Shimofujiya — Hotel in Nasushiobara

We'll always remember Shimofujiya for their hospitality and delicious food. All the staff were incredibly kind and thoughtful, and they added a personal touch to everything they did. ||||The room itself was gorgeous. We picked the suite with the cedar bath which I really enjoyed. In retrospect, any of the other rooms would have been great for us as well but we did enjoy having our own private bath.||||For the women, when you arrive you can pick your yukata material and then a staff member will come up when you are ready to help you put it on. The men also have a yukata provided. Suddenly you're transformed! :) We spent the next hour taking photos and walking around the property, although it was a little chilly being the end of November.||||I could write many pages about the food, both dinner and breakfast, but it is something you need to experience first-hand and I believe the meal is seasonal as well. My only tip in that respect is to arrive hungry :)||||If you are hesitant about using the onsen, you can book the beautiful outdoor one for 30 minutes at a time in the evening and for a reasonable cost. Make sure you make a reservation when you arrive. Also, the outdoor onsen doesn't have a shower so remember to shower beforehand.||||We are very grateful for the kindness of literally every single staff member at Shimofujiya. They work hard to provide a luxurious experience for their guests.||||A few tips which may be helpful:||||- You can send the hotel an email from Tripadvisor to request a shuttle bus pick up from the Nasushioabara bus station. The email isn't on their website as far as I could see.||||- If you learn some basic Japanese, it will go a long way. Most of the staff speak only Japanese and it will help you conduct basic communication if you know a few phrases.||||- If you have time, it's worth taking a stroll around the Nasushiobara bus terminal as well. The info booth has lots of resources.||||- Depending on your experience, there's a chance you'll eat something here that you've never had before (and won't be able to identify before you eat it!). Beforehand you can work out your dietary restrictions but otherwise, best to expect an amazing...

We'll always remember Shimofujiya for their hospitality and delicious food. All the staff were incredibly kind and thoughtful, and they added a personal touch to everything they did. ||||The room itself was gorgeous. We picked the suite with the cedar bath which I really enjoyed. In retrospect, any of the other rooms would have been great for us as well but we did enjoy having our own private bath.||||For the women, when you arrive you can pick your yukata material and then a staff member will come up when you are ready to help you put it on. The men also have a yukata provided. Suddenly you're transformed! :) We spent the next hour taking photos and walking around the property, although it was a little chilly being the end of November.||||I could write many pages about the food, both dinner and breakfast, but it is something you need to experience first-hand and I believe the meal is seasonal as well. My only tip in that respect is to arrive hungry :)||||If you are hesitant about using the onsen, you can book the beautiful outdoor one for 30 minutes at a time in the evening and for a reasonable cost. Make sure you make a reservation when you arrive. Also, the outdoor onsen doesn't have a shower so remember to shower beforehand.||||We are very grateful for the kindness of literally every single staff member at Shimofujiya. They work hard to provide a luxurious experience for their guests.||||A few tips which may be helpful:||||- You can send the hotel an email from Tripadvisor to request a shuttle bus pick up from the Nasushioabara bus station. The email isn't on their website as far as I could see.||||- If you learn some basic Japanese, it will go a long way. Most of the staff speak only Japanese and it will help you conduct basic communication if you know a few phrases.||||- If you have time, it's worth taking a stroll around the Nasushiobara bus terminal as well. The info booth has lots of resources.||||- Depending on your experience, there's a chance you'll eat something here that you've never had before (and won't be able to identify before you eat it!). Beforehand you can work out your dietary restrictions but otherwise, best to expect an amazing...

We stayed at this onsen for a night, and overall everything - location, room, food, hot springs, and hospitality - was excellent. We were planning to take a taxi from the bus station, but the bus driver kindly gave a call to the onsen, and they sent a van to pick us up. The same van dropped us off to the bus station the next day.||||Our Japanese style room, which was very nice, overlooked the front road. The bath at the inn was pretty nice too, but the private bath at the spa nearby was definitely better. We hadn't made a reservation for the private bath in advance, but lucky for us, someone canceled. ||||The food was excellent. One of us is a vegetarian, and we had let the inn know a few days before about this. So, both the vegetarian and the non-vegetarian was happy with the delightful food. We had a bit of communication problem with the hostess trying to understand what we were eating, but she was kind enough to bring in a young girl who could speak english. The same girl helped us with the private bath arrangement.||||It snowed the night we stayed at the inn. So, the morning was so pretty. We would have loved to stay another day. Just before we left, we bought a few things from the shop in the lobby. The hostess who looked after us gave one of us a small souvenir! It was very sweet of her. ||||So, all in all, we definitely recommend this place. If you have some time before checkin, you can check out the foot spa (hot springs water for soaking foot), which is before the bus station, across the bridge. There is also a small restaurant near the temple, also before the bus station. We had a nice lunch there. But dinner is so big at the onsen, I recommend saving your...