This hotel is ideal if you want a Japanese experience. Most staff don’t speak English but at reception a small amount of English is spoken and they certainly make an effort to ensure accurate communication. The highlight of the hotel is its onsen. The highly acidic sulphur water from Zao’s springs are renowned in Japan for their curative powers. Both male and female onsens have three separate pools with the third being outside, partly covered. You sit in the hot steamy pool with the snow falling just near you. There are a variety of room types and the best prices are standard Japanese in tatami matting. These are big rooms. Our Oriental Club room was designed more for Westerners who prefer the bed slightly raised from the floor with more western style mattresses. The rooms were warm and clean and all had ensuites. The ensuite is small but many Japanese style hotels do not even have them and assume you will just use the onsen. Like all traditional Japanese rooms,there is very little storage space, but it is sufficient. We chose to have two meals in the hotel when we booked. The meal was Kaiser style with its many small courses. It was enjoyable but maybe one night would have been enough. Breakfast is a buffet of Japanese food. Little would be considered western other than the fruit and yoghurt. A good selection of all sorts of Japanese food. I particularly enjoyed the noodles and the pork dumplings. The hotel is just six minutes walk from the bus stop and the hotel will pick you up or drop you there if you ask. The hotel is just across from the Zao Chuo Ropeway which we found to be the best access to the mountain. Food mart Lawson’s is close by. The non smoking restaurants we tried were good; Oto chaya, interesting mix of Japanese and Western food, Pizza and Craft Beer Quantum, Tuoen- very good home cooking, Robata-genghis khan style. If you are looking for a Japanese cultural experience in a ryokan style hotel with a good onsen, ensuites, enough English to get by, then this is a very good choice. It is not five star but it makes up for it with the authentic Japanese experience.