Onsen Minshuku Yutakaya

I spent one night here with breakfast during a ski trip in February 2025. Parking was available, and my clean, compact tatami room was on the third floor. It had a kotatsu, TV, and stove. The toilet and bathroom were shared. The basement bath uses natural hot spring water and was excellent, though you have to take the stairs to reach it. Breakfast was a tasty, homey buffet. The landlady was cheerful, very friendly, and quite talkative. The heating switches off automatically at 11:00, but the kotatsu kept me warm. I had to lay out my own futon, which was fluffy, and I slept well until morning. Bring your own towels, toothbrush, and pajamas.

The landlady runs the place energetically and efficiently. The building has three floors above ground and a basement; she said the second floor is kept for the many regular guests, so I got a room on the third. The hot spring bath is downstairs in the basement. Since it's a guesthouse, there are no yukata, or Japanese robes. I'd used a nearby ski lodge for ten years, but after it changed to room-only stays, I tried Yutakaya for the first time. The meals were average for a ski lodge, and they switch to a buffet when there are lots of guests. The landlady is Chinese and said she can make authentic mapo tofu if you ask ahead. Facilities are good for this kind of lodge, with a water heater, microwave, and refrigerator. My main complaint is that there are no curtains, which wakes me up when the sun comes in. I pull the futon over myself and try to sleep again. It's a comfortable place, and I plan to return next season.

This guesthouse near Tashiro Ski Resort works well as a ski lodge. The meals aren't fancy, but they're fine, and the drying room does its job. If a room is available, you can check in from the morning you arrive, and the bath can be used late at night or early in the morning. A few things to know: towels, toothbrushes, and pajamas aren't provided. The heating goes off at 11 PM, so it can get quite cold early in the morning. There's no shuttle, and the bus to Tashiro Ski Resort sometimes stops running. You might not be allowed to use the bath after checkout. The building has three floors and the bath is in the basement, with no elevator.

This ski lodge has a natural hot spring bath with water constantly flowing into the tub. You can use it late at night through 7 AM, which makes it easy to get warm with a quick soak. There's WiFi equipment on every floor, and a drying room by the entrance for wet clothes and getting your gear ready or adjusted. For laundry, there are two machines, one fully automatic and one double-tub style. Used together, they can wash and spin-dry a large load quickly. Breakfast and dinner portions are generous, and the lodge also sells some snacks and instant noodles. This time I had a bento with rice balls, and they thoughtfully change the fillings each day.