Jinpyokaku Honten in Yamanouchi

Awesome location for visiting Jigokudani Park (snow monkeys in hot springs) but otherwise isolated.

The room was very spacious, especially considering i was a solo traveler. The private onsen attached to the room was unexpected and must appreciated. The food was the highlight of my 2 night stay. I'd been to other food forward ryokans elsewhere before and while they were fancier, the food at Jinpyokaku Honten was better or maybe just more suited to my tastes. From the seafood appetizers to the shinsu beef to the tsunomono to the local Yukoshiro Mai rice - everything was incredible visually and tasty.

The downsides were that they maybe could have been a bit more deep cleaning done in the bath area. Also the building is pretty old with commensurate insulation so i was pretty cold all the time except for when i was cozy in my futon or in the onsen (and for about 30 mins after). Finally, while this is close to shibu onsen, it is not part of it and shibu onsen is about a 30 min walk away and you don't have access to the public baths there (to do the 9 bath crawl).

The staff were all gracious and provided kind and professional service.

An atmospheric old inn of great charm! My room was a comfortable, well maintained and had great style. I loved the private onsen bath. Dinner and breakfast were a real highlight with a mix of local beef specialties cooked at the table and delicious vegetable dishes. Did I mention drinks are free? How civilised is that? Finally, I found the staff an absolute delight. Helpful, considerate and most thoughtful. I had read online that Jinpyokaki had suffered a loss of quality having changed hands but this was absolutely not correct. I would love to come back here. I came to see the snow monkeys (which were fascinating despite the tourist hordes) but the real highlight was Jinpyokaki!

My husband and I stayed here 4 nights for our honeymoon, and we are so glad we did. The stay includes a private kaiseki dining experience for breakfast and dinner. The food was locally sourced and fresh, and they were able to accommodate a pescatarian diet. I can’t speak highly enough of the service- they went above and beyond to make everything perfect, and the care they put into each dining experience was noticeable.

The rooms (we stayed in a suite) were traditional with beautiful woodwork and all the amenities you’d expect plus fresh green tea, red bean buns, and coffee. The private onsen was a highlight, and we enjoyed it daily after spending hours skiing at Shiga Kogen. The location was extremely convenient, as you can walk directly to Snow Monkey Park and Shibu Onsen, as well as a 5 min walk to the bus stop serving Shiga Kogen and Nagano.

Would absolutely recommend Jinpyokaku to anyone visiting the area, especially if you are staying for an extended period of time or skiing at Shiga Kogen. Thank you for such an amazing stay!

I had an excellent two-night stay here and would highly recommend it.

The service was genuinely outstanding—some of the best I’ve experienced. When a taxi booking to Shiga Kogen fell through due to heavy snow, the owner personally drove me there, which I deeply appreciated. He also printed out the bus schedule and made sure I knew exactly how to get back. That level of care really stood out.

The ryokan is conveniently located near the Snow Monkey Park, making it easy to visit early in the morning before the crowds arrive. It’s also straightforward to reach from Nagano Station via the express bus, and the surrounding area is quiet and serene.

The kaiseki meals were delicious, the outdoor onsen was relaxing, and my room—complete with a private wooden bath—was clean, thoughtfully designed, and tastefully done.

Overall, this is a well-priced, refined retreat with exceptional hospitality. I would gladly recommend it to anyone looking for a peaceful and authentic ryokan experience.

Tradional ryoken with onsen, right near snow monkey park. The people running this place are nicest and most helpful people. They were welcoming and really elevated our stay. The rooms were warm and confortable. The onsen was relaxing. The ambience of the entire place was just right. Would heartily reccomend.

Very nice room, very hot and good Springs and so kind housekeeper.

The staff here is exceedingly friendly and the food is fantastic! Very traditional style ryokan, lovely room and ambiance. We got one of the rooms with a private onsen (hot tub) which is nice, but actually we found the public onsen here was completely empty, so we had the whole thing to ourselves! Great to sit and soak at night, sipping on cold soba tea, basking in the quiet peace as snow lightly falls on you. Fantastic romantic getaway and it's very close to the snow monkey park where you can watch monkeys bathing in onsens during the winter. They will also loan you snow boots for free! This ryokan along with the monkey park was my favorite experience of my trip to Japan!

It's a very good japanese Ryokan with a long history.
With only 6 rooms the public Onsen in this Ryokan aren't very busy and you can enjoy it without other guests. The staff is also very friendly and speaks English very well.

Words cannot do this beautiful spa justice. If you are looking for an authentic & relaxing Japanese experience this is the best place to come. Everything detail is here. The facilties are superb and the food which is prepared by the owner is a once in lifetime experience I will always remember fondly.

素敵な宿です。混浴は俗なことを考えてしまいそうになりますが到ってマジメに入れます。
This inn has 120 years of history, and Yasunari Kawabata (won the Nobel Prize for Literature) and Soseki Natsume (was on the 1000 JPY bill before) also stayed at this inn to write.
The highlight of this inn is the spa, of course! This inn uses 100% fresh spring water and does not recycle it. They have separate men's and women's indoor spas, and an open-air women's bath, and surprisingly, an open-air mixed-gender bath. It was the first time for me as well to soak in the mixed-gender bath. If you are brave, try it once in your life time??
In the mixed-gender bath, a woman can wear a simple wear to hide your breasts and hip, but a man cannot wear anything. There are only 6 rooms in this inn, so there are not many chances to meet people in the spa... but I was embarrassed a little. (An old lady was soaking in the mixed-gender bath totally naked, and said that nobody was looking and no worry! She was awesome :) )
The dinner and breakfast were good, too.