Reviews of Mogamiya Ryokan 4 stars

The place was super welcoming, the person that guided us rehearsed a whole english tour to get us acquainted with the complex layout of the place (almost maze-like but in a nice, charming way?) and generally the staff was super accommodating of any of our needs. Even though we went for the most traditional experience with futons and whatnot, the toilet was still one of Japan's super technological ones so that was nice! There's a lovely café next to the ryokan that sells tons of cute souvenirs, however they are close on some days so make sure to check when you're staying. Make sure to ask them to call a cab on the way out as none of the major apps work in Shiroishi (TaxiGo,Uber,Didi etc), cost to go back to the station for about ¥2300 for us (it's been a while so my memory might not be great). Also just make sure to make some time to explore Shiroishi itself, the castle and city are very nice!

Admittedly I'm a very picky eater and the meals were a bit too particular for me, my friend loved them though so it's definitely a me problem. The place is very far out from the city so aside from walking to Kokeshi village expect to stay indoors most of your time.

NOTHING!

The establishment did not pay any attention to our food limitations that were advised well before we arrived. This is dangerous especially for Allergic people. Food was not tasty. The toilets were extremely small and a person who is toller than 5 ft will have problems to sit The bathroom need to have makeover ASAP

I felt like we were in the movie Spirited Away, a very magical place.

The staff were extremely accommodating and nice! They had someone on the team that could speak English and helped us book Taxis to and from the Ryokan. I was kinda sad about not getting food so make sure you get the dinner and breakfast here! The Onsen was magical and had an old fashion feel and the facilities are very nice. Definitely worth the cost!

There is nowhere nearby that has anything for dinner after 6pm. Not their fault, just not great

Beautiful building and comfortable rooms. Lovely Onsen.

Our overall stay was amazing, we stayed two nights. The people who own and run the place are so friendly, the staff are so courteous and helpful. The food was absolutely delicious. It was an amazing experience for my wife and I.

Unfortunately the private onsen was out of use during our period of stay due to some earthquake strengthening work.

Staying at Mogamiya Ryokan was a very unique experience. The ryokan feels historic and is very beautiful. Going through the maze of hallways was very interesting. The hallways and rooms are all decorated with interesting things and it feels very different than a modern hotel. The breakfast was also very unique and the setting was very pretty. The staff were very friendly and helpful, and the bedding was warm even though it was very cold outside. The private bathroom in the room was good, the hot water is fast and the bathroom warms up quickly. On the kotatsu, a tea set is provided. The tea pot is very unique and beautiful, and the tea tasted good. The souvenir shop/lobby is filled with interesting ceramics, packaged sweets, and other knick knacks. I didn't get a chance to try the onsen bath, but it looks really nice from the pictures. I was able to wash my clothes with an on-site laundry for 300 yen. I couldn't figure out the controls and accidentally only did a wash cycle instead of the full wash/rinse/spin cycles, so I had to put more money in and spend more time waiting. I dried my clothes in the room with a provided rack because I didn't have time to watch the dryer for 90 minutes.

The AC units are not strong enough to heat the room up to 70F. A kerosene heater was provided to supplement, and it works extremely effectively. However it smells of kerosene, and I worried about the warnings on the side about ventilation. After googling frantically and being reassured by staff, it seems like the heaters are safe and used pretty widely in northern Japan. At night, we turned the kerosene heater off (it has an auto shut-off feature and the warning labels all say not to use when sleeping) kept the AC unit on for heat, and it probably gets the room up to somewhere in the low-mid 60s Fahrenheit. It is warm enough under piles of futons (blankets). But to be at a comfortable temperature in the 70s when not under piles of blankets, the kerosene heater must be used. Overall it's not like we were freezing, but I didn't expect this, and being unfamiliar with kerosene heaters, I was really stressed out about it. For the price of the stay here, lacking conventional heating was not something I expected. Maybe this is something that a more seasoned traveller in Japan would have expected. The sink in the room is not connected to hot water, so I used the bath tub faucet to wash my hands and face. The hallways were not heated and were very cold. The breakfast foods were new to me and not really to my taste, but that is part of the experience I think.

Nice, cozy, and warm.

A bit too cold at the corridors

It's a moderate hike to the Fox village. Fantastic views. The owner spoke good English and was very welcoming.

The staff and owners were very helpful and accommodating for our family of 4. The futons and pillows were really comfortable. It was nice having our own private dining room and dinner and breakfast were always nice!

A great experience staying in a traditional ryokan. I'm so glad we stayed here!

Food is superb, Staff very friendly and helpful and the hot spring simple but authentic. We would definitely come back to experience winter in this ryokan.

Nothing

Great Ryokan as it was authentic old wooden building attached to other buildings which was a maze to reach the dining room and onsen

There was no fault with this place it rated 5 star Ryokan status compared to previous nights accommodation which cost more

Old-fasioned ryokan, but too dark in hallway and too cold. Hope dinner and breakfast has more options.

We loved the traditional room and the private bath. Staff were exceptional

Our heater broke some point through the night so it was a little cold when we got up but we let the staff know in the morning and they fixed it by the time we got back. Only a cafe in the area for food but the hotel does provide great meals

A beautiful Japanese Ryokan, the meals were delicious and served in you own private meal room. The onsen was great, such a lovely property I would definitely recommend staying for a couple nights and be treated to a real Japanese experience. Ski fields only a short drive away.