Azumino Ryokan Nishiya Besso

I stay here whenever I can get a reservation while heading to Nagano or returning from Tohoku or Kanto. The food comes in a good variety and reasonable portions, though it's hard to finish if you aren't very hungry. Hospitality here feels present everywhere, with staff keeping a comfortable distance rather than intruding. There are three baths, and even at popular times around dinner the wait usually isn't long. Rooms are in the main building's second floor or in a detached building. During busy periods, guests may be placed in the room beside the dining room, perhaps the old Shinano room? On December 30th, 19 guests stayed there. You can hear voices from below or from neighboring rooms on the main building's second floor. For a quieter stay, I suggest the Imari or Oribe detached rooms, or the Bizen rooms when they're available.

The accommodation's atmosphere and friendly service were satisfying, as were both breakfast and dinner. One possible inconvenience is that although the baths are for family use, only two tubs are actually usable, so it could be an issue if all five groups are staying at once.

A quiet stay here is hard to beat, and the food is great too. There are five rooms and three baths that can be booked privately, but one is an open-air bath without a washing area, so there are really only two if you need to wash. We didn't run into any overlap, but the possibility of one can feel stressful. The free Wi-Fi is another downside: it's weak and the quality is low, so it's nearly unreliable.

The second morning's Western-style breakfast was the best I've ever had at a hotel anywhere in the world. We stayed two nights, and both days' meals were creative and delicious. This is a family-run inn with outstanding hospitality and superb food. There are two indoor baths and one open-air bath for the five guest groups. Since check-in starts at 3 PM, arriving early gives you time for a relaxed bath. The building is old, but the toilets and washrooms in the rooms are new and clean, and we were able to unwind.