YORODUYA — Local services in Yamanouchi

We’d booked to stay here for the one night as part of our visit to see the snow monkeys, as we thought this would be different ... and we certainly weren’t disappointed in this respect.||||The Ryokan actually only opened its doors at 3 o’clock in the afternoon, but we weren’t told that, and having arrived by train from Tokyo just after 12 noon, we were trying to gain access at half twelve, only to be turned away. However, we were allowed to leave our hand luggage with reception (our main cases had been forwarded to an onward hotel), and this gave us the perfect opportunity to visit the snow monkeys.||||We returned significantly after three o’clock to be warmly greeted at reception. Meals were included, so we had to choose between first or second sitting for both the evening dinner and the morning breakfast, before being escorted to our room. This is where the fun started !||||The room itself is the epitome of minimalism. Stark and simplistic would be a good description, with Japanese mats covering the floor, and furnished with two large square ‘coffee tables’ in the centre, and four legless chairs. AND NO BED(s) !!! Shoes were required to be removed prior to accessing the living quarters, and we had to change into yukatas, a light cotton kimono.||||We had the option during our stay of using the thermal pools, of which there were two. One half of the day had men assigned to one pool, and women to the other, and then the other half day the pools were ‘reversed’ so that, after one stay, everyone had the opportunity of using both pools. However, use of the pools could only be undertaken naked, so we ruled out that option ! ||||The evening meal itself was typically Japanese, but I have to say delicious: not too much sushi or wasabi, but a delicate mix of flavours that I appreciated more than the restaurant we’d eaten at in Tokyo a couple of days earlier. Fortunately, we were ensconced in a little cubicle for two during the meal, and so conversation with other guests, all Japanese, wasn’t an issue !||||By the time we made it back to the room that evening, the tables and chairs had been pushed to the side, and futons laid out in the middle, with a duvet arrangement on top. I expected to struggle sleeping on the floor, but actually had a half reasonable night. Our one and only gripe with the room was the en-suite: it was small, the hand held shower had barely sufficient pressure to wash the soap away, and stepping in / out of the bath to take the shower needed a distinct level of athleticism !||||Breakfast was again very different to anything I’d ever experienced before, and to some degree replicated the dinner we’d had the night before, but not as ornate. It was pleasing enough, and I ate most things, but if you’re expecting anything resembling a western breakfast, forget it !||||Incidentally, we were the only non-Japanese staying at this Ryokan at the time of our visit, and this seems to be supported by TripAdvisor, where there have only been 6 English submissions in the last 10 years. ||||Overall, a very novel and different experience, and well worth trying at least once...

I booked a night in Yudanaka with my partner so that we could visit the Snow Monkey Park. Most places were already booked up, so we went for Yorozuya (sometimes romanised as Yoroduya) even though it was a little beyond our budget. ||At £300 a night for a double room with dinner and breakfast, I thought “this had better be good…”||Honestly, it was probably worth double that. The ryokan itself is massive; the atrium has a scale that almost defies sense. We were greeted by staff who were awaiting our arrival, and took our luggage up to our room while we enjoyed a complementary matcha tea.||A guide led us up the stairs, handed us XL yukata to wear during our stay and explained the situation with towels. She took us in the lift to our room, and showed us how to access the onsens and where the dining halls would be.||We took a few moments to settle into our tatami-floored room, change into our yukata, and investigate the albeit pretty boring view from our balcony. For the record: the joy here is inside the ryokan rather than outside.||We tested both the on-site onsen; they operate on schedules so that male guests and female guests bathe separately, but can both enjoy both of the baths. It is worth trying both. It’s a cliché to say, but particularly coming from Europe without much experience of this kind of venue, they made me feel like I was in Spirited Away, if Spirited Away was a series of Hokusai prints. I loved relaxing in the heat of the outdoor bath surrounded by rocks, trees and classically Japanese sculptures, with snow gently falling. ||Suitably relaxed, it was time for dinner. This was worth the whole booking price alone. We were served a 10-course kaiseki dinner, in a private booth, with attentive staff bringing us fresh water and sake whenever we desired. Every single bite was exquisite. While not 10 courses, this extended into breakfast which was a similar luxurious experience.||I was sad we only had one night there, and would go back in a heartbeat. The experience of staying here creates a stronger draw for me to return to Yudanaka than the snow monkeys.||We were treated so well, and truly unwound in a setting that felt almost too...

We stayed here 2 nights to see the snow monkeys and visit Obuse. It was our first Japanese Ryokan so it was quite an experience. After struggling up from the station through the snow with our luggage we were told that we were too early to check in, so had to leave our bags and wander off for some lunch. When we returned we were greeted with green tea and then taken up to our room. There was a step inside the room where you need to take your shoes off, but unfortunately my friend didn't see this, tripped over it and fell headlong. The little lady showing us in seemed more concerned about the need to take shoes off than checking that my friend was actually OK. Inside it was a classic Japanese room with tatami mats, a low table with chairs without legs, a little balcony type area with chairs with legs and a bathroom where the toilet and bath/shower were separated off with their own doors. While we were at dinner the table and chairs were moved aside for futons to be set up on the floor. The ladies on reception were very helpful. They provided us with a map of the hotel showing the location of the restaurant and the baths and they booked us a taxi for the morning so that we could make an early start for the monkey park. When we arrived at the restaurant for dinner we were shown to our own little room with a table and chairs (with legs) with sliding doors where the staff would arrive with all the different courses for dinner. The were aware that I didn't eat meat, so tailored food arrived for me. They really made an effort to explain the courses to us and in some cases to explain how long we needed to leave things on a burner. It was all quite an experience and breakfast was similar, which we hadn't really been prepared for and meant we headed off to find some English tea and coffee afterwards. However, we felt it was a...