ryugon

This traditional Ryokan it's a refurbished contemporary 4 star Ryokan. The staff were excellent by being very helpful and polite. The rooms are large with ample amenities. This can be further improved if there were outdoor amenities eg. Walkways/more sitting areas during Winter usage. The breakfast served is normal at best. The dinner on the otherhand needs to change with it's concept of fine dining fusion of western and Japanese cuisine. The food pairings did not match well. Overall the ryokan felt more like a 3.5 - 4 Star traditional resort with a premium price shy of a full 4 star rating due to the Dinner limitations. Guests will be paying for staff service and modernised stays.

This place is a beautiful, old converted traditional Japanese building. The beds and really any sitting area was somewhat hard and not very comfortable. We really enjoyed the view and private onsen in the room. We also noted the shower room had a lot of mold. Although we enjoyed it, I would not return due to the price and sleeping discomfort.

I recently stayed at Ryugon, a supposedly traditional ryokan in Japan, and it was a hugely disappointing experience overall. The hotel feels incredibly outdated—while the lobby has been renovated to look somewhat modern, everything inside the rooms is ancient and worn out. There’s no proper indoor heating system; they only provide a heater , which barely does the job in the cold weather. The bathroom was a major letdown: it’s tiny, with outdated fixtures, and the water pressure is so weak that taking a shower feels like a chore. Everything in the room just seemed dirty and unkempt, which made the stay uncomfortable from the start. To make matters worse, during the middle two days of our trip, huge bugs kept flying into the room, which was gross and unsettling. The absolute worst part of the design is the onsen-style bath area—the shower and bathing spots are open-air, exposed to the elements. In the freezing winter temperatures, it was unbearable; I felt like I was freezing to death every time I tried to use it. For the price they’re charging (which is premium for a ryokan), this place is absolutely not worth it. It’s overpriced and underdelivers on basic comfort. We also splurged on dinner at their in-house restaurant, paying around 10,000 yen per person, but the portions were so small that we left still hungry. The food was mediocre at best and didn’t justify the cost. I wouldn’t recommend Ryugon to anyone—save your money and look for a better option with modern amenities and better value. 1/5 stars.

The best inn I’ve ever experienced, of any type. Every aspect is perfect, from the Edo-era building to the warm and attentive staff to the surrounding landscape—gorgeous in the autumn. It’s clear that every detail was carefully considered to create a beautiful, comfortable, and deeply relaxing experience.

This is a copy of the email I wrote to ryugon, after our wonderful 2nights stay there:||||We just returned home on Friday, after spending 4 weeks travelling around Tohoku and Niigata. One major highlight, was our 2 nights stay at ryugon, so I want to give you a detailled feedback on it, which I will also post on Tripadvisor. ||||We travelled there by Shinkansen from Kakunodate in Akita prefecture. We left there, when it was snowing like crazy. We arrived in Omiya (Saitama) on the Komachi Shinkansen with beautiful sunny weather. And after entering the tunnel on the Shinkansen to Niigata city, we exited in Echigo-Yuzawa into pure Snow Country. Thank you for providing a shuttle from and to Echigo-Yuzawa. That is very convenient. Before getting into the shuttle, we enjoyed a drink at Hatago Isen and the food bath in front of it. ||||At ryugon, we stayed in 2 rooms, my friend in a classic room and myself in a classic suite. Both rooms were wonderful. The plus of my suite, was the small private onsen. But to be honest, I didn’t really use it, as I found it very difficult to shower before entering the onsen, without getting showering water into the onsen. My friends room had two normal lounger chairs with a view, whilst I had only a very low sofa, which I could not use (due to bad knees, and not liking/being able to get up easily from very low areas). So, I guess, my friends room was better (for our needs). But no worries, we both enjoyed our rooms fully. Our two highlights at ryugon were the onsen, and the food. The outdoor onsen was absolutely wonderful, with soothing water, a beautiful setting and a wonderful ambience. It was the major highlight of our trip, and we enjoyed every minute there. I wish I could bring this closer to my home, to experience it more often! To soak in the hot and very soft mineral water, with the head in the cold air, whilst watching snow falling: absolutely magical. Our second major highlight was the food at ryugon, especially on our second night there, where we had mushrooms in creamy sauce, a wonderfully light fish carpaccio and a delicious wagyu steak (and other delicious dishes). ||||What we also very much enjoyed at ryugon:||- the bar / lounge, where we can get free coffee / tea and patisserie at breakfast, and free sake and plum wine and senseis before dinner. What a great idea, and I think that nobody takes advantage of it. The big sofas with a view are wonderful and so comfortable. I wish to have a sofa like this at home 😊. ||- the fun short cooking class with the “grandma”. We very much enjoyed that, and it was a wonderful way of showing that its possible to communicate, without having a common language. Its by the way a great idea to use the wooden used chopsticks as a fire material. ||- the overall great mix of modern and traditional. The lobby area is so beautiful, with the big red cushion sofa, the Iori heard, the rocking chairs etc.||- the wonderful staff, which is always very friendly, smiling and helpful, no matter if they speak Englisch or not||- the beautiful mix of modern and traditional in the rooms, with tatami mats and low beds, and on the other side, a lovely kettle, a fridge, a desk etc.||||During our 2 nights stay, it was winter, and it was beautiful. We had wonderful sunshine on one morning and went for a walk in the snow cowered surroudings, with the sun shining. We had snow fall, which was especially pleasant in the outdoor onsen. We had walls of snow several meters high. Inside the Ryokan, we always felt warm and cozy. Ryugon was perfect, in every way, and the two nights there were so precious and wonderful.

I stayed at this ryokan, which beautifully combines antique architecture with modern comforts, and it was my first ryokan experience. Ryugon is located in Minami Uonuma, 30-minute ride from Echigo-Yuzawa station (70-minute Shinkansen ride from Tokyo),and it provides a free shuttle service from and to Echigo-Yuzawa station. Since it was the peak of the heavy snow season, everything around the ryokan was covered in thick, two-meter high, snow, creating an incredibly stunning view. My room was the Villa Suite Premium with one queen bed and one extra bedding. It had a private open-air onsen bath, which was not only convenient but also offered a cozy and romantic atmosphere, with the snowy scenery. The room’s heating system combined an automatic air conditioner(for both heating and cooling) with floor heating, so I never felt cold, unlike what was mentioned in some reviews. The dining experience, part of the “Snow Country Gastronomy Wagyu Beef” package, was particularly memorable. The dishes featured a well-balanced selection of vegetables, seafood, and beef, with a recipe that minimized seasoning, condiments and spices, allowing me feel the pure flavors of the ingredients. In the evening, the ryokan offered complimentary plum wine and sake in the lounge-like space, with rice cookies, which were a delightful perk for guests.

The hotel is atmosphere with a nice blend of the old and new. It is located not too far from Uonuma no Sato and have a complimentary shuttle service to and fro Hatago Isen opposite Echigo Yuzawa Station. The room is big and there is nice heated table area. The bathroom is nice but as with traditional lodgings such as this, it can be pretty cold especially at the bathroom area in winter.Dinner was served in a bento format at our room. I was a little disappointed that it is a not a proper sit-down meal at the main dining area instead. The bento includes two generously sized onigiri, appetizers, and four main items including a meat patty, grilled fish and braised wagyu.The onsen bath is also quite nice and loved the bath with the snowy landscaped garden.Service is generally good and there are snacks and drinks available at the lounge for guests. In the evening, there is also sake and umeshu available for guests.

The personally best hotel that I have ever stayed. Every corner is so photogenic and pleasing your eye. Their hospitality was amazing and so warm. You have an access point to free snacks, tea and coffee at the bar. You can get also free Umeshu and sake there before dinner time. You can take a private bath and public bath. I saw two monkeys on the next roof from the public bath! The long aisle floor is soft tatami, and you hear the healing music. This ryokan is built by connecting several old traditional houses renovated. They left the traditional Japanese part but incorporated some modern taste and style into it. You enjoy both the comfortable stay and a Japanese style view.