Wafu No Yado Masuya

“A Must Stay Ryokan in Nagano area”

We had a wonderful stay at this charming ryokan at Shibu onsen. The rooms were spotless and thoughtfully designed, offering a cozy and relaxing atmosphere. Highly recommend a room with a private open air onsen. The staff were warm, attentive, and made us feel right at home from the moment we arrive… more

We had a wonderful stay at this charming ryokan at Shibu onsen. The rooms were spotless and thoughtfully designed, offering a cozy and relaxing atmosphere. Highly recommend a room with a private open air onsen. The staff were warm, attentive, and made us feel right at home from the moment we arrived. Breakfast and dinner were absolutely delicious and clearly made with care. The location was perfect as well — quiet, convenient, and easy to explore the surrounding area. A peaceful, comfortable stay that we’d gladly return to!

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“Good location, comfort and most attentive and welcoming hospitality”

In summary: great location for Shibu onsen, for snow monkey park (including shuttle) and for celiacs and vegetarians. Great Kaisekis. Spacious rooms with beautiful views of the mountains from the room. The hotel is just below the famous Shibu Onsen "complex" (a collections of historical guest hous… more

In summary: great location for Shibu onsen, for snow monkey park (including shuttle) and for celiacs and vegetarians. Great Kaisekis. Spacious rooms with beautiful views of the mountains from the room. The hotel is just below the famous Shibu Onsen "complex" (a collections of historical guest houses, each with its own onsen, plus 9 public baths available for those who stay there). Wufa no yado is not part of it, but has its own onsens (a luxurious indoor one, and a small outdoor), and definitely makes up for not being historical with attentive hospitality. It's much more than just the essentials: we arrived at night after a long travel from Koyasan, frazzled and hungry. Dinner was finished, so they made a reservation for us for a Sushi place just up the road (which was excellent by the way, also highly recommended - simple, friendly, attentive (and you will understand in a second what I mean), and even gave us when we exited an apple, one of those tasty local ones. It was a 3 minutes walk, but when we got there it turned out to be cash only. We returned to the hotel, and when we asked the young receptionist about ATM she said it was a 20 minute walk. Before we could digest it, she said she will take us there, hopped on her car and took us to the ATM (at the Yudanaka Lawson's) to get cash. So, it's not only some rigid ceremonies of hospitality, but real caring for the well being of their guests. My wife is celiac, and this is where attentiveness was important. The people in the reception and kitchen were ever so careful to make sure she would have good things to eat! They used gluten-free miso especially for her, found tasty alternatives to things like tampura, and made their multi-course dinners and breakfasts fantastic. I highly recommend their kaiseki meals. I am a vegetarian and this was great for me too. Besides that, everything was very much according to Japanese best practices of hospitality - no shoes, slippers provided and shoes brought to you whenever you want to go out without any delays, kimonos provided and replaced, tea and small snacks in the room and spacious rooms, lovely dining space with each group having their own private spaces with separations, and great service. Couldn't hope for a nicer stay! BTW, saw the monkeys, dozens of them, just sitting in their pool, feet away from the crowds. they are lovely. Do try to get there relatively early. We took the 9:45 shuttle, and on our way out there were quite a lot of people hiking in (the trail is wide and comfortable for walking even in the snow, and takes about 15-20 minutes to the monkey park itself).

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“A excellent place to stay”

The Ryokan is beautifully set, the staff were welcoming despite that fact english is not widely spoken. We chose the Japanese futon room with a river view, as we wanted to have a traditional Ryokan experience. This was a lovely room. We visited two out of the three onsens ( one was the private o… more

The Ryokan is beautifully set, the staff were welcoming despite that fact english is not widely spoken. We chose the Japanese futon room with a river view, as we wanted to have a traditional Ryokan experience. This was a lovely room. We visited two out of the three onsens ( one was the private one, which is in the photos) in the property, which were beautiful but sadly not directly hot spring fed. We didn't have enough time to visit all the onsens in the village as lacked time but I am sure they are also beautiful. We did walk the village at night to see the different Ryokans and onsens. Breakfast and dinner were superb, they catered for vegetarians but you do need to let them know in advance and they do check with you daily about what you can/can't eat. The free shuttle bus to the monkey park and from the train station were a bonus. You do need to plan your trip back yourself. I would suggest that you plan your journey in advance as currently there are train cancellations and connections do not always match up.

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“Outstanding service, great value!”

This was one of my favorite stays in Japan and a great value for all they offer. Our room included a private onsen bath that was beautiful and so relaxing! Our beds were raised mattress western-style, but the room was very traditional Japanese with a tatami mat sitting room and shoji screens. The f… more

This was one of my favorite stays in Japan and a great value for all they offer. Our room included a private onsen bath that was beautiful and so relaxing! Our beds were raised mattress western-style, but the room was very traditional Japanese with a tatami mat sitting room and shoji screens. The food was all delicious, more than enough to eat, and served to us in a private dining room. Service was phenomenal!! The location is near the snow monkey park, Shibu Onsen, and Obuse. This was a wonderful place to stay!

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