Homestays w: Nagano Prefecture, Japan

It was very comfortable with the feeling of staying in a comfortable house. I felt the richness of nature from the window and was quiet and relaxing.

Honestly, I can't praise this place enough. The owners are a really lovely couple; very welcoming and extremely helpful. The rooms are great - plenty of space and all the amenities you need for a short stay. The onsen is just the best - it's a private one that you can lock the door to and have to yourself for as long as you can cope with the hot water! But the *food* - wow! The food is absolutely fantastic and expertly cooked. Honestly, I've eaten in Michelin starred restaurants with food that wasn't as good as this. On top of that, at our first evening meal, we found that the message hadn't been relayed about my wife being a pescatarian. Anywhere else that might have been a problem, but within twenty-five minutes an entire new fish meal had been prepared and served - and was absolutely amazing. We were SO impressed. Also, what a truly beautiful location. Oh yes, and they have *monkeys*!! They wandered past the property in the evening and wandered back the next morning. I'm trying to name anything negative and I honestly can't - the closest thing I can think of is that the property is hard to locate and you definitely need a car to get there, but if you can get there, do - it was one of two equal-best places we've stayed at in Japan. Thank you to the owners (sorry, I never asked your names) for a wonderful stay in your home.

This place is ~5mins walk from Zenkoji temple. neighborhood is peaceful at night. Shoes to be removed outside the accommodation. Rooms are on the 2nd floor so you'll have to carry your luggage up (there's no lift). Room (with window) is huge. You'll have to head downstairs to use the shared toilet and shared onsen (no toilet inside the room). We were only allowed 30mins of onsen time for 2 pax - couples weren't allowed to use the onsen concurrently so we had to go one after another (i'm not sure if the instructions got lost in translation..). Felt very rushed so i didnt really get to enjoy the onsen experience, but overall was nice and clean. Interesting 6.30am tour around the area and within the temple itself, followed by a simple vegetarian breakfast (porridge with omakase-styled sides with miso soup) back at the accommodation. The morning tour lasted from 6.30am - 8.30am. The accommodation provided a fleece blanket to each pax to bring to Zenkoji temple to keep us warm during the morning praying ceremony. We went on 30 Dec and it was SO COLD. Overall interesting experience but accommodation price is pretty steep IMO.

1) Location: Get off at Zhongshe and walk about 3-400 meters. You can reach it in a straight line. 2) Hotel: Decorated in the 1980s-1990s, there is no heating in the corridor, but there is heating in the room, and the temperature is suitable. There is no bathing in the hotel. The hot spring is in a large covered tub. There is no heating in the shower room and toilet. 3) Meals: You can order them at the hotel. The boss’s skills are pretty good and delicious, but not very cheap. [Five-star recommendation] Try to avoid bringing a trolley suitcase in winter. The road is too difficult to walk. It is uphill to get to the hotel. I arrived at night and fell a few times. It was too painful.

Wonderful Stay at Garden Pension Obogurgl We had an excellent experience at Garden Pension Obogurgl. The location is perfect—just a short walk to the Hakuba Goryu lifts, which made getting on the mountain super easy every day. The pension itself is cozy, clean, and peaceful, with a lovely garden that adds to the charm. Our room was warm and comfortable, with plenty of space for ski gear, and the communal areas had a relaxed, homely vibe. The hosts were friendly and welcoming, always happy to help with local tips and transport advice. We especially enjoyed being able to walk everywhere—whether it was to the nearby convenience stores, local restaurants, or just strolling among the beautiful pine trees. The large cherry blossom tree out the front added a special touch to the peaceful surroundings. If you're after a quiet, scenic, and welcoming place to stay in Hakuba Goryu, Garden Pension Obogurgl is a fantastic choice.

The meals in the evening and in the morning were delicious! I went in the middle of summer, but it was so cool and comfortable that I was able to sleep with the windows open at night without turning on the air conditioner. I was a little worried about the unisex toilets on the second floor, but the toilets on the first floor were separated for men and women, so I used the one on the first floor. The owner was also very kind, and after checking out, he drove me to the nearest station. This was very helpful as I had a lot of luggage. The price was also reasonable, so I was very satisfied. I would like to use this hotel again on my next summer trip to Nagano.

The location is great and it is well maintained. I stayed in the 4 beds female dorm, it was spacious. The bed was big with a little desk at one side of the bed for organising personal items. Each bed has their own charging pod. There are some limitations though: the lift can't be used so suitcases are moved up via staircase. I have to go down to the 2nd floor for the bathroom and toilet. I am not sure how many people are sharing them but I never need to wait an they are clean.

The place is fantastic for family vacation. We got there by train and the resort has arranged for a complimentary pick up. The cabin is nice and warm with a full functional kitchen (except for the microwave which kept tripping the circuit breaker). We ran out of food as we under estimated our appetite during winter. Unfortunately the centre house only serve coffee and hot soup, so we have to ration our bread on our last day of stay. My boys had fun playing with the snow and built 2 snowmen (the first one was destroyed by the blizzard on the 2nd day). We rented the snow shoes and tried to go trekking but failed as the snow was too thick. However we still had fun. We spent the nights in the cabin playing card games, something we didn’t have time to do when living in the city. Really enjoying the nice scenery and the wonder white Christmas.

The hotel is one kilometer away from the bus terminal, but there are small stops near the hotel to various ski resorts, which is very convenient. I booked a total of 5 nights, including meals. The 5 breakfasts are basically Japanese, very hearty and satisfying! It is a traditional Japanese-style bed and breakfast. The room is on tatami mats and you make your own bed. In some years, the furniture is not new, and you can hear it in the walking room in the corridor, but it is very clean! The quality of the guests is also very good, there is no loud noise, which is much better than the Europeans and Americans who later lived in the hotel! The boss is an old Japanese couple. They don’t talk much and may not always smile like other Japanese people, but in fact they love to help. After dinner every morning, they ask you where you plan to go today, and then pull you there. His map wall helps you plan your itinerary, and the hotel also has a lot of coupons or low-cost ski tickets for ski resort cooperation. Save a lot of expenses. After checking out, you need to change to another hotel. After the boss asks the address, he will send it to the next one, but there are still not many words 😁, thank you for your rigorous and lovely Japanese grandpa Very cost-effective, recommended!

The location is very good, a few tens of meters away is a free bus stop, you can go to various ski resorts, the boss is very enthusiastic, can provide the village station shuttle and a lot of help you need, we stayed for three nights, arranged a two-story suite, The toilet kitchen living room is independent, the tatami is upstairs, very warm and warm, next time you choose to go here