Minakami Sansou — Hotel in Honshu

As I needed a little escape from my life in Tokyo, I've decided to try Minakami sansou as it had been recommended to me for the quality of the water and the spectacular view.||||I stayed there 2 nights in January and I was lucky enough to arrive on a really clear day to enjoy the majestic view on the Mount Tanigawa. Staff was really friendly and helpfull upon arrival and during all the stay.||||My room was a japanese standard one with no private bath but it isn't really needed when traveling alone, isn't it? This room had a wide window with a stunning view on the mountains. There was a kotatsu table near the window (table with a heat source under a blanket, really useful during winter) and I could have just stayed there drinking my japanese tea during an hour but the Onsen was calling me!||||I stayed there on Monday and Tuesday and i never saw any other bathers, zero. It was like my giant private bath. ||One of the most important things for me are outdoor baths. I like to feel the fresh air when bathing in super hot water, it keeps the dizziness away. ||The baths at Minakami Sansou are incredible. The view of the outside baths on the mountains, the snow falling down, the thousands stars in the sky at night, the quality of the water and most importantly the cleanliness. Everything was perfect.||||As for the food, it was excellent too. Expect highly traditional japanese food, good variety throughout the courses. If you stay 2 night they will not give you the same diner twice. If you want to order any alcohol I would stay away from the wine though, the red wine that was served to me was undrinkable, but eh, i should have ordered some japanese sake. You can choose between japanese or western breakfast which is good because as much as i love japanese food, it's not so tempting for me in the morning.||||Staff was really friendly but maybe it can be a little difficult for non-japanese speaker to communicate with them. If it is a big frustration for you as a tourist maybe this is not the ryokan for you.||||Location was good. They operate a shuttle bus from the nearest train station to the hotel and vice versa. I stayed there for the onsen mainly so I can't say anything about the convenience of the location for outdoor activities such a skiing and hiking but i enjoyed my walk around the woods when i was there.||||I definetly recommend this ryokan, it was a...

As I needed a little escape from my life in Tokyo, I've decided to try Minakami sansou as it had been recommended to me for the quality of the water and the spectacular view.||||I stayed there 2 nights in January and I was lucky enough to arrive on a really clear day to enjoy the majestic view on the Mount Tanigawa. Staff was really friendly and helpfull upon arrival and during all the stay.||||My room was a japanese standard one with no private bath but it isn't really needed when traveling alone, isn't it? This room had a wide window with a stunning view on the mountains. There was a kotatsu table near the window (table with a heat source under a blanket, really useful during winter) and I could have just stayed there drinking my japanese tea during an hour but the Onsen was calling me!||||I stayed there on Monday and Tuesday and i never saw any other bathers, zero. It was like my giant private bath. ||One of the most important things for me are outdoor baths. I like to feel the fresh air when bathing in super hot water, it keeps the dizziness away. ||The baths at Minakami Sansou are incredible. The view of the outside baths on the mountains, the snow falling down, the thousands stars in the sky at night, the quality of the water and most importantly the cleanliness. Everything was perfect.||||As for the food, it was excellent too. Expect highly traditional japanese food, good variety throughout the courses. If you stay 2 night they will not give you the same diner twice. If you want to order any alcohol I would stay away from the wine though, the red wine that was served to me was undrinkable, but eh, i should have ordered some japanese sake. You can choose between japanese or western breakfast which is good because as much as i love japanese food, it's not so tempting for me in the morning.||||Staff was really friendly but maybe it can be a little difficult for non-japanese speaker to communicate with them. If it is a big frustration for you as a tourist maybe this is not the ryokan for you.||||Location was good. They operate a shuttle bus from the nearest train station to the hotel and vice versa. I stayed there for the onsen mainly so I can't say anything about the convenience of the location for outdoor activities such a skiing and hiking but i enjoyed my walk around the woods when i was there.||||I definetly recommend this ryokan, it was a...

Room: We had the room with a private onsen, And it's quite big we didnt even bother going to the public bath. The room is also big and the view was nice. ||Staffs: They are very hospitable and friendly. Our only "very minor" complain was they didnt (or forgot to) serve us tea upon arriving in our room which is usually normal in other Ryokans. They just gave us a brief explanation.They dont speak english much which is really okay coz they tried their best to serve all their guest. ||Food: Dinner was good but not excellent. We had Japanese breakfast and it was a hearty meal. ||Transportation: We arrived at Minakami Station. There are a few buses in minakami but we didnt catch that everytime and the schedule was a bit difficult to follow. The following day we were planning to go back to Tokyo via Jomo-Kogen Station but the bus already left, it's either we had to wait for a long time or take a cab which cost around ¥5000. In the end we decided to take the train in minakami which take around 3-4 hrs to reach Ueno with a few interchange. ||Wifi: There is one in the lounge but difficult to access. ||I'll rate...