Gokan-no-yu Tsuruya

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.

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.

1/29/2025 after watching the Juhyo Show that night, we were stuck in Zao Onsen. It was already very late and there was no car at all. The boss, his wife and a male employee were very enthusiastic to entertain us and help us call a car. Thank you very much. We will definitely go and visit again in the future. From Taiwan

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.

I visited here for a day trip. Four private bath rooms were occupied, so we used the public bathroom. There are both indoor and outdoor baths. The water is 100% natural hot spring without circulation. The water is cloudy green with a smell of hydrogen sulfide. At the inflow of the hot spring, there is a slight smell of oil and sewage in a good meaning. There are six showers for body wash. The facilities are old but clean and the staffs are super nice. This time, We went to a private bathroom. Excellent.

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.

Everything was great. The food, the service and the staff. Private baths are available for booking, very pretty. There is 1 free slot avail per day and we are free to add on if we wish at an extra cost. Staff were patient and attentive. Food was great and the staff explained our food to us really well. Thank you for a great stay!