Gokan-no-yu Tsuruya

This is my fourth trip to Japan with my husband. On our third trip, we met some folks from Yamagata. Since we are staying here for a month, they invited us to visit their town. Gokan-no-yu Tsuruya came with high recommendations and it did not disappoint. Our room was very spacious with a gorgeous view of the mountain. There was a lovely aroma every time we walked back into our room. It was very therapeutic. The staff is absolutely lovely. Even when we went out and ran late, we saw some looking out the window like a grandparent waiting for you to come home. Between our limited Japanese and their limited English, it did not feel like there was a language barrier at all. One of the servers actually wanted to keep speaking English with us to get better and he was great! There are four types of private onsen and we were able to try each one for free per night. The public one is available 24/7 if those were not available. We loved two of them as they had the best views. One was small and the last one was way too hot. However, we had no complaints and just went to the public one after we found the one that was too hot for us. Breakfast and dinner filled us completely! Every time we thought we were done, the staff brought something else out. Everything was delicious. We felt full and not bloated. The hotel is also conveniently located right across the street from the bus station, which is 45 minutes from Yamagata Station to several JR lines, the Shinkansen and buses. I cannot recommend this ryokan enough. Thank you to the entire staff for making this an absolutely, amazing experience. We feel rested and rejuvenated. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you!

Good location in Zao ski village - just opposite the bus terminal. Friendly and helpful staff, though speak very little English. We chose breakfast and dinner, pre-select from the menu. Both breakfast and dinner are delicious!Free transport is provided to ski lifts hourly. We have tatami room for 3 persons, quite spacious and great view from the window! Very warm and comfortable place to spend for few days.

We were there on Feb 2025. Hotel is just opposite the bus station hence it is of no problem at all if you are pushing heavy luggage. There are time tables for shuttle bus to ski resort and also for the use of private onsen. Half board meals were superb. 5 of us were given a big private dinning room. Staffs are very friendly, professional and polite. I will stay here again on my next trip.

Staying at this hotel felt just like being at home. The rooms were super cozy and comfortable, and the views were absolutely gorgeous – I could’ve stared at them all day. The staff were amazing, so friendly and welcoming, and they went out of their way to make sure we had everything we needed. Communication was really easy too, which made the whole experience even better. Honestly, it was such a warm and relaxing place to stay, and I’d definitely come back!

Located just opposite to the bus stop, so very convenient especially in heavily snowing winter. Japanese style room, real hot spring with strong mineral smell. Restaurants, convenient store are within walking distance. The hotel offers free shuttle bus to the 3 ropeway stations in the morning. Reasonable price, a good stay.

Absolutely lovely place. At first I thought I'd be uncomfortable with how spaceous the room was (I'm a very jumpy solo traveller), but the room was just so comfy with an excellent view. The heater was a bit hot, but there was an electric fan too, so all was great. The hotel allows you to have a free 50 minute private bath each night, and the private baths are amazing, able to accommodate up to five persons and with windows to let in the light and stuff. Excellent onsen water -- very acidic and very hot. Takes some time getting used to the heat, but once you do it's a heavenly experience. There are also public baths (free of charge) that you could enjoy throughout the night and into early morning (they're closed for cleaning only during 9-12 in the morning), one indoor and one outdoor, both connected to one another. The outdoor one is a bit small, but it's so refreshing to be able to flee from the stifling indoor onsen to enjoy the crisp winter air while soaking up in the heat.

Family of 4 for a short ski trip close to Tokyo. Here’s why we love this place so much. - across the road to bus terminal (no dragging luggage up hill) - service was friendly, welcoming, warm, always respectful. - private van that takes guests to ski slopes and pick up included in service, runs every 30mins. - traditional Japanese dinner and breakfast served as part of half board selected warning, there was so much yummy food)! - room ryokan style was roomy and so comfortable with shower and toilet in room. - private onsen with 1 free 50min booking per room per day, with water direct from natural spring, sulfur smell is very strong but great experience! I’m not one for public onsen. - we went in Jan and was served amazake as a welcome drink. Worth noting but nothing to deduct from the place. - dated as the ryoken is well established, but clean! - you can hear the noise from the machines clearing the snow fairly easily on the lower floor. Try to get a higher floor if you can.

strong sulfur onsen was good. you dont wanna wear any accessories after bathe. i wore my necklace next day and it turned into black. |we enjoyed zao beef for dinner. |zao beef steak was so good! i think,that was the best steak ive ever had:) |the room was small for 4 people. |visiting zao was the second time in summer time so someday i would visit in snowboarding season.