The room was beautiful and clean, with a lovely lake view outside the window. So pretty! 😊

Out of the three onsen hotels I stayed at in Lake Shikotsu, Suizantei, which is popular online and hard to book, was actually quite average with no scenic views from its onsen. Then there was the extremely overpriced Aigashiro, which was even worse – no service, no ambiance. Marukoma was my last stay and also the cheapest. Reviews online were mixed, but seeing it was a century-old onsen, I wanted to give it a try. Turns out, it was the only one of the three worth visiting. First, the onsen views are the best because of its elevated location. I wouldn't recommend the wild onsen as it's unmaintained and the water is very cold. However, the outdoor public onsen truly offers fantastic views and a great panorama. And the view from the public cafe is incredibly comfortable; just sitting there and daydreaming is a pure delight! The rooms are just for sleeping, small, and without a view, but the previous two hotels weren't any better. Dinner, I think, was decent for the price! The ingredients seemed fresh, and it wasn't as bad as some online reviews claimed! Overall, Lake Shikotsu is worth visiting, and Marukoma is worth experiencing! It's an old brand, and the service is quite good! When we checked in, we casually mentioned needing a taxi the next day, and at breakfast, a staff member came to ask if we needed help calling one! That was really heartwarming! No discrimination whatsoever! The private paid onsen is also good! It's not expensive and I recommend trying it out.

The view is really beautiful, like a painting, the onsen is very good, interestingly there is a certain time given for photos and videos, there are special hours when the onsen is closed.

Excellent ryokan, great facilities, very clean, staff are amazing. Free parking helped. The breakfast spread was the best I had at any Japanese ryokans.

I highly recommend driving there if you have a rental car! They even gave us soba and sake, so even though we didn't do the kaiseki dinner, we were full and well-rested. The open-air bath was absolutely wonderful; I want to go back again!!

Absolutely beautiful. Photo taken in the onsen is allowed when they are cleaning it

It's hard to put into words...
This is a century-old hotel with natural hot springs, and its pros and cons are quite obvious.
The transportation is a bit inconvenient, and the rooms are quite basic. However, dinner was pretty good. There are quite a few bugs... It would be even better if there was an option to just enjoy the hot springs without staying overnight!

The hot spring was very relaxing, and the views were absolutely stunning. Breakfast was a bit average, but the service was also good.

This hot spring hotel is set in a beautifully maintained old building, featuring both indoor and outdoor onsens with a delightful Edo-period charm. We enjoyed a delicious breakfast, and the hotel boasts a spacious garden with stunning lake views. Highly recommended!