Yoshidaya Ryokan

I was in Zao Onsen for a short holiday (4 days) in June. I wanted to stay at a traditional ryokan to experience the kind of hospitality they offer. This is no luxury establishment, but the staff went the extra mile to make my stay as comfortable as possible. It's a really old-style ryokan, with shared bathrooms and showers (there's no bathroom in your room), tatami floors in the rooms and traditional Japanese meals. Toilets were sparkling clean and very new. You get to sleep on the floor with a futon, which for a Western person might be unusual, but it's part of the whole experience. At the reception you get all sorts of freebies, like free tickets to the ropeway that takes you up to the mountaintop. The lady at the reception is fluent in English, which really helped when planning activities and asking for things. The traditional Japanese breakfast was delicious and very enjoyable, with different dishes each morning for variety. The room was pretty spacious, with a desk, low table, mini refrigerator and all sorts of practical amenities. It was very bright, with a view to a very green part of the village and the nearby hot spring. There's a hot spring bath in the basement that you can use 24-hours. Overall, it was an unforgettable experience, full of great memories. I recommend this establishment to people who are familiar with traditional ryokan hospitality, or are interested to experience this -- if you're looking for a standard western-style hotel, look elsewhere.

There's nothing I didn't like. Everything was as I expected for this type of property.

The guesthouse was larger than I expected. It is extremely well run with english speaking management. Rooms are a good size, staff are warm and friendly. I tore my jacket and the manager ordered me a patch for repair. Food (breakfast and dinner) was exceptional. Dinner options in Zao are pretty limited so I would recommend booking dinner at least for some of your stay. Its a 10min walk to the ski hill which was not a negative. I found it a good warm up but obviously too far to do in ski boots. I just used the lockers to store my ski bag/walking shoes. Heating and wi-fi and Onsen were all great.

Property is old like most of the properties in Zao. Not a negative for me just something to prepare for. Ceilings can be low in the stairwells so tall people should take care.

Yoshidaya Ryokan is a beautifully presented traditional ryokan. Its right in the middle of the old part of Zao Onsen surrounded by historic buildings. This is a traditional Ryokan so be prepared to walk up stairs and use shared facilities. The rooms are very warm and comfortable and the Ryokan facilities are well presented and clean. The Hot Spring bath was wonderful! I will be staying at Yoshidaya again!

The staff are super helpful and friendly as always. The room was a good size and had our own toilet. We had shabu shabu for dinner one night and another we went to the immediately next door which had very good food. Short walking distance to the ropeways and some good omiyage stores around.

The light in our toilet did not work so at night we had to leave the door open so we could see

genuine and thoughtful staff, great convenience location, various free or discount coupons, an amazing hand made guide book at the room, nice onsen, etc. I’d love to stay here again!

if your priority is cleanness, I don’t recommend here. it just because of old, or maybe not only that…

it has it’s own onsen 24/7. the rooms were very confortable.

one heater for the main room may not be enough if someone is going to sleep there.

Very nice people.

The staff where amazing and really nice

good for ski/snowboard trip with dry room facility. english speaking host. onsen.