Matsumoto Ryokan — Hotel in Obanazawa

For those who need to connect, it seemed Matsumoto ryokan does not disclose or correspond directly with its guests.||To arrange for a pick-up, you will need to get in touch with the booking site that you made the reservation from and get them to liase with Matsumoto.||Simply, your booking site will be the go to man and come back with the details of the shuttle pick-up at Oishida station.||Normally there will be two pick-ups a day, 1340 and 1545 (if i remember correctly) and it will be about a 30minutes ride into Ginzan Onsen.||The ryokan is unlike others, an indistinct narrow four storey building, one of the smallest with probably 10 rooms or so sitting right in the centre of town.||Location is not really an issue here as Ginzan Onsen is a small town that you can cover on foot in probably half an hour or so.||On entry, my impression was that of a pretty cramped and small congested reception area with rows of sandals, wooden clogs and gumboots lining the front facing the main door. Should there be a mass check-in at the same time as what happened to me, space will be an issue. ||The staff here spoke almost none or very limited English, resulting in a lot of finger pointing and sign languages being the standard protocol.||I was given room 301 on the third floor and even though facing the main street, there wasn't much of a view besides the roof top of the opposite buildings and the trees in the background all covered in snow.||The tatami laid out room was neat and clean but without bath, toilet nor a washbasin.||A shared toilet and washbasin were located a few steps outside, though it seemed I had it all to myself as I don't remember seeing anyone around.||The room has a low table with two mini floor chairs and a heater that was pretty useful given the unforgiving conditions outside. ||Wi-fi was fast and reliable and even though the ryokan was at full occupancy, noise interference was minimal as I slept well.||Dinner served in the room was of the standard kaiseki fare and though communication was a problem, the staff who brought dinner tried her best to explain the individual dishes and the manner it is to be consumed.||Breakfast at 730 was served on the second floor in a common room for all guests and was simple and plentiful. ||The in-house onsen was rather small but good for a soak as it was not too hot, unlike most that tend to be unbearable.||I thoroughly enjoyed it the both times i was there and had it all to myself as it seemed the rest of the guests were more intend on exploring the town.||Matsumoto ryokan is neither luxurious nor lavish, extravagant or colourful, but simple, adequate, rooms are neat and clean and very resonably priced as compared to what some of the other ryokans are charging.||As been said repeatedly, the hot spring town of Ginzan Onsen in winter is simply jaw dropping, spell-binding, enchanting, especially in the evening when the snow covered ryokans are all fully lit up, juxtaposed against gas-lit street lamps illuminating the snow infested streets. A picture of pure ethereal beauty, almost unreal.||If you do not have too high an expectation and are looking for a surreal experience and a homely stay in Ginzan Onsen at a reasonable price, Matsumoto is certainly a...

We stayed in Jan 2023 for 1 night. I wanted to review on Agoda because we booked through them but it doesn't work as apparently Matsumoto no longer have a contract with Agoda. Anyway I give this place a 9.5 out of 10 which is my highest ranked hotel ive ever stayed at! The 0.5 i deducted is because the wifi did not work on our level, it only worked in the reception lobby area, but there was a sitting area where you could sit down, get a drink from vending machine and use it there anyway. Its just due to convenience i took the 0.5 off. The hotel had everything you need! It was right in the middle of the famous Ginzan onsen street with a lovely view from your rooms small balcony. They stored our luggage for us before and after checkout. We got yukata & haori for wearing to onsen and also we took photos in the street in them. They have slippers for inside and traditional wooden shoes for outside. They even have huge jackets you can borrow when its winter as its generally under 0 degrees Celsius outside. The rooms are small (but that is the case traditionally in Japan) with tatami, a coffee table and cushions for the floor. You get complimentary sweets and tea in your room. Dinner is included and served to you in your room. It is Kaiseki style and was HUGE! so many dishes and items to try! We were stuffed! They then come and take it away when you call and set up your futons for you. In the morning you go downstairs for breakfast in a communal dining room which is also included in room cost. It is a whole bunch of little dishes which was again amazing and super filling. When you get back to your room your beds have been packed away and the table with cushions are set back up. The onsen is an indoor small one but uses the same natural mineral water as everywhere else and is very hot so great in winter. If you want to try outdoor onsen go to Takimi-kan down the end of the street as they have day use onsen. There is also another day use onsen down the other end of the street but its small and indoors and I honestly thought Matsumoto was better. There are toilets and sinks on every floor. The price is expencive for 1 night but cheaper then some of the other hotels in the town and with dinner and breakfast included i thought it was reasonable for the 1 night with the food, service and lodging we got. There are not many hotels and rooms available in the town so to score this one we were very lucky! I think its a family owned business and they dont know any english but they use a translator if they need to tell you anything. They run 2 complimentary pick ups from the train station every day and 1 drop off at checkout time otherwise you can use the public bus which runs a few times each day to and from the station. Highly recommend this cute...

We had such a lovely experience at Matsumoto ryokan! Firstly, response by email was very quick, almost immediate (except that they only communicate in Japanese). Being typical Singaporeans losing sense of time, we missed the train that was supposed to arrive at Oishida station at the stipulated transport timings by the ryokan. We emailed and explained that we will be arriving late and decided that it was our fault and wanted to take a taxi up to Ginzan Onsen instead. To our very very pleasant surprise, the elderly gentleman of the ryokan appeared at the station and kept repeating "matsumoto" with a poster of Ginzan Onsen. He actually took the trouble to pick us up from the station even though we missed the last transport timing at 3.45pm! (we arrived at 5.30pm by the way). A younger gentleman at the reception spoke very limited English but it wasn't an issue, everyone was so warm we didn't feel the barrier at all. The room was in simple Japanese style with proper heater and thermal blankets with the tatami. Dinner was quite a spread and we were stuffed. The cleaning lady was such a darling, she reminds me of a very caring mother, who made sure that we were well taken of and despite the language barrier, she kepy trying her best to speak to us and make us feel at home. The morning view from the room was breathtaking, it looked almost surreal. Imagine snow covered pine trees right in your face. Don't expect anything western, my husband was highly disappointed with the traditional Japanese breakfast, which I enjoyed a lot. Again, we missed the transport back to Oishida station and again, the elderly gentleman again was so kind to send us all the way to the station an hour or so later. Amiyu (the owner's teenage daughter) was around the next day and she speaks some English and we were so thankful she was around, very lovely girl. To use the onsen they charge an extra fee of JPY300 per person but it was nothing compared to our experience there! Beautiful place beautiful people and beautiful ryokan. I'd definitely be there again. Warmth of a family amongst the snowy mountains. Although the price per night is on a higher side, SGD321 per night compared to SGD100 at Richmond Hotel in Yamagata, it is absolutely worth it and quite reasonable because the other ryokans in Ginzan Onsen can go up to SGD800 per night. Overall, Matsumoto Ryokan deserves 5 stars for service, cleanliness and warmth...