Ogiwarakan

We were looked after from the moment we arrived. The host greeted us at the door with the team, and the staff were responsive, helpful, and welcoming throughout our stay. When we asked for a dinner recommendation, the owner personally walked us to a nearby yakitori restaurant and told us about the hotel’s history, which spans over 120 years. Our room had sufficient amenities, all in good order, and the hotel is right next to a family mart. We enjoyed the onsen, especially the open-air bath on the top floor, and the hearty, delicious breakfast the next morning. We stayed one night in late January and had an amazing experience. Highly recommend this place!

Getting to Togura Station takes about a 30-minute walk. The Ryokan is close to the mountain, which makes the onsen especially nice, and the rooftop bath is lovely in winter and has many minerals. The rooms were really nice, and I enjoyed the delicious variety of traditional Japanese food. Haraka served me, explained each dish, and chatted when she wasn’t busy. She made the bed during the meal, so everything felt seamless. A highlight of my trip!

The open-air bath was amazing, and although it’s public on the other days, it was completely empty every time we went. You can reserve it privately Monday through Thursday. The food is a must if you stay here. Yayoi prepared traditional Japanese breakfast and dinner with lots of sides, flavors, and variety that would be hard to find elsewhere. Suchiko-san was incredible about letting us check in at 1am after our plane landed late in Narita. We really appreciated the free trips to and from Togura Station, and the service was unmatched. Thanks for making our stay in Nagano so charming! ❤️

The service at Ogiwarakan stood out from the start. We arranged a station pickup in advance, and the driver was right on time, handled our bags, and drove us to the ryokan. Staff also drove us to and from the station for sightseeing and checkout. At the hotel, at least five people greeted us, took care of our luggage, helped find slippers that fit, checked us in, and showed us around our room. They even brought their largest yukata for me, since I’m American and used to XL shirts. We spoke Japanese with the staff, though I heard a couple of people use some English, so I think they can manage with guests who don’t speak Japanese. My wife and I stayed two nights in September and had a suite to ourselves. It had two large tatami rooms, one for sitting and relaxing and the other for sleeping, plus an ensuite bathroom with two sinks and plenty of counter space. The air conditioning worked well. Staff laid out our futons each day and put them away again. The rooms looked toward nearby mountains and had a retro feel, right down to a rotary dial telephone for calling the front desk. My wife tried both the indoor and rooftop onsen and found them pleasant and not at all crowded. The inn is aging, but we enjoyed the facilities and gourmet meals. Dinner and breakfast were served in another room on our floor, set up just for us. We chose the meal times and staff escorted us over. The traditional Japanese ryokan meals were top quality, but huge, much more than we could handle. One thing we’d change is the pace: dinner had several courses, each brought out so quickly that we barely had time to start what was already on the table before more food arrived. We didn’t have much time to explore town. I got the impression there’s more to see across the river, where the train station is, though there’s also a tourist information center just down the street, so perhaps I’m mistaken. There are many onsen hotels nearby, and you can catch a whiff of sulfur from the hot springs. A couple of buildings down from Ogiwarakan, in front of a Family Mart convenience store, there’s a free public foot bath. We saw people soaking their feet there in the evening, eating what looked like take-out dinners and chatting. We had a very pleasant stay.