Ryokan Biyunoyado

“Highly recommended”

Lovely stay at this hotel Staff so friendly and attentive and the food was amazing Room was spacious and clean and very traditional Great location to stay if you want to visit the snow monkeys as there is a free shuttle bus from the hotel Yuki was amazing and we thank you so much for dropping us… more

Lovely stay at this hotel Staff so friendly and attentive and the food was amazing Room was spacious and clean and very traditional Great location to stay if you want to visit the snow monkeys as there is a free shuttle bus from the hotel Yuki was amazing and we thank you so much for dropping us at the station and being so informative about the area

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“I can't wait to go back”

I really enjoyed my time here at this hotel. From the traditional way the rooms are set up, to the traditional meals that are delicious and elegantly prepared for us. Breakfast and dinner were included in the package. Their rooftop onsen provided a relaxing and calm atmosphere too. It snowed one o… more

I really enjoyed my time here at this hotel. From the traditional way the rooms are set up, to the traditional meals that are delicious and elegantly prepared for us. Breakfast and dinner were included in the package. Their rooftop onsen provided a relaxing and calm atmosphere too. It snowed one of the nights we were up there and it had set the perfect vibe. :) They also have a public bathhouse for the rest of the guests to use as well. They also offer a shuttle to see the snow monkeys and to the ski resort. The hotel team was very friendly and prompt as well. I hope to make this a yearly visit because the experience was worthwhile.

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“Amazing first trip to Japan”

My friend and I stayed at Biyunoyado for 4 nights 5 days. We booked our stay online last minute and were only able to book two nights. When we arrived, we asked the front desk if it would be possible for us to stay an additional two nights. They were so helpful in arranging a way to allow us to sta… more

My friend and I stayed at Biyunoyado for 4 nights 5 days. We booked our stay online last minute and were only able to book two nights. When we arrived, we asked the front desk if it would be possible for us to stay an additional two nights. They were so helpful in arranging a way to allow us to stay those two extra nights. We did change rooms twice while here but that was really neat as we got to experience the different type rooms that are offered here. The first two nights we were in the 8 mat Japanese room. This room was great for two people. We had one night in the Japanese room with the private onsen on the balcony. This room is absolutely beautiful! It was so nice to have an onsen on the balcony (I lost track of time in the morning and made us 10 min late to breakfast as I was totally relaxed in the onsen, Whoops). Our last night was in the 10 mat Japanese room. This room was great in size as you could have the futons down and not have to step over anything to get to the other parts of the room. It also had a sliding wall in the middle so we could have what felt like two bedrooms. We used two futon mattresses each and they were really comfortable (I have back issues and was a little nervous about them, however, my back felt great each morning). All the rooms were hot, and the heaters only turn on and off (no way to turn them down). We found that if you turned it off at night the rooms were well insulated and the blankets were warm enough that you slept comfortable and the temperature was fine. If you have the money for the room with the onsen it is worth it but if you are on a tighter budget, I recommend the 10 mat Japanese room. The night we checked in we had missed dinner so the staff was so kind as to bring up a Bento box to our room so we would have something to eat after our long journey. We did the package with breakfast and dinner. Both meals were always so good! The staff is so welcoming and kind while serving your meals. They do come out with multiple courses and will help you understand what everything is and which order you should eat it in. They strive to give you different meals each time, so you get to experience a large variety of food. All of it was delicious and fresh. Some of the dinner was interactive where you would get to cook your egg or steak squares at the table. It was so much fun. We did decide that when we come back, we will do the dinner meal package and find our own breakfast. This is only because it is a lot of food at each meal. We were so full after dinner that when we woke up in the morning, we still weren't hungry for breakfast. If you choose the two meals a day option, you really don't need to eat out at all. The shuttle up to the snow monkeys was so convenient. There were three different departure times from the hotel and three different pick-up times from the monkeys. You sign up for the times you want. I recommend the early shuttle at 8:30 as you will beat most the crowds up there and have a better viewing of the monkeys. Yukie (a staff member) was so helpful in getting all of us crampons for our shoes and making sure everyone had proper footwear and what they may need for the walk to the snow monkeys. You can rent boots and crampons at the hotel, it was so convenient. There is a bus from the train station up to the ski hill. You can sign up for it at the front desk. It will take you up and bring you back from the ski hill. My friend did this and said it was easy. The public Onsens in the Ryokan are great. I went almost every day. I went early in the mornings and there would be only one or two others there at the same time. They were all well made with rock motifs and were very welcoming and clean. On our last night Yukie had arranged for a performer to come and do a performance on the Taiko drum, the Shamisen and to do a Lion Dance. That was a highlight of the trip. This performer was so talented and put on such an amazing performance. It was a great way to experience Japanese culture and arts. It was so thoughtful of Yukie to arrange this for the guests at the Ryokan. The staff was so kind. There was a language barrier as I do not speak Japanese and they spoke limited English. We used Google translate a lot, but the staff was so patient as we tried to communicate. Yukie is absolutely amazing. She speaks English so we got to know her while we were there. She was so helpful with everything. She strives to ensure every guest has a remarkable and memorable experience while staying at this Ryokan. She remembered my friend and I from the morning of our snow monkey adventure (the first day we were there). That afternoon she was driving by and saw us walking down the icy hill towards the train station. She pulled over and said "you are staying at my Ryokan can I give you a ride somewhere, its very icy out." We were so appreciative of her thoughtfulness. We had arranged with the front desk to get picked up from the train station when were done in town. After we called for the pick up, Yukie was the one who picked us up in her own car. She then told us she is off now and asked if there was anything we would like to see and she could give us a little tour of the area. She drove us around Shiga Onsen giving us a tour of the little town and it's history. in addition to driving us past the Saki distillery/museum before returning to the hotel. Yukie checked in with us throughout our stay and ensured we were having a great trip. She is such a treasure at the Ryokan! This was my first trip to Japan. I will definitely be returning to this Ryokan. It was welcoming, comfortable and such a great experience! I highly recommend a stay here if you are in the area.

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“Once in a lifetime experience”

We spent a wonderful and magical two nights at Ryokan Biyunoyado in their Japanese style room with private onsen. The room was absolutely beautiful with tatami mats traditional furnishings and a spectacular view of the Japanese alps. We had their half board package which included breakfast and di… more

We spent a wonderful and magical two nights at Ryokan Biyunoyado in their Japanese style room with private onsen. The room was absolutely beautiful with tatami mats traditional furnishings and a spectacular view of the Japanese alps. We had their half board package which included breakfast and dinner, for us all the meals were Japanese style but we did see other guests eating western style breakfast so that is likely an option if your not inclined to have fish for breakfast. All the meals we had there were simply spectacular. They were all served in Kaiseki style (multi-course) that left us fully satisfied. Wonderfully marbled Shinshu Wagyu beef, fresh sashimi, cooked fish, tempura and on and on. The dinner and breakfast alone is reason enough to stay here, but they are also just a few kilometers from the snow monkey park which, along with the skiing, are the main reasons to visit this part of Japan. We are not into skiing so I can’t comment on that other than to say that they do have shuttle bus to take You to the many ski areas near-by. The snow monkey park is a short 5-10 drive from the hotel (hotel has a free shuttle there as well) plus an approx. 1.8 kilometer walk along a well paved and mostly flat trail through the mountains. We were really fortunate that during our visit we were able to see about 50 or so monkeys in and around the hot springs. We were told that this is the only group of monkeys in the world known to soak in hot springs and it was quite a site! We were also lucky during our stay to have a special guest on the first night who played traditional Japanese music on a Taiko (large drum) and a bowed instrument that I believe was called a Kokyu. He also performed a traditional lion dance. In summary, the beautiful room, outstanding views, the many different onsen, the dinners and breakfasts, the entertainment and the snow monkeys; each of these by itself is reason enough to stay at Ryokan Biyunoyado. The fact that you can get all of those in one place is incredible. I highly recommend Yudanaka town and Ryokan Biyunoyado to anyone planning a winter trip to Japan!

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