Shirayu no Yado Yamadaya

“Wonderful staff but the building needs some TLC”

I wish I could give this ryokan 5 stars for the lovely, hardworking and accommodating staff but the building itself is in dire need of renovation. There was mould in the corner of the room where my friend and I stayed, as well as in the bathroom adjacent to the private onsen. The onsen changing are… more

I wish I could give this ryokan 5 stars for the lovely, hardworking and accommodating staff but the building itself is in dire need of renovation. There was mould in the corner of the room where my friend and I stayed, as well as in the bathroom adjacent to the private onsen. The onsen changing area is a little threadbare and the indoor bath itself is small. It’s a shame because the location offers so much potential with the views of the surrounding mountains and forest. On the other hand, I quite liked the meals which are served in your room and the daily snacks and tea we were provided. It was definitely a good idea for the ryokan to serve meals in the guest rooms because my friend and I were staying on the fifth floor. Walking back and forth from a dining room would have been very tiring indeed.

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“My Most Conflicted Review Yet”

This is probably the toughest review I've opted to write. On one hand the staff were extremely welcoming, friendly and willing to go the extra mile and I feel guilty not being able to give a 5* review for that. Whilst the ryokan is older in nature, and we knew this in advance, it has a certain ol… more

This is probably the toughest review I've opted to write. On one hand the staff were extremely welcoming, friendly and willing to go the extra mile and I feel guilty not being able to give a 5* review for that. Whilst the ryokan is older in nature, and we knew this in advance, it has a certain old school traditional charm. However... we struggled to enjoy the otherwise highly spacious and tidy room due to the heavy presence of black mold in a handful of places, particularly the toilet area where we were surrounded by it on two sides when you sat down. The stench from the toilet/sink area invaded the main room and on the first night (of our two night stay) I was genuinely looking up alternative accomodation after the stench hit critical point. I eventually sussed out a solution for the second night involving a noisy dehumidifier, open window and some earplugs, but it completely ruined what we hoped would be a relaxing stay. We genuinely weren't looking forward to returning to the room, but we had to before 9pm when the front door gets locked. I should however note that I found the 24hr spacious shared onsen area clean enough and particularly enjoyed the outdoor single-person tubs which were very relaxing with nice views. I ended up going into that at 5am for escapism. My 3* overall score is an average of 5* for the service and 1* star for the 'cleanliness'. The latter word is difficult to interpret as the room was very tidy and clean in that sense, just spoilt by mould and an associated(?) smell. Sadly it's leaked out into the hallways, giving the entire hotel interior a musty smell that's evident as soon as you leave the front door area. I felt really bad ticking 'No' in the 'would you stay here again?' section of their feedback form, but I'd have felt worse for lying. There's so much potential here with a bit of basic renovation though (even just replace the panelling and flooring in the toilet area), and although I feel they're trying to tackle some of the problems by adding dehumidifiers to the room, it's like sticking a plaster over a deep wound. Although this site is relatively cheap for the area, and what I describe may well reflect that, I expected a better overall experience for what was still a pricey establishment. I'd personally file this review in my 'harsh but fair' category.

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