Yuyado Tokinoniwa

The room had free snacks and food to enjoy after the onsen, which I liked. The food was okay, not especially delicate or impressive, but at least up to chain-hotel standards. My expectations were better than I’d had after reading the comments here. One family member used a wheelchair, and I appreciated the elevators and wheelchair-friendly facilities.

The hotel was farther from the main area, which is a lovely place to spend time and has much better street snacks. We went on a busy weekend and had expected more for the price, so the stay fell short. Dinner was the kaiseki meal, but there were only two serving times and we couldn’t choose one. The food wasn’t very good, we barely ate, and it felt rushed in its preparation and cooking. The free ramen later that night tasted much better. Waiting two hours for dinner also left us without time to explore the public onsen.

We spent two nights here in March 2025 for our anniversary and loved the hotel. A.Shishikura, a young staff member, was especially friendly and helpful. She and a bellboy carried all our luggage, handbags, and backpacks to the room, despite her tiny build. She worked so hard and was so polite. There was also an anniversary gift waiting in our room, which was very sweet. We booked a Japanese western room B with an open-air hot spring bath, breakfast, and dinner through Trip.com for Cad$9xx, which felt like a great deal for two nights. We enjoyed the bath in our room, the hotel’s three private onsens that don’t require reservations, and the public onsens. The atmosphere was relaxing. The hotel is large and well maintained, and our room was clean and spacious. The restaurant’s views and food were beautiful. Sometimes the food wasn’t hot enough, but it was still good. The free shuttle to the bus terminal and Yubatake was convenient. There’s also a free shuttle to Karuizawa once a day at 11:15a.m., but you must reserve after booking the hotel, and seats are limited. We strongly recommend the hotel and would definitely return. The one downside was the yukatas: there weren’t enough, and the self-pickup area was always empty.

This was my first ryokan stay, and also my honeymoon trip with my mother and mother-in-law. We chose it for the private onsen. There are four public baths and three private ones, available first come, first served for up to 40 minutes each. We booked a deluxe room with its own bath, plus breakfast and dinner, which we were really looking forward to. The staff were all polite and kind, and the experience was neat overall. The meals were the hard part. They seemed aimed at local Japanese guests rather than foreigners. I’m Korean and used to more Japanese food than many people, but still found it difficult to enjoy. There was a kitchen mistake with our meal, though the staff made the situation more pleasant. Aso from the restaurant, the managers, and other staff helped us a lot and checked that everything was okay. Kusatsu is remote and can be difficult for foreign visitors to reach, but the onsens at Tokinoniwa made the journey worthwhile. Still, the shuttle setup didn’t meet our needs, and the ryokan is about 20 minutes from Yubatake, with much of the route uphill. The food could also be hard to eat and enjoy, so keep that in mind when booking.