Umenoyu — Hotel in Matsumoto

After some wonderful ryokan accommodation experiences during our Japan holiday this was such a disappointment. The location was chosen for us by OKU Japan and is far from the train station and in the suburbs above Matsumoto, so once you get there there is nothing around. We were greeted at reception by the rudest man we met during all our travels in Japan. The traditional room was characterless so we had an onsen bath and went down to the foyer to find something to drink. The man shouted at us that there were no drinks. No tea, no coffee, no beer, no sake; he crossed his arms in front of him and shouted 'no.' There was a machine for coffee which we had difficulty using (all in Japanese and no pictures to help us), and he seemed content to sit at the reception desk and watch us struggle. Dinner posed the same issues; menu only in Japanese. Thankfully with the help of the I-phone app of the waitress and our own app we finally managed to order something. Thanks to this lady for her patience and kindness.|Next morning we couldn't wait to get away. The same rude man didn't understand 'taxi' and shouted at us that only cash was accepted. My partner had to ask him to stop yelling. Very inappropriate behaviour. We left with the overall impression that this hotel is for Japanese and does not welcome foreigners. We are widely travelled and more than happy to try to accommodate other culture, customs and languages but this experience left a very bad impression. Thankfully in a two week trip it was the only poor hotel we...

My wife and I stayed here for one night including Japanese dinner and Japanese breakfast. ||When we were approaching to the main gate, we were welcomed by several friendly staff. Check-In was very efficient, and we were guided to our room with one of the staff. The building and room were old but very clean.||||According to the staff, the Inn is not proactively promoting to foreigners but occasionally receive guests from other countries. They speak only a little English, and all writings inside the building are in Japanese. The Internet is not available nor WiFi (of course). All TV programmes are in Japanese. So, if you want to experience a real Japanese Inn and speak a little Japanese, this is the place to stay. Even if you cannot speak any Japanese, I am sure the staff will do their best to welcome you and make your stay comfortable.||||I had no chance to experience Onsen as I was not well on the day, but am sure that it would be really nice.||||The dinner was served in our room using locally-grown vegetables/meat/noodle. Portion of each dish was small, but we were so full at the end of the mail. Each dish was presented beautifully, and taste was very nice.||The breakfast was served in main large room, and again each dish was delicious.||||If you want to take public transport to get there, take a bus from Matsumoto Station bound for "Asama Onsen" for 20min, and get off at a bus stop called "Yusaka", and walk up the hill for a...

We are sorry for rating this hotel such a low score, but the experience was truly uncomfortable. Here are our points. First, the staff at the counter was more like a billboard than a passionate person that would at least try to satisfy our needs. Also, a google translator recognizing only Japanese English barely helped our communication. Secondly, the hotel charged each person additional 150 yen per night for onsen tax. The amount of the money was small, though, the feeling was bad because there was no announcement on their website. Third, the basic facilities at this hotel were not sufficient. For example, there were no hair dryer and razor in our room. Last but not least, some old furnitures may induce serious safety problems. The glass on the table broke as I leaned on. Luckily I was not hurt, but those aged things are no doubt dangers that...