Japanese hotsprings Guesthouse Raicho — Hotel in Matsumoto

We stayed at Guesthouse Raicho for 2 nights in summer 2020 and loved exploring all the nearby waterfalls and hikes. It’s a perfect summer getaway in the Japanese Alps! Their rooms are Japanese style (sleep on futons) with shared shower room/bathroom but there are a couple family rooms with an in room shower. No restaurant on site but there are a few in walking distance that they can make a reservation at for you (limited hours so eat dinner by 6:30 or you may be out of luck). There is a shared kitchen at the guesthouse to cook meals on your own. This is a small mountain area with no convenience stores or groceries do bring a cooler with food or stop at a grocery store or convenience store in Matsumoto before you come. They were great at Covid distancing with online checkin (upload passport photos), reservation board to use the kitchen during peak hours, and the three onsen are all private/reserved right now. You can rent mountain bikes at the Guesthouse and the staff (Mao and Shuntaro/Sean) will give you lots of helpful advice of what to see/do. 10 minute walk to the Norikura Tourist Info Center and bus terminal where you can ask for an English map of the area. If you like hiking, waterfalls, or mountain biking Norikura is a...

I wanted to stay in Kamikochi but I was late and the remaining hotels were too expensive. So I stumbled upon this place. What!? A comfy queen bed room with table, and desk and even a basin for 9900jpy per night? And it’s just 1hr away from Kamikochi by bus! Guess what, they got their own onsen (hotspring bath) too. No brainer. Booked for 2 nights😎. It turned out to be a great experience!! Met a Polish solo traveller during check in. Check in process was easy and fast. Numbered lock for the room. The manager was kind and introduce some nice restaurants nearby. Helped me to reserve the nearby Cafe Maple (which I highly recommended) for my dinner. Also offer 200jpy off for the cafe at the bus station. The onsen is great, both indoor and outdoor. They got bicycle rental service as well. They have 2 kitchens for you to cook your own meals. The common area is huge and it’s good for working or just chilling. Met a group of hikers from Taiwan and spent the night chit chatting with them at the common area while drinking Oolong tea. The entire guest house is clean and tidy, and focus on nature and sustainability. Highly recommended if you’re passing...

Coming from Matsumoto, we had a fantastic time in the Raicho guesthouse.||Great location in the summer for fantastic walks in the surroundings and it must be a superb spot in the winter for ski (we will have to come back to give a try, and hopefully we will do sooner than later).||We were so warmly welcome by the owner and the guests that i should have plan to stay more days.||The outside onsen in the woods is just the best onsen i have been while our stay in Japan. ||We also had a fab time with the japonese guests present that night, sharing our views about our cultural difference, tasting sake and laughing too much. ||Do not expect luxurious amenities but in all honesty we were not looking for this. We were looking for authenticity and we really had the feeling to be part of the family Raicho. ||When we had to leave, the very super nice owner just took us back in his VW campervan to the bus station to avoid us waiting for a bus to go to the train station on our way to Kyoto. He just proposed us and we could not refuse such a nice gesture. So i really highly recommand this place and i will surely come back one day. This time...