Shiratama no yu Kahou — Hotel in Shibata

We were genuinely excited to stay at this top-ranked onsen hotel (日本百選酒店) and took the Shinkansen from Tokyo (£50 per person each way), expecting a luxurious experience. The hotel’s multilingual website and email correspondence suggested good English support, but check-in was conducted entirely via Google Translate. Unlike other onsen stays, we were given no welcome tea or tour, not even in Japanese, and simply escorted to our room in silence. The room was dated, with a worn bathroom sink, though the rice-field view was beautiful. We paid over £750 for two nights and upgraded dinner to celebrate my partner’s birthday. Unfortunately, the food was underwhelming and fewer courses than other onsen hotels; the non-upgrade menu even seemed more elaborate. On the first night, we had lobster and local wagyu, and on the second upgraded night only a traditional meal. Dinner arrived partly cold—tempura had to be remade—and the server worked hard despite language barriers, though staffing levels seemed insufficient. The in-room bathtub used only spring water, and the public onsen was busy due to hotel size. The private onsen was beautiful but cost ¥4,400, with inconsistent amenities like random toiletries and no Refa hair dryer. Facility hours were unusual; the game room and lounge opened only at 3 pm. Loud karaoke near the indoor waterfall and geisha-style entertainment in private dining disrupted relaxation. When we accidentally left a wash bag, staff promised next-day shipping for ¥3,000, but it was not dispatched on time, with no proactive updates, unlike other onsen hotels we’ve stayed at. High-speed Wi-Fi barely worked, likely due to the...

Paid $640 sgd per night. Stayed for two nights. Honestly, the experience is average on the overall. Hotel: large hotel that caters mainly to Japanese. Busy. Has nice paintings.

Room : large n has a nice terrace sitting area. We like the massage chair. toilet was old.

Dining experience- it’s good they provided us with an English menu. for the first night, the head chef was v good in cooking n presentation 👍 . For the 2nd night we were given an “upgraded” version ( for staying a second night) but its traditional fare lacked freshness n quality. Seriously not an upgrade.

Onsen experience: v hot water. first time I come across an onsen that smells of sulphur n rubber. So depends on you. For onsen aficionados, good to try but honestly don’t recommend staying a second night.

Transportation: here’s the thing that you pls pay attention if you decide to come. This part of Niigata is v remote even though tsukioka onsen where this hotel is situated has a concentration of hotels, it’s difficult to book a taxi to go to shibata station ( the biggest station here-20 mins away) on the evening before n morning when we were leaving. Incredulous. So how ? Couldn’t leave to catch my Shinkansen at Niigata from shibata but had to go through tsukioka station which meant two trains to get to Niigata. Gave me a lot of anxiety. Ok pls note when you are otw here pls book go! Taxi at shibata station. Don’t try to get off at tsukioka station which is the closest station or no taxi will be there /...

The panoramic view of Niigata and the mountains are so therapeutic and beautiful. The room for 5 pax is huge too. What I love about this place is their lobby which is luxuriously huge as if I stepped into a rich residence. If you want an Instagrammable ryokan to stay, I highly recommend this place as the service is OUTSTANDING and the experience is one of a kind.