Sakakiya

The meals were delicious and had that home-cooked feel. We spent two nights there, and the menu changed at every meal. The woman in the restaurant also spoke Chinese. The front desk man we’d heard people worry about was kind and understanding when we checked in through Agoda. We don’t speak Japanese, and his English was limited to a few words, so we translated our questions and showed them to him. There’s a small onsen on the property, and the place is very close to chuo bus terminal. A guard dog in the common area barked now and then, but was mostly quiet during our stay. The building is dated, as you’d expect of a ryokan. I loved staying at Sakakiya and would come back.

Breakfast was tasty and served early enough to get out to the slopes. The owner, an older man, smiled whenever I saw him, which was three times over three days, though the dog can be intimidating and stops barking after sunset. The tatami rooms were spacious, clean, and full of Japanese charm. The hotel is old, but that’s part of its appeal. I’d read the negative reviews and felt nervous about booking, but a lot of the complaints seemed like nitpicking to me. The bathroom water runs a bit cold, and at -10 outside, showering is almost impossible. The onsen is lovely, though, and you can shower there or at the free public hot springs in town. Given the price, location, and character, I’d happily stay again and would absolutely recommend it if those drawbacks are okay with you.

What a mess. My credit card was declined because the merchant was flagged as suspicious. I had to work with an operator to get the suspended card working again, and then the listing had disappeared. Janky.

The meals were the part I loved most. Two meals a day are included, and the ladies made wonderful breakfasts and dinners with fresh, nourishing, delicious food. The little pieces of chinaware were elegant and showed real attention to detail. I had sukiyaki one night and shabu shabu another, and both meals really hit the spot. The room was much prettier than the Google Maps photos suggested, and the yukata and haori they provided were lovely to sleep in. Their own onsen was one of the few around, and the water was steaming hot. I didn’t care for the grumpy older man I took to be the owner. The two ladies were great and looked after us well. One even gave us salt to soothe our throats when she realized we were coughing.