Reviews of Hotel Shirakawa Yunokura 3 stars

Amazing Ryokan. English friendly. Superb dinner and breakfast, very comfortable rooms and futon, and good onsen and rotenburo with sauna. Private baths were very nice, but the water was very hot. Would recommend the wood private bath over the stone private bath.

The staff was friendly and had very good english. Cute yukatas provided and private rock onsen was beautiful. Very spacious room.

The ryokan looked very run down and a bit dingy, especially the corridors and the building facade. The public bath pool wasn't what I expected, it was a marble pool within glass which didn't have much of a view and you didn't feel like you were amongst nature / outdoor.

It's more of an Inn than hotel as it is not very big. Although it looks old from the outside, its very well maintain inside. The staff that help us checked in was excellent, even though we had some language barrier, he has a little device that help him to translate Japanese to English by speaking into it. The room was big enough for 4 of us, with a wonderful view of the mountain. The onsen is clean and spacious. Our room came with dinner and breakfast. We have our own private dining room in the dining area. Although they don't use expensive ingredients, the meal was delicious and very authentic Japanese. The staff that served us the meals were all very friendly, taking time to explain the food we are eating, and how to eat them.

The area where the hotel is located are mostly onsen hotels, there's nothing else to do here, especially at night, it very quiet. Nikko is 30 mins drive away.

Absolutely exceptional Japanese ryokan experience and the halfboard meals are absolute kaiseki masterpieces both breakfast and dinner. Worth the full accommodation cost. Beautiful hotspring with totally sensitive handling of first time onsen users.

Not very much to do within walking distance.

Arrived late & left early so only had a short time to enjoy the facilities. The room was simple and comfortable. Robes & footwear provided. The onsen was lovely- warm rather than hot so you can soak for longer. The outdoor pool was especially relaxing. The multicourse dinner was served in a private room. Late night shiatsu massage (extra charge) topped the experience. I had to leave early and they gave me a Japanese breakfast to go 🙂

Some of the signage was a bit confusing- but the staff were very helpful in pointing you in the right direction

Good to experience traditional Japanese style room. The views of the river were a highlight. Everything was clean and comfortable. The staff were very helpful, explained everything to us in detail in English when we arrived. The onsen is free to use but you can pay extra for a private onsen, which is worth doing if you are with your partner. The hotel was also able to arrange massages for us. The room was also much bigger than any other room I stayed in in Japan.

Only a very small number of places nearby to get food. The hotel looks a bit tired from the outside.

It was a wonderful location, just across the bridge and right on the river. A slightly older property, but very well-maintained and comfortable. The manager was incredibly polite and gracious – met us at the door, sat down personally in the lobby to explain how everything worked, and could not have been more welcoming. The special dinner dinner was delicious, the osento bright, clean and beautiful, and we had a wonderful evening.

Individual restraint is nice. The old building part needs some renovations.

The food was delicious traditional Japanese ryokan food. There was plenty of it as well.

We had to take out towels from our room to use at the onsen, and hold on to them to reuse later if you wanted to return to the onsen later, which we did.

Nice authentic ryokan. Good food. Beautiful view of the river. Very nice onsen. The stuff was friendly. I recommend taking taxi to Ryon glen- short hiking loop in dragon canyon

The room had a smell of cigarettes. The hotel is in need of renovation. I still recommend it as it seems the best option in the area.

A decent option for travelers in the tourist area of Nikko - Kinugawaonsen generally has a good location, fair prices for Nikko, and breathtaking views from almost any ryokan. However, Shirakawa Yunokura turned out to be not only very pleasant but also very clean and extremely comfortable. Although the building looks quite old, everything inside is very nice. The 24-hour onsen is a great option when you want some alone time. Alternatively, you can book a private onsen to enjoy with your loved one. The kaiseki meals are served in separate rooms, with plenty of delicious food.

Almost everything was good, but occasionally, possibly due to the old building, there was a smell of mold. Also, the station is not very close by, and there is only one small convenience store in the area.

Unlimited access to the public bath from 3pm-10am. Beautiful view of the room. Great helpful staff. Nice food with nikko local ingredients.

The air conditioner is too loud. A bit far away from the train station and don’t offer shuttle bus. (You need to purchase 200yen bus ticket to catch a local bus)

Very nice surroundings and people.

Nothing.

Great little ryokan by the river. Rooms felt very private, and a bit rustic. Breakfast was exactly what you would expect at a traditional ryokan. Staff were very accommodating, and tried their best to make sure i was satisfied, despite the language barrier at times.

Hard to justify the price for what was provided. The breakfast was well worth the price, but the property itself was very dated and showed its age. The bathhouse was nice, but it was just nice.

Large room spaces, comfortable futons, bathroom tub and shower were convenient, terrific dining in separate private room, all-night access to indoor/outdoor (separate gender) onsen was useful, wonderful customer service. In particular, the waitresses (dheika and her colleague from Vietnam) were always so kind and attentive. Huge meals. Easy free parking and very close to Edo Wonderland and forest walks. Nice to be in an older style traditional ryokan rather than the bigger glitzy hotel next door.

Nil.

Rooms are bigger than in pictures, great layout and amenities! I love the little basket you can take to the onsen. Both private onsens, wood and stone were gorgeous. If you’re going in the summer time, there will be mosquitoes so choose your onsen time wisely. They were okay with small tattoos for the public baths. Massage chairs to use free of charge and there’s a milk vending machine outside the gift shop. Dinner and breakfast were fantastic, so much variety and meals are different the next day. We were always so full after!

15min walk from Kinugawa Onsen Station (there is a dial bus available every 20min, ¥300, reservation only, book early or morning times get filled up).