Ginzan Onsen Ryokan Matsumoto

The host was friendly, and both the Japanese dinner and breakfast were authentic. No complaints. I’d only suggest putting a hair dryer in every room, since the one in the whole hotel seems to be in the onsen.

The staff were so kind and thoughtful that it reminded us of staying with our grandparents. We had a perfect stay at Matsumoto. Our room was cozy and clean, though a little small, and both dinner and breakfast were tasty. The onsen was relaxing and open around the clock. If you want a historic hotel in Ginzan Onsen, this is a great choice.

It’s an old but clean hotel, and the staff are friendly. The room felt a little small, and there was a strange smell the whole time. Dinner wasn’t good, especially the sashimi, which seemed like it had just come out of the freezer. The indoor onzen is tiny too, and I think more than two people would find it crowded. Breakfast the next day was fine.

We stayed one night in January 2023 and I’d rate this 9.5 out of 10, the highest score I’ve given any hotel. I wanted to leave a review on Agoda since we booked there, but apparently Matsumoto no longer has a contract with them. I took off half a point because the Wi-Fi only worked in the reception lobby, not on our floor. There’s a sitting area there with a vending machine, so you can still sit down with a drink and get online. It was just less convenient. The location is right in the middle of the famous Ginzan Onsen street, and our small balcony had a lovely view. They stored our luggage before check-in and after checkout. We were given yukata and haori for the onsen, and took photos in them on the street. There are indoor slippers and traditional wooden shoes for outside. In winter, when it’s generally below 0 degrees Celsius, you can borrow huge jackets. The rooms are small, as is traditional in Japan, with tatami, a low table, and floor cushions. Tea and sweets were complimentary. Dinner was included and brought to our room, Kaiseki style, with so many dishes and things to try that we were stuffed. When we called, staff cleared it away and set up our futons. Breakfast was included too, served downstairs in a shared dining room, with lots of little dishes and very filling. When we returned, the futons had been put away and the table and cushions were back in place. The indoor onsen is small, but it uses the same natural mineral water as elsewhere and gets very hot, which was great in winter. For an outdoor bath, Takimi-kan at the end of the street offers day use. There’s another day-use bath at the other end, but it’s small and indoors, and I honestly preferred Matsumoto’s. It’s expensive for one night, but still cheaper than some other places in town. With dinner, breakfast, the service, and lodging included, I thought it was reasonable. There aren’t many hotels or rooms in town, so we were lucky to get one. I think it’s family-owned. They don’t know much English, but use a translator when they need to tell you something. They run two free pickups from the train station each day and one drop-off at checkout time. Otherwise, there’s a public bus a few times daily to and from the station. Highly recommend this cute traditional ryokan.