Guesthouse Hayashiya

The owner is super nice, and this is a good choice if you're on a budget and want to meet people. There's everything you might need, but it's arranged more ad hoc than in a regular hotel, partly because the owner lives there too. The building is old and has its quirks. I thought that gave it a bit of a unique feel. Just don't expect a fresh hotel with all the amenities neatly laid out for you.

A good place to stay for a ski trip, just a few train stops from Hakuba. The buses don't run very often, so I'd definitely take the train.

I hardly ever write reviews, but visiting Omachi made me want to review every place I stayed. Guesthouse hayashiya is an excellent option. It's a few hundred meters from the station, and the host is incredibly friendly and speaks great English. His family lives in the house too, and it's very clean. There are a few shared bathrooms, but that's part of staying in a traditional Japanese-style room with mountain views. The back of the house is over 100 years old, and its traditional wood joinery is amazing to see. The layout lets you meet people and cook together if you want. I didn't do that, but probably would if I stayed again. I met a great Japanese man called Dan there, who helped translate for me at the pub later that night. You wouldn't get that sort of experience at a hotel. My only suggestion is that the owner get a few cheap bicycles for guests to rent. The local information office only rents overpriced e-bikes, and you have to return them before 5pm, which makes it hard to ride far without worrying about the time. The shared bathrooms and lack of rental bikes are minor drawbacks, though. 10/10, and I hope to stay again next time I'm in Omachi.

The room was clean and spacious, and the kitchen was clean and well equipped. It's about a 10-minute walk from the station, though there's no convenience store along the way. Check-in starts at 5pm. We arrived at 5:06pm, but the door was locked and nobody was there. We were exhausted, and had no way to call the property, so that wasn't fun. There are no blackout curtains either, and in May sunrise was at 4:30am.