Secret Japan

[steve y]

Hi,
I see high praise here for Yamada-onsen and especially Goshiki-no-yu and Taki-no-yu. How do the lodging conditions compare at these two ryokan? I see from their Websites that Goshiki is about 17,000 yen per person with two meals; Taki-no-yu is about half that.
Which would you recommend for a family of five for a December stay? We like traditional old ryokan.
Also, is it practical to come by public transport?
Thanks,
Steve

[Alessandro]

Hi Steve,

And welcome on Secret Japan's forum. Indeed, Yamada Onsen is a very nice place to visit, quite isolated but still easily reachable - at least by car.

There are several nice places to stay, including the mentioned Goshiki-no-yu and Taki-no-yu. Personally, I would strongly recommend Taki-no-yu, which is perhaps the best quality-price ratio I have seen in Japan for an onsen place. Sure, the rooms are rather small (normally 6 tatami for 2 persons) and do not have private toilets/bath (toilets can be the way be quite chilly in winter). And the ryokan itself is rather old. But if you can live with that, you are sure to get warm rooms (the pipes bringing the hot water for the bath are running under the rooms, thus warming them), excellent food (dinner is served for all guests in a large room - but you need to go in another building) and fantastic rotenburo (closed at night).

For 8400 yens (last year's price), it is a great deal.

On the other hand, Goshiki-no-yu has larger and more comfortable rooms, and at least one wing of the ryokan is rather new (the one containing the inside baths). But the entrance itself is not very nice, and the outside bath is definitively less good than Taki-no-yu.

For the transportation, I always went there by private car - renting a car is relatively inexpensive in Japan, but available only to people who have the right to drive there (check the thread on Driving in Japan). From Nagano, you can alternatively take the Nagano Dentetsu to Suzaka (5 times per hour, 26 minutes). And from Suzaka, there are local buses going toward Yamada Onsen (40 minutes). Le time table for that bus is here : www.nagadenbus.co.jp/local_suzaka/yamada.html

You can arrange with the ryokan of the area a pick-up at Yamada Onsen, as both Goshiki-no-yu and Taki-no-yu are located 5 km from the town.

Hope this helps, please let us know your impression if you get to do this trip.

[steve y]

Thanks Alessandro!
I'll report back after our stay. I just called Taki-no-yu and the woman on the phone was very friendly and welcoming, so we're off to a good start.
Separately, do you know an onsen called Otari Onsen, in the mountains up from route 148 north of Hakuba (my old map shows it on a route 330)? My wife and I stayed there about 20 years ago (way pre-kids). The baths weren't rotemburo, but the building was a classy 100-year-old classical ryokan and I recall the drive there being beautiful and remote.
Cheers,
Steve