Ryokan Biyunoyado

“Beautiful food, traditional service, snow monkeys!”

We stayed in a traditional 10 tatami room. Onsen bathing had outdoor pool and indoor pool. Love the onsen bathing pajamas and dinner coat to dine in (green). Felt like a cultural immersion and throwback in time! The first day was in outdoor pool and got to enjoy the full bloom of the cherry bloss... more

We stayed in a traditional 10 tatami room. Onsen bathing had outdoor pool and indoor pool. Love the onsen bathing pajamas and dinner coat to dine in (green). Felt like a cultural immersion and throwback in time! The first day was in outdoor pool and got to enjoy the full bloom of the cherry blossom trees on the other side of privacy wall. The breakfast and dinner service was ample. Note for westerners this is traditional food so western breakfast can be requested but won’t be offered as option. Read all reviews as many are accurate. This is a great value of property. Our hostess Yuki was gracious, helpful and knows and loves Yamanouchi town. There were mainly Japanese guests which is a great sign of authentic service. They run shuttles to the snow monkey park and will do for ski slopes next year. We never even used the in room shower room (used as drying for towels/clothes) it is traditional and old-school (sit down shower definitely for smaller people) as we went to onsen every day. Optimal stay time is 2 or 3 days. Staff was very gracious and helpful. Pro tip, check live monkey cam. We went to park and there were 100s of monkeys. The next day a couple went and there were only a few. The troupe had gone to forage in the jungle so you can check the morning of.

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“A most wonderful experience at Biyunoyado!”

This was our third stay at Biyunoyado. We brought friends with us this time and they enjoyed the visit so much! Every time we stay here, it is a new experience. Yuki & Masao are the most wonderful hosts. They treated us like we were the most important guests in the building! In the evening, we ex... more

This was our third stay at Biyunoyado. We brought friends with us this time and they enjoyed the visit so much! Every time we stay here, it is a new experience. Yuki & Masao are the most wonderful hosts. They treated us like we were the most important guests in the building! In the evening, we experienced a Geisha event downstairs in the common area followed by a mini-reception with the other guests staying at the property. There was a lot of mingling and chatting, it was a very enjoyable one-of a kind experience. The staff were very attentive to our needs while we enjoyed the evening. As always, the Kaiseki meals were beautifully presented, delicious and filling. The dining spaces are quiet with full views of the surrounding town. Our guest room had a private Onsen in the room. We used it well into the night because it was very peaceful and quiet in the area. There is a shuttle to and from Yudanaka station, but I would recommend to take the 10 minute walk from the station to the property. The town is very peaceful and picturesque with the mountains in the backdrop. Biyunoyado is an extremely good place to stay if you wish to fully detach from the busy world. John C. Visiting from Kailua, Hawaii

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“Wonderful stay”

This was a fabulous get away from the busy cities the Onsen was fantastic I too about 3 a day. Transfer to monkey park was great

“Faultless 3 nights in March 2024”

We stayed in a mixed western / Ryokan room here for 3 night in March 2024. All the staff were welcoming, friendly and accommodating with fluent English speaking staff on hand at all times. Breakfast and dinner were show stoppers for foodies or for anyone wanting a traditional multi-course japanes... more

We stayed in a mixed western / Ryokan room here for 3 night in March 2024. All the staff were welcoming, friendly and accommodating with fluent English speaking staff on hand at all times. Breakfast and dinner were show stoppers for foodies or for anyone wanting a traditional multi-course japanese food experience. Get your chopsticks out and embrace the uniquely Japanese fine dining / interactive dinner courses, then wake up to another multi-course table service breakfast of fish, miso soup, rice, omelette, fruit, yoghurt, tea, coffee and traditional Japanese mini bites. Different variations of breakfast and dinner are served to guests based on the number of nights you stay, so meals are always different and never boring. Our room was spacious and filled with the usual amenities you would expect in addition to a tatami mat area and table and seats, should you wish to dine in your room or sleep the Roykan way. We slept in a double bed which was very comfortable. Robes are provided with instructions on wearing these. It was fun to wear these to the onsen baths, to dinner and to breakfast but by no means compulsory. The hotel was spotlessly clean thoughout and very quiet. There are 4 public onsen baths, 2 indoor, 2 outdoor, each area containing 1 indoor and 1 outdoor bath separated for men and women. These are reversed each night so if you stay for more than 1 night you can experience all 4. The pools were quiet even at peak times, though slightly busier on the women's side. We saw a roughly equal number of Japanese / Western guests frequenting the hotel during our stay. If a public birthday suit bathing experience isn't your thing, you can book the private bath on the roof (couples friendly). Note that although this is private it is also a bathing suit-free zone. We booked this for one night but highly recommend the larger public bath experience where you wash before and after with very high quality hotel-supplied shampoo, conditioner and body wash, or bring your own. We only used the showers in the room once during our stay as we found the full public bath experience to be so good. Fresh towels are provided throughout the hotel. The entrance to the snow monkey Park is a short mini bus ride away (5 to 10 minutes, if that). An amazing experience. Don't miss it! The Shiga Kogen ski resort area starts about 30 minutes by public bus from the hotel but you may need to stay on the bus for around 40 minutes to reach the main interconnecting gondola lift at Yama no eki. Public buses are a bit hit and miss. Check the times with reception staff before using, they are not reliably available online! Search and read about "Ryokan" before your stay. Be respectful, wear your bamboo slippers, but not on the tatami mats! and enjoy being hosted like a Samurai, resting in the osen baths in which they used to bathe. Special thanks to our host Yukiko and to all the hotel staff who work so hard to give guests such a wonderful experience. We will be staying here again.

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