Yoshidaya Ryokan

Great location and it is link to 6 other hotels so you can try out their onsen facilities free of charge. The owner was incredibly helpful and friendly. Better pillows but that’s a personal preference.

Food was amazing and staff was very kind. The room was clean and bigger than I expected. Since it was July, it was a little hot in the room. The bed and pillow were quite hard.

Super charming small ryokan in great location from the bus terminal (5 min walk) as well as all the onsens. The staff were so kind and amazing. Chigusa at the front desk is easy to communicate as her English is very good and she was so helpful in guiding me through the map of all the onsens. The cleaning staff also so warm. Also the onsen is 24-hrs so that was great for me because I arrived around 8pm. Loved the breakfast and I was shocked when a whole rice cooker was placed on the table just for me. It was a great first time experience to Zao Onsen area and I hope I can find a way to come back again. Not applicable

Good staff and environment

Good location, professional service and staff can use english very well None

Great location in village near to all facilities and walkable from bus station. Nice Onsen. Lady host was very helpful and even booked our onward bus for us. Nothing really. Traditional beds and outside room toilets can be a little hard but that’s what you expect.

In center of old town. Uncared for, old and broken down, breakfast horrible, coffee hazelnut (why?), noisy, run down

Ideal location in Zao Onsen, just a few minutes walk to the slopes with the fastest access to the best slopes from my point of view. A few good restaurants around, varying from Sushi, traditional, gourmet, pizza, lamb barbecue, ... The traditional breakfast was so healthy! Our host' level of English was excellent which is an enormous plus in getting guidance how to get around. Very functional Onsen to enjoy after a long day of skiing. Maybe consider offering dinner in the future?

Traditional comfortable ryokan with an authentic homely feel reflecting its long history. The staff are happy and helpful. They took great care of my dietary needs (gluten free vegetarian) and provided delicious breakfast and dinner. Yoshidaya is perfectly placed for access to the public onsen. My particular room was lovely and had a full sized desk I could work on. I stayed an extra night, which was easily arranged. I was there in summer and spent my time walking in the mountains and soaking in the ryokan's onsen. A very enjoyable experience.

Exceptional

Passable

Exceptional

The staff where amazing and really nice

Good

Very good

I was in Zao Onsen for a short holiday (4 days) in June. I wanted to stay at a traditional ryokan to experience the kind of hospitality they offer. This is no luxury establishment, but the staff went the extra mile to make my stay as comfortable as possible. It's a really old-style ryokan, with shared bathrooms and showers (there's no bathroom in your room), tatami floors in the rooms and traditional Japanese meals. Toilets were sparkling clean and very new. You get to sleep on the floor with a futon, which for a Western person might be unusual, but it's part of the whole experience. At the reception you get all sorts of freebies, like free tickets to the ropeway that takes you up to the mountaintop. The lady at the reception is fluent in English, which really helped when planning activities and asking for things. The traditional Japanese breakfast was delicious and very enjoyable, with different dishes each morning for variety. The room was pretty spacious, with a desk, low table, mini refrigerator and all sorts of practical amenities. It was very bright, with a view to a very green part of the village and the nearby hot spring. There's a hot spring bath in the basement that you can use 24-hours. Overall, it was an unforgettable experience, full of great memories. I recommend this establishment to people who are familiar with traditional ryokan hospitality, or are interested to experience this -- if you're looking for a standard western-style hotel, look elsewhere. There's nothing I didn't like. Everything was as I expected for this type of property.

Superb

The guesthouse was larger than I expected. It is extremely well run with english speaking management. Rooms are a good size, staff are warm and friendly. I tore my jacket and the manager ordered me a patch for repair. Food (breakfast and dinner) was exceptional. Dinner options in Zao are pretty limited so I would recommend booking dinner at least for some of your stay. Its a 10min walk to the ski hill which was not a negative. I found it a good warm up but obviously too far to do in ski boots. I just used the lockers to store my ski bag/walking shoes. Heating and wi-fi and Onsen were all great. Property is old like most of the properties in Zao. Not a negative for me just something to prepare for. Ceilings can be low in the stairwells so tall people should take care.

Very nice people.

Yoshidaya Ryokan is a beautifully presented traditional ryokan. Its right in the middle of the old part of Zao Onsen surrounded by historic buildings. This is a traditional Ryokan so be prepared to walk up stairs and use shared facilities. The rooms are very warm and comfortable and the Ryokan facilities are well presented and clean. The Hot Spring bath was wonderful! I will be staying at Yoshidaya again!