Guest room Furusatomura Kogeikan

We enjoyed our stay at this rustic Ryokan along the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine route. It has tatami floors and little furniture, and our room had its own toilet. For showers, though, we used the public bath downstairs. The owner was genuine and spoke English. He's also an art collector, with ukiyo-e paintings displayed in the front lobby. The in-house onsen was being renovated during our visit, so they gave us discounted coupons for a nearby public onsen. There's a dining area and kitchen, but you need to let them know ahead if you want breakfast or dinner.

It's very convenient for the Tateyama-Kurobe Alpine route, only about a 5-minute walk from the Alpico bus stop, or 3 minutes if you run like we did! We had a quiet night's stay in comfortable Ryokan-style beds. There are a couple of shared rooms, including a games room, a TV room, and a restaurant with a tea and coffee machine. The manager was great and moved us to another room when we mentioned the first smelled a bit musty.

The area is beautiful, and we had a clean, relaxing stay. The manager speaks excellent English and enjoys spending time with guests. When we were leaving, he even drove us to our next destination. We'd happily stay again!

The owner was friendly and accommodating, and his English was good. Ukiyoe is close to a local onsen, and guests can get a discounted pass for it. The rooms are very Japanese in style, with private toilets, while the kitchen and showers are shared. The halls and lobby are like an art gallery, so it's worth staying just to wander around.