Hotele z: breakfast w Shiga Prefecture, Japan

The location is very quiet and calm. For those who want a break from the main cities this place is highly recommended. The hotel picked us up from the nearby station and the communication was very active and accommodating (I emailed them when we were in Kyoto station in advanced and once we reached the local station, their shuttle was already waiting for us 🥹). Biwako Valley is near so it was our only planned big activity in the area aside from walking along the quiet road and trying convenience store food and using the 24 hour laundry place nearby. The food is very healthy and you will experience traditional Japanese service (they prepared colorful Yukatas for us and we wore them for bfast and dinner in their restaurant) . The private onsen was great and you can also use the public bath in the hotel itself. I cannot list everything but our experience here was truly amazing!

The hotel is about 800 meters from JR Nagahama Station. As I missed the last shuttle bus on arrival, I ended up dragging my luggage and navigating for at least 15 minutes. On the way back, I was familiar with the route and it took less than 10 minutes with luggage. The next day, I took the Chikubushima ferry, and Nagahama Port is also not far from the hotel, reachable within a 10-minute walk. It's very close to Lake Biwa, just seconds away, and the sunsets are absolutely stunning. Due to my early-to-bed, early-to-rise itinerary, I didn't book breakfast or dinner. From 3-6 PM, there are complimentary drinks and snacks, and from 9-11 PM, various alcoholic beverages and snacks are offered. Recreational facilities include table tennis. The public bath was also quite clean. The ventilation in the room's toilet wasn't great, and the drain smell was tolerable. It seemed there were many families with children staying over the weekend, so the soundproofing might not be ideal; I could clearly hear children making noise in the hallway from my room. On the first night, I was knocked on the door twice in the middle of the night... After reporting it to the front desk, the hotel stated it wasn't done by staff. It made me feel a bit uneasy, especially traveling alone.

Extremely satisfied with this hotel, definitely a vacation experience you won't regret! First off, the check-in service was impressive, with staff literally kneeling to assist us, and they provided a very thorough introduction to all the hotel's facilities and services. The lady who helped us was beautiful, gentle, and spoke excellent English 👍 Next, the hot springs: We booked a Japanese-style room with a private onsen, and the view was absolutely stunning. The private hot spring was incredibly comfortable; all three of us could soak together with no problem, haha. The hotel's public baths were also super clean, and there was almost no one else there when we went, which made for a very relaxing soak. Then there's the food: The dinner was Kaiseki cuisine plus Omi beef shabu-shabu, which was surprisingly delicious! I thought I might not be used to Kaiseki, but that wasn't the case at all! The Omi beef was also of superb quality, incredibly fresh and flavorful after a quick dip in the clear broth. Breakfast was also very rich and varied! The room size was also perfectly fine. The only slight drawback is that check-out time is too early... 10 AM... If it could be a bit later, it would be absolutely perfect!

Yumotokan was our first stay at an onsen and first trip to Otsu and Lake Biwa. It blew us away at how amazing and wonderful everything was. We took a local train from Kyoto Station to Ogotoonsen Station. The views of the mountains on one side and the lake on the other were stunning and the shuttle service from Ogotoonsen Station to Yumotokan was much appreciated. We reserved two of the Kotone suites with their own private baths attached to our rooms for one night and we were not disappointed. The rooms included breakfast, dinner, and a hour later check-out time with the reservation. The staff were very kind and accommodating, helping us with whatever we needed (so glad we asked for help with the yukata! It became a cute memory for us). The rooms were comfortably spacious with a gracious amount of amenities and the attached private onsen baths were incredibly healing. We utilized them as many times as was healthy. Both the breakfast buffet and course dinner were amazingly delicious and something that'll be on our minds for awhile. Even our check-out was stress free and we were able to buy souvenirs from a little shop they had inside the lobby. I wish I knew what shampoo and treatment they use or where I can purchase it because it left our hair super soft and silky smooth, nothing like what we use at home. Our stay was amazing and we would highly recommend Yumotokan. We'll definitely visit again on our next trip to Japan, hopefully for a couple more nights!

I like it very much. It is not worse than Yuyuanguan, and the price is good. The chef's cooking skills are very high. The decoration is a bit old-fashioned, and it feels like a Japanese drama. The hot spring robe is better than Yuyuanguan. The dinner is invincible and delicious! Wagyu! Mushroom rice! Sukiyaki! I ate so much! But the breakfast is not very delicious. The pickled cucumber tastes the same as in China. I thought I couldn't eat it far away from Shanghai. In the end, it tasted like the pickled cucumber and pickled radish at home. But it's very photogenic! There are all kinds of colors, but the taste is killed by the xiaolongbao, wontons and pancakes in my hometown Shanghai. The hot spring in Yuyuanguan is very comfortable! There is just an old lady who keeps coming in to clean the hot spring in the morning! I was scared and didn't care about the front and the back. It was so embarrassing!

The room view is wonderful and quiet. Free shuttle bus between Ogotoonsen and hotel, it takes abt 5’min ride time, very good. The hotel restaurant staff are friendly and polite. We stayed 3n and the food menu were changed daily, very impressive. The indoor and outdoor onsen are perfect and relaxing. I will recommend others go there, very good experience.

This hotel offers incredible value for money! It's located right by Lake Biwa in Otsu City, boasting stunning views and an affordable price. Getting here is easy: from Otsu Station's North Exit, cross the road directly and walk about 20 meters to your left. You'll spot a small platform – I've included the train schedule in the photos for reference. There's a convenient mini-mart on the first floor for snacks, drinks, and souvenirs. For breakfast, you have a choice of two floors. The 36th floor offers Japanese-style breakfast, but by 8 AM, it was full. The 37th floor, however, has plenty of Western and Japanese options, so you won't have to wait. Near the hotel, you'll find a large supermarket and a fantastic, highly recommended BBQ restaurant – delicious and budget-friendly. Taking a stroll along the lakeside is incredibly relaxing. You'll see many eagles 🦅, people fishing, and dog walkers – it's wonderful to experience the laid-back town life. Staying here makes it easy to visit the Lake Biwa observation deck and Kyoto.

Thank you very much to Ctrip customer service Saga. I contacted him after I got on the train from Kyoto to Hikone and asked the hotel to pick me up. He solved the problem as fast as lightning, accurately, efficiently and with high quality! The public transportation from Kyoto to Hikone takes about an hour. When I arrived, I found the hotel's transportation bus accurately and clearly according to the notification. I was picked up by myself. The journey took five minutes. It was in the direction of Hikone Castle. It was not recommended to walk with luggage. It would be more tiring. If you take a taxi, it would cost about 700 yen. Half of the hotel room faces the castle and the other half has no view. The scenery facing the castle is very beautiful. I checked in on April 2, 2025. The cherry blossoms will be in full bloom after April 10. My room on the top floor of the 5th floor faces the castle tower, and the scenery is first-class. The room is not big. The other bed is attached to the wall and it is inconvenient to go up and down. It is just right for one person to live. The bathroom has been renovated. The room style is more old-fashioned, not old. The room without a view on the other side is smaller, and the check-in experience is poor. I booked a one-night stay and two meals, and Japanese cuisine for dinner. I think the quality is very good, but the duck hot pot tastes average, and the overall sincerity is full. The breakfast is simpler, there is no hot spring egg, but there are all kinds of freshly fried vegetable tempura. The breakfast is worse than that of Ogoto Ryokusuitei, and the dinner is about the same level. They are all hotels that cook very carefully, so you can rest assured to choose the meal package. The lounge has beer and juice, but no snacks. The male and female hot spring baths are not changed. The female baths are 38.5 degrees and 42.5 degrees, so one is too cold and the other is too hot. 41 degrees is better. The reason for giving one star for hygiene is: I found a green Japanese-style outer coat with oil spots and changed it to a purple flower one. This is the decision I regret the most, which means that it should not be worn without washing. After taking a hot spring bath in the afternoon, I put it on and drank tea in the room. I felt that it smelled bad. I picked up the outer coat and smelled it. I almost didn't send it away. The stench made me rush to the bathroom to vomit. It was the stench of people with severe bad breath sneezing several times at the clothes. This kind of clothes is not like a yukata. It is not changed for each guest. It is very unhygienic. The slipper cabinet is also smelly, and the slippers are a little sticky on the floor. I went to the hot spring again to wash it again and change into my own clothes, but the feeling of nausea was difficult to eliminate. The hotel will pick you up at the station at 9, 10, or 11 in the morning, and the staff are courteous and considerate.

The room is very spacious with a breathtaking view. The restaurant offers specialty dishes made with local ingredients, and you can enjoy the beautiful Lake Biwa scenery while dining. The hotel also features unique, limited-time activities and provides a shuttle service to and from the JR station, which significantly helps with the inconvenient transportation. 👍🏻

The hotel staff was very helpful and cooperative with me to work past our language barrier. They made check in very smooth and the service at the hotel was great.