Satoyama-Jujo Hotel

The Kiroku stay is a very local and authentic experience that is difficult to find elsewhere. They’ve done an excellent job updating the kura to preserve its heritage while also be comfortable and luxurious. The hinoki bath is wonderful, and it enriches the soul to wake up amidst the shrine, mountains, and rice fields every day. As someone with a good amount of experience in rural Japan, this really does give an excellent (tho quite elevated) flavor of that world. This extends to the food, which is prepared for you by very kind individuals each day, and is quite an excellent interpretation of “home cooking” … if your mother happened to be a fantastic cook with ready access to world class ingredients (and of course made sure you never went to bed hungry). I cannot recommend highly enough the experience of waking up to your very own glistening donabe of uonuma koshihikari — some of the best I’ve had in 15+ years of visiting! The furnishing is minimal but the textiles are lush and cozy, making for a great night’s sleep. I would very much recommend this as an extension option for those staying at Kiroku main as the guests will undoubtedly have an enjoyable stay. However, due to the many caveats one should be aware of what specifically they are signing up for

It is not made particularly clear how separate the experience is from the actual Satoyama Jujo stay. This is not to say it is *worse*, as it offers a very _different_ experience with its own benefits. However, this is worlds away from the same Satoyama Jujo experience you may expect, for a very similar price. Luckily I had rented a car and was able to make the (very short ~15 min) trip to the main Satoyama Jujo building to enjoy their beautiful onsen, shop, etc, but I was not expecting this to be as critical to the experience as it turned out to be, and it goes beyond that. For example, I happen to be well acquainted with the former chef, and know of the current master Keiko’s prowess, and had booked with this culinary experience in mind; I very much enjoyed the food provided (and it was *ample*), but it was certainly not at all as expected. While we technically had access to the main building’s (lovely) onsen, it felt as though we were “creeping in” (Hours? Parking? How do I put my shoes in a locker because you’re not here but also how do I get them out of the locker you put them in while I was on the onsen…?). Overall it feels a bit as though you are “second class” if you choose a kura stay. Specifically to Kiroku, it is not clear that you are not actually even given access to any of the main Kiroku facilities if you stay at one of the “kuras”, and I was under the impression the sauna and main facilities were available to anyone m that particular Kiroku “house”. However, it is clear that the “kuras” are meant as an overflow and extension to those staying at the main Kiroku who may want more guests in their party, rather than having Kiroku main as a shared local resource/hub. Note also that while not fluent or amazing by any means, I can speak and read Japanese well enough and so don’t believe this to be a strictly “lost in translation” artifact.

Great stay.Food, atmosphere, hospitality Unforgettable. Will definitely come back. Special thanks to Taomi and Aye

As same as pictures very cozy & nice

I thot the villa its book its next to the main building facility. The gate s slightly narrow and winter s wet

Very clean. Though the indoor slippers aren’t provided, you wouldn’t even think about asking.

The dishes can mix more meat. We feel the veggie are too overwhelming, although they are delicious.

The main feature of this stay for me was the hot springs. Being able to sit in the onsen with a view of the mountains was truly unique. The private sauna was also very nice. This ryokan is a fantastic place to get away from modern life for a few days and relax. The food is also very high quality, although the nature of some of the more traditional dishes takes some adjusting of the palette.

The location is somewhat remote, so I would recommend hiring a car if you want to explore the surrounding area. There is a pickup service from the train station, but that is only available at specific times.

Had the most incredible stay at Satoyama Jujo. My wife and I were visiting Japan and in search of a nature retreat from Tokyo for a few nights, and this resort exceeded our expectations in so many ways. The room was quiet and serene, the baths had stunning views of the surrounding mountains, and the food was impeccable. The service was so thoughtful as well; on our last day we were snowed in and couldn't get back to Tokyo, but the hotel made sure we could extend our reservation one night and offered a complimentary taxi to the train station the next day. Hope to be back again one day!

No notes!

Exceptional in many ways, particularly the food and the night sky.

After the stay, we confused our journey to Niigata. The road was narrow but two ways, so it can be dangerous,

Everything was so serene and pretty. The staff were Very kind and welcoming. They found out it was our anniversary and made us a special dessert! We have all kinds of food restrictions and they took them all into consideration. The room was amazing and had a beautiful veiw. The food was very good and all locally sourced. 100 percent would recommend this ryokan! The onsen in the room was so peaceful and the common one had a view to the mountains

Scenery, food was excellent, great staff, beautiful onsen, the quiet

We were positively surprised by everything Satoyama Jujo has to offer.We like the location (far away from any other touristic spot, plus the chance to enjoy a night full of stars).We like the meals (a creative showcase of local delicacies)We like the design (a careful curation of design objects to enhance the already attractive layout)

I wish I could stay a bit longer. Definitely will plan a second visit. Perhaps trying it out once per season.I would like to know a bit more about the location, perhaps having more longer tours.I personally prefer harder beds (mattress and pillows)

The snow

Getting snowed-in

Cozy place to stay away from crowd.

A secluded and comfortable accommodation, paying attention to the arrangement of every detail.Cuisine of nature and food with respect, beautiful experience of the six senses, and the memorable journey of body and mind.

The breakfast was healthy and make good use of local ingredients.

generally comfortable and being in nature is very relaxing, the dinner and breakfast are superb~

Superb

Superb

Exceptional

Exceptional

Exceptional