Nothing

The staff were fantastic and the ryokan is on the perfect location to participate in the pilgrimage to the 9 onsens in the town. Japanese meals were impressive!

Stayed in June 2025

Beautiful baths and exceptional food. Can also recommend the private onsen/sauna that can be rented - it is well worth the price

Stayed in May 2025

Staff was incredible. Onsen was lovely. The food was unbelievably creative and intricate. Proximity to the amazing Snow Monkeys a big bonus.

Stayed in May 2025

Great location! Very friendly staff! Haruki San made our dining experience very fun and memorable! The chef prepared excellent kaiseki dinners and amazing Japanese breakfast! Our in room onsen made it very convenient soaking before and after dinner as well as before breakfast!! Excellent accomodations and very friendly staff!!

Stayed in May 2025

N/A

Stayed one night with my family with half board. Superb location right in the smack of Shibu Onsen; very accommodating and friendly staff; most delicious and abundant of food; comfortable bedding and spacious room; convenient parking and close to Snow Monkey park and Shibu public onsens. The ryokan's women and mens' baths were wonderful and mostly we enjoyed by ourselves. We had our own dinning area for breakfast and dinner. Our server was so sweet like our おばあちゃん, she served us two meals and we wished we could bring her home with us. There's an area on the 4th floor like a lounge with art supplies and coffee to relax. We loved our stay at Sakaeya and can't wait to go back soon!

Stayed in April 2025

Nothing.

Staff, location, chance to experience a futon sleep in a traditional ryokan, in house onsen better than the public ones up and down the street. Recommend a hire car to see more of the area eg snow monkeys and ski areas. Goen restaurant is a few km away and very good. Breakfast is a real experience.

Stayed in April 2025

Wonderful accommodations and welcoming helpful staff in an amazing area. Picked us up at train station, dropped bags at hotel and took us directly to Snow Monkey park for a great adventure. Returned to enjoyable in room onsen. Fantastic dinner and breakfast expertly and graciously served.

Stayed in April 2025

Nothing.

Staff were amazing. Great location. Lived the inside Onsen. Great restaurants near by. Very cute town and close to Monkey Park. Loved the yukatas!

Stayed in April 2025

I cannot think of one thing I would change. Incredible experience!

My stay at Sakaeya was without a doubt the highlight of my 3 week Japan trip. I did a ton of research to find an onsen town for a traditional ryokan experience before splurging on this stay and this exceeded all expectations. Staff were above and beyond friendly and accommodating, the superior quad room was very spacious and comfortable. I recommend including half board for breakfast and dinner. In my private dining room, the multi course meals were delicious and each presentation was a work of art. Shuttle to and from station and monkey park was the cherry on top. The unique experience of everyone walking the streets at night in Rakuten to visit the 9 onsens with private key cannot be matched. Don’t hesitate, book!

Stayed in April 2025

The food was exceptional and creative Kaseiki meals. The culinary & service team outdid themselves and made sure we had a unique experience at each meal.

Stayed in April 2025

We liked everything ♥️

The service was outstanding. We got yukatas, Harris, some sweets and a fresh cup of tea at the beginning. I have some tattoo but I was allowed to come and gabe a private room including our own onsen bath. The room was huge with tatami mats, wonderful cosmetics, a rain shower two big beds, very clean. Lovely music playing. The diner and breakfast was a lot but not too much. We were able to taste so many different things, and we bought a typical onsen puddin l. Furthermore there was a free shuttle back to yudanaka station where the denesetsu line goes. Fantastic place and I miss it

Stayed in March 2025

Nothing but you will need to embrace the whole ethos to get the most from your stay and you must want to enjoy it as the Japanese do. If you don’t intend to throw yourself into the traditional Onsen and Raikan cultural experience you won’t get as much out of it.

This is a true Japanese cultural and cuisine experience that was the highlight of our holiday. The room with private Onsen and private bathroom was exceptional and much better than we imagined for a traditional Raikan and the Onsen experience was worth pushing our comfort zones for. The culinary offerings were incredible (even if many were not to our taste) they clearly pride themselves on perfection, symmetry and are proud of their cultural roots. Some of their dishes have been presented to the imperial household and wearing traditional clothing and private intimate dining you simply couldn’t ask for a truer traditional & cultural experience at the highest end. The Raikan bus to the snow monkeys is only a 5 minute drive and they ask for a small contribution to cover their costs. The private Onsen on the terrace was an absolute treat.

Stayed in March 2025

Very nice! Only problem was that there were very minimal places to have dinner. We enjoyed your breakfast on the hotel. Upon arriving though we were told dinner was sold out. So we had extreme difficulty finding any open restaurants.

Stayed in February 2025

Only criticism was that the room was overly hot. We reduced the aircon right down and opened a window at night to let in fresh cool air. Because there were quilts on the bed, we needed to cool the air temp to make it more comfortable to sleep

We stayed in a suite with its own onsen and had half board (both breakfast and dinner). Food and facilities were excellent and the staff were very attentive and friendly. We also had our own private dining room

Stayed in March 2025

Nothing

Location, facilities and great meal

Stayed in March 2025

Most all restaurants in the surrounding area around the hotel were closed. Was not able to have dinner at hotel either. ☹️

Clean and friendly.

Stayed in February 2025

First time having to share a public shower but happy to have a toilet and sink in our room.

Friendly staff, location, great for public onsens and monkey park. Decent sized room, nice onsen on the property. Huge meals.

Stayed in February 2025

We regret not spending more nights at the ryokan.

The service was superb. Room was clean. Food was the best we had on our trip. The shuttle service to pick us up from the train station to and from the ryokan was very punctual.

Stayed in February 2025

Aesthetic- modern but with traditional bits still intact Staff - extremely accommodating and thoughtful to all our needs Food - it was a feast every meal with good variety Onsen - very luxurious and exclusive facilities

Stayed in February 2025

Right in the middle of the Shibu onsen area with access to the 9 public onsen. Provided shuttle to and from the snow monkey park and the train station. They let you check your luggage in early since the room check in was 3pm and I arrived there at 12 pm. Very nice hotel and very helpful staff.

Stayed in February 2025

Nothing, it was perfect.

Everything was amazing. The food, service, facilities, and location were excellent.

Stayed in February 2025

The most incredible stay ever. We booked a room with a private onsen and had breakfast/dinner at the hotel and could not have loved our experience more. The food was amazing, service incredible, and the location was ideal for exploring the town and venturing out for adventures at shiga kogen and snow monkey park.

Stayed in February 2025

The restroom on the ground floor near the entrance had a sewage smell.

The location is wonderful and the meal preparation and presentation was amazing.

Stayed in February 2025

We booked a private onsen room, this was absolutely amazing and the staff were incredible

Stayed in February 2025