This ryokan is located in a truly magical part of Nagano. We arrived just as it was starting to snow and really felt like we were in the middle of a Japanese fairytale. It is essentially inside the grounds of the Zenko-Ji Temple (which is stunning) and it is super easy to therefore get to the temple at times when it isn’t busy. Access from Nagano Station is easy - it’s a 20min walk or a similar time in a bus if you have bags. Taxis are also available at the station. If you do get a bus - board through the middle doors, take a ticket and then pay the driver on exiting through the front doors. It’s about 200 yen and Suica-type cards don’t work. All the staff we came across were super welcoming and friendly. We had the deluxe room with tatami area (which is the only one with windows onto the street) which was extremely spacious. It could do with a bit of TLC as some areas were a bit scuffed, but overall it was very pleasant. A major issue was that, apart from the tatami room and the bedroom, there was no heating in the rest of the apartment. So going to the toilet or bathroom meant experiencing very cold temperatures, given it was freezing outside during our stay. This is the main reason the ryokan doesn’t get 5 stars from me - for GBP350pn you’d really hope for heating everywhere in the guesthouse in winter. We also opted for the half-board option, with all the meals being of a very high quality. Bear in mind all the meals are Japanese-style and fairly heavily fish-based. We were pleased to have also booked dinner, as most restaurants around the ryokan close in the evenings, so having food sorted made life a lot easier. The meals were not as ceremonious as we’ve experienced at other ryokans, but this was fairly welcome as you are much more in control as to how long they take.
翻譯