Nozaru Hostel — Hotel in Yamanouchi

Stayed Jan 2025

I was very hesitant to book given the previous reviews but I also wanted to stay in Shiba Onsen without paying a high price so I took a chance on Nozaru Hostel and I’m so glad I did!

The place isn’t fancy, it’s old and a bit run down. It’s a traditional hotel so futons on the floor over thick mattresses on beds. The staff is nice but not falling over themselves nice. I had a small issue not pertaining to the hostel and the front desk lady was happy to help me sort it out. Could the hotel be updated and made fancy? Sure, but then it won’t be less than half the price of the other options in town.

The rooms are basic and while there’s not central air there was a kerosene heater and we stayed plenty warm with that even if it did beep occasionally through the night for some reason. There was also one of those tables that has blankets and a heater in the room and no leg chairs to sit at it. There’s futons were thin but there was a couple more in the room we could have used to double up if we wanted and had thought about it.

There wasn’t a bidets/washlet in the en-suite we had but the toilet seat was heated which was nice in the cold. The toilets near the onsen on the 1st floor did have washlets. Only the sleeping area seems to be heated so the common spaces are chilly in winter. The showers are down in the hostel’s onsen area and they are in a same gender space so you could be washing with others with no privacy other than averting your eyes.

You do NOT get access to the town’s famous onsen if you stay here but the hostel does have its own onsen and you can pay ¥500 to access the town’s #9 onsen during its opening hours (1000 - 1700).

Easy access to the Snow Monkey Park and i believe ski areas.

Overall a great stay and I’d return. Walking around the town was a wonderful experience, it’s very scenic and there’s heated foot baths...

Hostel with traditional Japanese rooms, futons to lay out on the floor, and traditional under-table heating where you sit with your legs under the table and get lovely and warm. There are (seperate male and female) onsens downstairs, which were really hot (too hot for me to get into, but I enjoyed interacting with the Japanese family who were much better at getting in). My husband said the mens baths had an outdoor area, I don't know if the ladies also had one which I missed or not. Note that you can hire towels from reception if you haven't brought your own.|We chose this because it was close to the snow monkeys so we could walk there rather than get the bus (approx 20 mins walk to the entrance, then about 25 mins walk up the path), but I'm so glad we did because it was a wonderful place to stay. We booked a room with shared bathroom (because that was all we could see online) but when we checked in the receptionist offered us the chance to upgrade to one with our own toilet which we did (only about 1200 Yen more). |There was a communal kitchen area on the floor below ours, which was useful for making hot drinks, would have been a bit of a struggle to do much more than that I think, although there were lots of pots and pans.|We arrived a bit early and had hoped to drop our bags at reception before check-in time, but the doors were locked so we carried on down the road and explored the delighful area and found a lovely little beer taphouse, so the time passed quickly and enjoyably! For food, we walked down to a Ramen noodle house just down the hill (cash only) which was very popular and got full soon after we got there with people queuing for tables. There didn't seem to be too many other places to eat in the...

Worst hotel in Japan so far. I am traveling in Japan everywhere, I only stay at cheap hotel, most of them were OK. It's the first time I see such a bad place in Japan. (and pretty expensive for what it is) No air conditioning (AC), pretty dirty, elevator only for luggage, you have to pay for all commodities (towel, toothbrush, etc..), extra fees they don't tell you about (parking 1000yens, rooms 300yens for no reason, etc..)

The onsen: the male osen is medium size, but a little dirty. My wife showed me pictures of the female onsen, literally 2 square meters. (1 or 2 person max)

The rooms: Cheap and small futon (I've tried a lot of them) 20cm too short and very thin. There is an AC but it's not working, the cables are stitched together with tape. Seems very dangerous. (at least there was a fan) The toilet is basic, but the pipes are also taped (looks like they should have been repaired 5 years ago) The bathroom is locked, so you have to go shower at the onsen (it's OK but it's not what was advertised)

The host is not very friendly, but that's not the real problem.

Conclusion: I regret going there, I should have paid a few extra yen for another place. I guess the owner must have money problem (otherwise I don't understand) I feel scammed with all the hidden extra fees. For travelers: find somewhere else in the village because it's beautiful. To the owner: I'm sorry if you have problems, but this is not good, I think you should change profession. You don't seem to like...