Shiratama no yu Senkei — Attraction in Shibata

Stayed one night on the way to Naeba Ski resorts. We didn't know anything about Tsukioka onsen, but we are so glad we came.||1. Location|About 35-40min drive from JR Niigata Station. We rented a car at Nigata station, drove to Pier Fishmarket (great fun, must stop) and had quick lunch, drove to beach to look at the Japan Sea, drove to Tsukioka Onsen. I think hotel would be great if there's shuttle bus from Niigata Station. In Tsukioka Onsen (spa) town, town has cute stores on the streets, Sake tasting for 500yen etc, very reasonably priced. There's Ashiyu (foot bath) in town and it was very nice.||We were worried about snow storm. In the end all the road was clear and no snow on the road. Rental car provided studies tire and we were very comfortable driving. | |2. Facilities|Building might be old, but it is VERY well maintained. Ikebana flower everywhere, large lobby and souvenir shop with good selection. There's no room with private bath but we paid to use Kashikiri Furo (Private rental bath with outdoor tub overlooking garden) at sister hotel next door. Hotel staffs drove to next door Kaho hotel, which was great service. There's heated swimming pool at Kaho. ||3. Room|Overlooking Tsukioka town was SO nice. Snow covered everywhere, it was very pretty. There's small wet bar, separate toilet and bathroom with double vanity. Our tatami room was HUGE with corner windows overlooking town. ||4. Food|Dinner is at restaurant and it was good portion. Presentation was very nice and staff was very pleasant. ||Overall I love this hotel because service was amazing. Every staffs were smiling and willing to help. Large lobby is good for group to lounge or kids to run around. |For the price I paid it is far better than Hoshino resorts we stayed few months ago (every Hoshino hotel's service varies) and we'd love to...

Tsukioka Onsen Shiratama no Yu Senkei - 4 to 6th June Duration of stay: 2 night. Parking: Ample parking, outdoor, opposite the hotel. Hotel is large and grand, with high ceiling at the lobby area. It makes you feel welcome. There are drinks at the lobby area for guests to enjoy. This is a well kept hotel with large walkway. There are art painting and art pieces along the corridor for guests to enjoy. Hotel room: There is West and East Wing. We stayed in room 519. It’s facing the the west where we have a nice evening sunset view. Hotel Meals: Breakfast and dinner was included in the package. Dinner was in individual room, with great food. We were served by Mr. Kikuchi 菊妃光都. He was cheerful and helpful to our request. He was polite and very approachable. He explained all the dishes in details and waited for us to have the next meal serviced. Excellent service from him and team. Breakfast is located at the big conference room, buffet style. Breakfast food is similar daily. However for dinner we were able to have different food for each night of the two might stays. The dinner dishes were all delicious. The portion is just nice for all of us. Onsen: The onsen is large. From the moment you stepped into the locker room which has high ceiling and spacious area to accommodate many guests. As it was low season, we were able to enjoy the rest area. Inside the onsen there’s a large indoor onsen, a sauna. Outdoor onsen is nature theme where you can smell the sulfer from the onsen water. There is also rest area with onsen water running. Number of onsens: one for male, and one for female. Surrounding attractions: There is a brewery nearby, Kikusui Garden. Overall, will i come back again? Definitely a YES! Good service, nice...

Both me and my wife had a lovely stay at this Ryokan. The effort that the staff put into making us feel welcome was well worth the money.

Upon arrival we were welcomed by 3 or 4 staff members and after check in we were guided to our room where we were served a delicious green tea as well as their own cookies filled with Anko.

The room was beautifully furnished, elegant and immaculately clean. The shower room was relatively small but the outdoor bathtub made up for that.

Between arrival and dinner we had the chance to experience the onsen with water containing sulfur. The two baths felt specious, clean and had all the amenities you could wish for.

We had booked dinner 18.30 and arrived a bit early. Our dining room was ready and the table was teeming with all kinds of delicious food. We had ordered a 10 set course menu with Japanese beef included in the meal. The dinner was splendid and ticked all the boxes. Our host for the night "Sato-San" was attentive, very pleasant and seemed to time her servings perfectly.

Thank you for a wonderful stay. We will be back...