Ryokan Biyunoyado — Hotel in Yamanouchi

We stayed in a mixed western / Ryokan room here for 3 night in March 2024. All the staff were welcoming, friendly and accommodating with fluent English speaking staff on hand at all times. Breakfast and dinner were show stoppers for foodies or for anyone wanting a traditional multi-course japanese food experience. Get your chopsticks out and embrace the uniquely Japanese fine dining / interactive dinner courses, then wake up to another multi-course table service breakfast of fish, miso soup, rice, omelette, fruit, yoghurt, tea, coffee and traditional Japanese mini bites. Different variations of breakfast and dinner are served to guests based on the number of nights you stay, so meals are always different and never boring.||Our room was spacious and filled with the usual amenities you would expect in addition to a tatami mat area and table and seats, should you wish to dine in your room or sleep the Roykan way. We slept in a double bed which was very comfortable.||Robes are provided with instructions on wearing these. It was fun to wear these to the onsen baths, to dinner and to breakfast but by no means compulsory. ||The hotel was spotlessly clean thoughout and very quiet. There are 4 public onsen baths, 2 indoor, 2 outdoor, each area containing 1 indoor and 1 outdoor bath separated for men and women. These are reversed each night so if you stay for more than 1 night you can experience all 4. The pools were quiet even at peak times, though slightly busier on the women's side. We saw a roughly equal number of Japanese / Western guests frequenting the hotel during our stay. If a public birthday suit bathing experience isn't your thing, you can book the private bath on the roof (couples friendly). Note that although this is private it is also a bathing suit-free zone. We booked this for one night but highly recommend the larger public bath experience where you wash before and after with very high quality hotel-supplied shampoo, conditioner and body wash, or bring your own. We only used the showers in the room once during our stay as we found the full public bath experience to be so good. Fresh towels are provided throughout the hotel.||The entrance to the snow monkey Park is a short mini bus ride away (5 to 10 minutes, if that). An amazing experience. Don't miss it!||The Shiga Kogen ski resort area starts about 30 minutes by public bus from the hotel but you may need to stay on the bus for around 40 minutes to reach the main interconnecting gondola lift at Yama no eki. Public buses are a bit hit and miss. Check the times with reception staff before using, they are not reliably available online!||Search and read about "Ryokan" before your stay. Be respectful, wear your bamboo slippers, but not on the tatami mats! and enjoy being hosted like a Samurai, resting in the osen baths in which they used to bathe.||Special thanks to our host Yukiko and to all the hotel staff who work so hard to give guests such a wonderful experience.||We will be...

My brother and I have traveled to many places around the world, but nowhere have we ever felt as welcomed, comfortable, and deeply connected as we did at Ryokan Biyunoyado. From the moment we arrived, we were met with warmth, sincerity, and a sense of calm that stayed with us long after we left.

The staff at Biyunoyado are truly exceptional. They don’t just provide service — they open their hearts to you. Yuki, in particular, gave us an incredible personal tour of the town. She shared with us the rich stories of Yamanouchi, from the time of the samurai to the deep cultural and spiritual significance of the onsens that still shape life here today. Her knowledge, kindness, and passion made us feel like we were part of something greater — not just visitors, but guests invited into a living tradition.

There was also another wonderful staff member we didn’t get the name of, but she left a lasting impression as well. We learned she had recently moved to Japan from China, and it was inspiring to see how genuinely she had embraced Japanese culture as if it were her own. Her warmth and graciousness made us feel cared for on a very human level, and we were so touched by her openness and energy.

The ryokan itself is beautifully traditional, with quiet tatami rooms, impeccable attention to detail, and a sense of stillness that lets you slow down and just breathe. One of the absolute highlights was the private rooftop onsen. Soaking in the warm mineral waters while looking out over the mountains — it was one of the most peaceful, grounding experiences we’ve ever had.

We were also charmed by the gift shop, which offers a thoughtfully curated selection of unique local items. I picked up a miniature Samurai helmet, and Yuki explained its deep meaning — traditionally given to sons, symbolising the hope they grow to be as strong and noble as the samurai who once walked these streets. That story made it one of the most meaningful souvenirs I’ve ever brought home.

Despite all the places we’ve seen around the world, Ryokan Biyunoyado stands out as the most heartwarming, personal, and memorable place we’ve ever stayed. This isn’t just a ryokan — it’s a reflection of everything beautiful about Japanese hospitality, history, and culture. We left with full hearts and lifelong memories.

Also shoutout to Lennon, future cross country olympian.

We’re already dreaming of our return — and next time, we’ll be staying...

Ryokan Biyunoyado is one of the best serviced hotels I’ve ever stayed at. I’ve travelled all over the world and been to many 5 start hotels, and Biyunoyado for me had the most memorable service that I can think of. I visited over the Xmas Holidays for 3 days and the hotel is super clean, the employees are so nice and polite and the service was just outstanding. Our room was a Japanese style room and around 300 square feet, so quite a lot of room. They have multiple natural hot springs (onsen) that were so clean and relaxing and not just a square/rectangular shape like a swimming pool, but made of rock and stone that makes it feel like you’re out in the wilderness. This is the first time I’ve ever been in an onsen, and what a great experience at this hotel. The breakfasts were amazing Japanese-style breakfast and definitely memorable, I’ll probably never forget the breakfast experience at this hotel. The only thing I regret was that I was not able to have dinner in their restaurant and you are required to make a reservation because they buy and make the food fresh that day. There are many good reviews about their dinner, so I never go to experience that, but hopefully one day I’ll go back. There are several restaurants and cafes nearby as well. ||Biyunoyado also offers a free shuttle to Snow Monkey Park (a 10-15 min ride) which is one of the top attractions in this area of which my family utilized on the morning before we left, which was a great experience. We mainly came to go skiing/snowboarding at Shiga Kogen ski resort. The hotel offers a shuttle down to the bus station (a 10 mins walk) and then a free shuttle to one area of Shiga Kogen ski resort (which is a very large resort). So this free shuttle to the ski resort was definitely a great perk. Shiga Kogen has some of the nicest snow I’ve ever snowboarded on and I only remember this quality of snow in the Swiss Alps and a day’s lift ticket at Shiga Kogen at the current USD/JPY exchange rate is only around $50USD! What a deal! Overall, I would recommend this hotel if you’re coming to the Yudanaka/Nagano area for skiing, going to the Snow Monkey Park, or just to relax at the hotel / onsen. The hotel rates are very affordable as well. The three days/nights I stayed in Ryokan Biyunoyado and the two days snowboarding at Shiga Kogen were the highlight of my 10 day Japan trip (Tokyo,...