Hama No Yu

The rooms are spacious, clean, and comfortable, and the view of Lake Suwa is great from the eighth floor up. The hot spring uses circulating water, and there’s also a sauna and an open-air bath, so it’s a relaxing place to stay. The food was delicious, including teppan-yaki grilled beef from Nagano Prefecture. Seems suitable for families.

Hamanoyu has the feel of a grand old hotel from another time. The staff work hard to maintain its quality and do a good job. My room was small and cute, and the sauna and hot spring were comfortable, relaxing, and well kept. I only had breakfast, but it was more than adequate. It seems like too few people are visiting that part of Nagano, and tourism there is struggling, which is ironic when much of the rest of Japan looks busy. I hope I can do a little to spread the word.

The spa is superb, with indoor and outdoor baths as well as a herbal spa. The breakfast was good, with nice classical music playing throughout. The place seems to draw mostly local guests. One grey-haired staff member spoke some English and was fun to chat with. It’s close to both the JR station and the lake. This is a nice place to rest, with friendly staff who’ll try hard to help with requests. The facilities meet an average Japanese standard. Remember to book dinner on the website. I had some trouble with the booking page because its fonts were specific, and had to ask a friend who could type the full-width fonts to help.

This must have been a really luxurious place when it was first built, and it’s still impressive and well maintained. The bookable private onsen is a great option for tattooed visitors who generally aren’t allowed in public baths.