Kamikochi Alpen Hotel

The onsen was clean and peaceful, and breakfast and dinner were delicious. We had all the amenities we needed, including vending machines and a hotel store with things like umbrellas, water, and souvenirs. It’s a 10 minute walk from the bus station. Would recommend!

The service was the rudest I’ve experienced in 15 years of living in Japan. My wife asked several times to move our dinner time because I was in a mountain race and was due to arrive just after dinner started. They refused, though once I’d sprinted 10km to meet their deadline and arrived, they offered to start dinner later. Staff were rude to both of us and blamed my wife for not explaining why we wanted to change the time. Our room was dirty, and holes in the flyscreen let more than 30 bugs into the room after dinner. They did move us to another room, but no one helped or offered to help carry our luggage. At over 50,000 JPY a night, with service at the level of a local business hotel, this was simply unacceptable. Maybe that would be acceptable at 20-30,000 JPY a night.

The Japanese-style room included breakfast and dinner, and everything was great. The staff gave us helpful suggestions for exploring the area, including onsens and walks. My one gripe is the 9.30am checkout, which feels too early when there’s so much to enjoy at the hotel. Would recommend.

Both meals were a highlight of our stay. The Japanese-style room booking included breakfast and dinner, with so many beautiful dishes that felt special and carefully prepared. We enjoyed them a lot. The staff were helpful to English speakers. My husband and I stayed at the Alpen Hotel in Kamikochi in June. Our room had futons on tatami mats, which the staff put away each morning and set up again at night. It was our second time sleeping on Japanese futons, and we found these very comfortable. Guests can use the shared, gender-separated onsen except for 2 hours each day. The hotel provides yukatas to wear there, or around the hotel. We even wore ours to breakfast. There’s a window looking out onto the national park, and using the onsen during the day felt especially nice.