Shibu Onsen Sakaeya

The service was excellent and the hotel was beautiful inside.

Great authentic Japanease experience. Food was great, the onsen is amazing, and the area and tiny little town are very nice to explore.

Extra charge for vegetarian meals is a bit unfair (although I was informed in advance), considering most of the vegetarian dishes were simple veggies and tufo. Plus, no wine/beer/sake is included in dinners manu. For this price and level, I would expect it to be part of the deal.

Loved the facility, the very friendly staff who were incredibly accommodating with our stay. They provided shuttle services to and from the station as well as the snow monkey park. We also had an incredible kaiseki dinner and breakfast served with amazing hospitality and care.

The staff was able to communicate in English. Service and amenities were top-notch. Meals at the accommodation are a must. Can't wait to return to Nagano and stay at Sakaeya.

This place is special. I took my family to see the Shibu Onsen, village based on Spirited Away movie. It is such a quaint, cute and historical little town. This hotel is your traditional Japanese ryokan. It was pretty inside and out. The staff was exceptional! The Onsen was so clean and pretty.

I was sad I couldn’t stay longer.

Everything was perfect , the room, external Onsen, the meals, the staff and the public onsens. It was a great experience for our family.

We have to leave . I wish we booked more nights.

Nice and clean hotel. Enjoyed the great onsen and food. The staff was outstanding and very friendly. The price was a little on the high side but may have been do to the holidays.

Expected more things to do around the hotel but it was located on a quaint street with many onsens.

Everything was amazing -- staff, room, food, setting

The staff were so incredibly polite and friendly. The food was incredible and the room was beautiful located in a Ryokan with several onsens in town. Would gladly go back.

Gorgeous property with an excellent location in the heart of the 9 public bathhouses. The hotel onsen were very nice and if you get a room that has the private onsen, well that was just so memorable and fantastic. The dinner and breakfast meals were over the top amazing. Easy access to Snow Monkey park (we walked) and also bus ride up to Shiga Kogen for autumn leaves. Such a great stay!!

All was great!

The amenities and service were outstanding. All staff went out of their way to help. We had dinner and breadfast at the hotel. Food was superb.

It was not inexpensive but you definately got what you paid for.

The meals were fantastic! I was not expecting such a fancy presentation and such delicious flavor. We were treated like royalty. There was a room set up for watercolor paintings. The Onsen and public shower room were lovely.

The staff were fantastic and the ryokan is on the perfect location to participate in the pilgrimage to the 9 onsens in the town. Japanese meals were impressive!

Staff was incredible. Onsen was lovely. The food was unbelievably creative and intricate. Proximity to the amazing Snow Monkeys a big bonus.

Great location! Very friendly staff! Haruki San made our dining experience very fun and memorable! The chef prepared excellent kaiseki dinners and amazing Japanese breakfast! Our in room onsen made it very convenient soaking before and after dinner as well as before breakfast!! Excellent accomodations and very friendly staff!!

Stayed one night with my family with half board. Superb location right in the smack of Shibu Onsen; very accommodating and friendly staff; most delicious and abundant of food; comfortable bedding and spacious room; convenient parking and close to Snow Monkey park and Shibu public onsens. The ryokan's women and mens' baths were wonderful and mostly we enjoyed by ourselves. We had our own dinning area for breakfast and dinner. Our server was so sweet like our おばあちゃん, she served us two meals and we wished we could bring her home with us. There's an area on the 4th floor like a lounge with art supplies and coffee to relax. We loved our stay at Sakaeya and can't wait to go back soon!

Staff, location, chance to experience a futon sleep in a traditional ryokan, in house onsen better than the public ones up and down the street. Recommend a hire car to see more of the area eg snow monkeys and ski areas. Goen restaurant is a few km away and very good. Breakfast is a real experience.

Wonderful accommodations and welcoming helpful staff in an amazing area. Picked us up at train station, dropped bags at hotel and took us directly to Snow Monkey park for a great adventure. Returned to enjoyable in room onsen. Fantastic dinner and breakfast expertly and graciously served.

Staff were amazing. Great location. Lived the inside Onsen. Great restaurants near by. Very cute town and close to Monkey Park. Loved the yukatas!

My stay at Sakaeya was without a doubt the highlight of my 3 week Japan trip. I did a ton of research to find an onsen town for a traditional ryokan experience before splurging on this stay and this exceeded all expectations. Staff were above and beyond friendly and accommodating, the superior quad room was very spacious and comfortable. I recommend including half board for breakfast and dinner. In my private dining room, the multi course meals were delicious and each presentation was a work of art. Shuttle to and from station and monkey park was the cherry on top. The unique experience of everyone walking the streets at night in Rakuten to visit the 9 onsens with private key cannot be matched. Don’t hesitate, book!

I cannot think of one thing I would change. Incredible experience!