Around White World Oze Iwakura × Highly rated for customer service and hospitality at Hotel·Ryokan

My husband grew up in a ranch in Hokkaido, while I was raised in the city. Drawn to this thatched-roof Accommodation, we stayed here for the first time. From the view at the entrance, we were amazed by the extraordinary, nostalgic buildings and the rice fields spreading out in front of them! We both fell completely in love with it. The Onsen is also wonderful—the free-flowing natural spring water is slightly lukewarm, perfect for a long soak. It leaves your skin feeling soft and moisturized. What’s especially impressive about this Accommodation is the many furnishings and antiques placed throughout, delighting the eyes everywhere you look! It feels like visiting an art museum. Truly amazing! My husband can be quite particular, but he absolutely loved it and says he definitely wants to come again in autumn. Getting to the annex using the cart and monorail was also fun and brought back childhood memories. Thank you so much for such a wonderful place.

It was located in a wonderfully nature-rich setting. The meals were also very delicious. The private open-air bath in the detached annex was a truly special, escape-from-the-everyday experience. I’d love to visit again.

If you love Onsen, this place is truly heaven—there are 18 private baths. This was my third stay, and I still haven’t managed to try them all. The detached cottage “Aoi” has its own open-air bath, which is absolutely wonderful. I always end up completely satisfied just using the bath in the Room. The spring quality is a simple Onsen (slightly alkaline, hypotonic, high-temperature) with a pH of 8.3. It feels gentle on the skin and is easy to enjoy in a different way from more distinctive springs like sulfur Onsen. It’s comfortable for longer soaks, and being able to enjoy it many times during your stay is part of the appeal. Many of the open-air baths have a rustic, DIY-like feel. Numerous private baths are scattered across the vast grounds, and I can only imagine how much work it must be to maintain and manage so many. Because this Accommodation is surrounded by nature, things like insects and fallen leaves are somewhat unavoidable. In July there were quite a few insects, and when I visited last September I also had trouble with biting gnats. Even so, this Accommodation has more than enough charm to make up for it. The source spring has an abundant flow rate, and the source temperature is very high at 76.1°C. To bring it down to a comfortable temperature, adding water may sometimes be necessary. As an Onsen lover, I’d ideally like to enjoy pure free-flowing water without dilution—but with such a high-temperature source spring, I understand that temperature control can be challenging. Many of the staff are from overseas, but everyone speaks Japanese well and I’ve never felt inconvenienced. They are always polite and attentive. And despite being such a secluded hot-spring retreat, it’s great that the meals are genuinely delicious as well. This time we ordered sukiyaki as an extra dish; it was excellent and very satisfying. In winter this area apparently gets extremely heavy snowfall. Next time I’d love to visit in winter and enjoy an outdoor bath while admiring snowy scenery.

The Onsen was wonderful. We couldn’t finish all the meals. We’d like to stay again.

Thank you very much for your hospitality. I stayed here on a trip with my father. Because there was a family with children next door, we were slightly bothered by the sound of running inside, and it was also difficult to use the bath with the blinds open. I found myself wondering whether it might be visible from the road across from the property. Also, since there is no hedge or barrier between neighboring terraces, I thought a low fence might be helpful. As it was the season for stink bugs, there were quite a few indoors, so additional measures would make it even better. However, the food was exceptionally delicious, so overall we were very satisfied. We would love to stay again someday.

I was a little uneasy when I arrived because the Accommodation’s exterior has quite bold colors, but there was no need to worry. The Room was a 6-tatami Japanese-style room, and it was nicely cleaned. Both dinner and breakfast were generous portions and delicious. I wonder if most of the ingredients were local? The tomatoes and corn were sweet and tasty. The bath isn’t an Onsen, but the water was pleasantly warm and I could relax. The surrounding nature is refreshing, and the river water is so clear you can see all the way to the riverbed. There are no shops nearby, but that inconvenience might actually be part of the charm. You may want to bring your own towel, hair dryer, toothbrush, etc. It feels more like a dormitory than a Hotel. With the beautiful nature around it and how pleasant all the Hotel staff were, I think it’s a great Hotel that makes you want to come back.

Both dinner and breakfast included warm dishes, and everything was very delicious. The portions were generous. We could use the bath as a private reservation, which made us feel at ease. The Room was clean and comfortable with no issues. There are no amenities provided, so bringing your own towels, bath towels, and toothbrush is essential. I would like to stay again.

I have traveled to many places, but this was an indescribably wonderful space where I had a truly great time. Despite the unfortunate rain, I was able to enjoy the outdoors without getting wet. Bringing my dog, enjoying the open-air bath, and experiencing outdoor activities—all my wishes came true!

This was my first time using the service. After arriving at the Stays, I completed the check-in and entered the Room, which, although not new, was clean and tidy. The cleaning was thorough, allowing for a pleasant stay. The breakfast was delicious, and I was very satisfied with the unlimited refills of coffee, bread, and more. Thank you very much.

We stayed here as a family of five on a family trip! The host was incredibly warm and welcoming, and we had a wonderful time. Due to our schedule, we only had dinner, but the food was so delicious that we wished we had tried breakfast as well. Everything was tasty, the portions were generous, and we were very satisfied. After the fish main course, we were also served a meat dish, and with the delicious rice, we couldn’t stop going back for seconds. The bath is an Onsen with great water quality, and it helped us relax and recover from our fatigue.

I initially misunderstood, but I didn't realize that when other guests reserve this place, the bathroom, toilet, and living room are shared with them except for the bedroom. Since I was with my child and thought it might cause inconvenience to others, I hurriedly called to cancel the reservation. However, fortunately, there were no other guests booked, so I decided not to cancel. As a result, we had a spacious room all to ourselves—what luck! Additionally, the host was incredibly kind. One thing to note is that bath towels are not provided, so you need to bring your own. Other than that, everything else was well-equipped. Next time I reserve this place again, I think it would be worth reserving for two groups and paying double the price just to have it all private. When that time comes again, I'll definitely book here! I will never forget the kindness of the host.

We thoroughly enjoyed the delicious meals, carefully selected coffee, and the friendly hospitality of the owner couple, which made our family of three feel truly comfortable. They asked about our plans and gave us a discount voucher for the Marunuma Kogen Gondola, and also marked on a map a great tofu shop, a place known for tasty maitake mushrooms, and a soba restaurant—so we were able to head home in high spirits.

We planned to visit my mother's grave and do some sightseeing, so we looked for a place to stay and found this pension. We initially reserved one room for four people, but since it felt a bit cramped for four adults, the owner kindly offered us two rooms instead. The pension itself is undeniably old, but both the owner and his wife were very friendly and approachable. Most importantly, the meals were absolutely delicious! Our whole family kept saying how tasty everything was. When making your reservation, I highly recommend including dinner in your plan. We chose a room with an attached bathroom and toilet, which allowed us to use them without worrying about other guests—this was very convenient!

I was worried about bears, but the manager explained that because Suganuma Campground is at a high elevation and too cold, acorns and other bear food do not grow there. As a result, it cannot become a feeding area for bears, so they generally do not come to the campground or its surroundings since there is nothing for them to eat. Hearing that reassured me and I was able to stay with peace of mind.

Excellent value for money! The meals were especially good.

As we did last year, we stayed here again during Golden Week. The log house is well equipped with pots, plates, and other essentials, and it felt very clean. Our kids don’t like insects and usually have a hard time getting used to log houses, but this place was clean and they enjoyed their stay. The BBQ area has a greenhouse-style roof, so even though it rained at night, we were able to enjoy it without any problems. The bath is in the main building and is available until 10:00 PM.

We stayed for 3 nights and 4 days for a tournament. The staff kindly prepared an early breakfast just for us to match the ski resort's opening at 8 AM. Each meal had a different menu, which was very satisfying. The bath was almost private, allowing us to relax and recover, with the temperature being perfect even for my husband who usually doesn't enjoy Onsen. We will definitely stay here again when we participate in next year's tournament.

Stayed at the accommodation after visiting Tomioka Silk Mill. The cool night was refreshing and felt like another world, providing a relaxing experience. Had delightful conversations with the couple running the pension and enjoyed a wonderful time. Thank you very much!

I stayed for one night from Sunday to Monday, and the Room was clean. It was supposed to be a 5.5-tatami Room, but since there were only two groups staying, they probably consolidated the Rooms—so even though it was just the two of us, we had a very spacious Room. The Onsen bath itself was small and the open-air bath wasn’t in use, but although it is normally separated by gender, we were told that if we put up the private-use sign, it was fine for us as a couple to bathe together, so we used it privately. It’s an Accommodation that stays flexible and saves costs while still keeping guests satisfied. I only had breakfast; the menu was fairly standard, but the miso soup in particular was very delicious. When I go to Oze again, I’d definitely like to stay here again.

We had an extraordinary experience immersed in nature! Located halfway up the slopes, the view from the Room is breathtaking. We enjoyed a private sauna and outdoor relaxation in an unparalleled setting.