Mizunoto

Avoid Room 204 at Suigetsu no Sho. The central air conditioning units for the restaurant or hot springs are right below the balcony, and it's extremely noisy. Don't ask me how I know. 😳

This hotel is nestled in the mountains, offering a beautiful, pleasant, and tranquil environment. The hot springs are fantastic; you can choose between the public bath or enjoying a soak on your private balcony. They provide two meals a day, which are quite unique and of good quality, typical Japanese cuisine.

Staying for one night with two meals for 2700 yen offered excellent value for money. The open-air bath on the balcony is not a hot spring; it's just hot water. There's one public hot spring and three private hot springs in the garden, which are the real deal. On the first day, I didn't realize our balcony bath was just hot water until I specifically asked the front desk and found out only the first and second-floor rooms have hot springs. For the next two days, I made sure to try all the actual hot springs, public and private, and experienced the beautiful scenery of soaking in a hot spring surrounded by snow. All the hotel staff were attentive and meticulous, and their English was good. The shuttle bus goes to Kowakidani train station, not the bus stop, so make sure not to get on the wrong one. Hope this helps!

The environment is great, but the staff's English isn't very good, and the food is pretty mediocre.