 9 public onsens and the food! The private onsen in the garden was a great addition to our stay. The hosts were great, gave us an origami to remember them by - may the force be with them 🙏

Nothing

Everything was great! Especially the onsen, and the location was great!

Everything. This place is such a gem. It's my second time in Shibu Onsen, and most ryokans there are big, almost commercialised hotels. This ryokan is still truly traditional and small, run by welcoming family. Very rare find in the country in general. Onsen is absolutely amazing. Water is hot but there are signs everywhere that you can open cold tap so it's okay. Dinner and breakfast are delicious. Room is huge and warm. Having travelled all over Japan and stayed at many ryokans, this one is one of my favourite in entire country.

Nothing

Fantastic stay in this classic Ryokan, right in the middle of Shibu Onsen and the 9 onsen circuit. The building is like being inside a Ghibli movie. Charming, interesting, and comfortable. The bedrooms are spacious, cozy, and warm. The staff is kind, but also gives you a lot of privacy and you feel like you are in your own house. Breakfast is excellent, but if you're not open to traditional Japanese food it might be challenging for you (grilled fish, rice, miso soup, pickled vegetables, etc). The rotenburo is gorgeous, and a rare one that accepts all genders if you go privately.

A very small detail that took some of the comforts out. The shower area is too cold, and the shower itself is too weak. It's challenging to clean oneself with such a cold. To top it off, the indoor onsen options were piping hot and it burned my skin after 10 seconds. It was not usable. Hopefully, the water temperature see better control in other days. The outdoor option was excellent though (but still you need to pass through the lukewarm shower experience)

The Owner was very nice and very hospitable. The private onseen was great. It was easy to use as the location was not that busy. The sleeping area in the room was quite large with plenty of room as well.

The room had heating for the sleeping area but not for the private bathroom. The public onseen onsite had issues. There was no hot water in the showers, so it was impossible to take a shower. The water in the private onseen was great but the public onseen (on site) was way too hot at 63 degrees.