Name: Uotoshi Ryokan
Address: 2563 Sano, Yamanouchi-machi, Shimotakai-gun, Nagano, 381-0402, JP

2/10

Poor

22 Jan 2026

Jingyuan

Why do I have to give 1 star as a minimum which is still overrated for this property? Long story short - DO NOT STAY HERE.
Property is run down beyond repair, the owner doesn’t want your business, simply the worst property I ever tried in Japan.

Friends_and_family Family

4/10

Poor

01 Jan 2026

Clarissa

This place must have had its charm back in the day. It looked dusty and tired. The manager was grumpy. I understand he was an old school gentleman. However, he seemed to be bother by every comment or question. Not welcoming at all. Skip this one. Find a hotel near the train station.

Leisure Partner

6/10

Pleasant

01 Jan 2026

Mahbubul

Good, Room

Leisure Family_with_children

10/10

Exceptional

22 Dec 2025

Marissa

Clean rooms, good amenities, lovely host.

8/10

Excellent

18 Nov 2025

Chelsey

Clean, spacious rooms. Fresh hot water every morning for coffee and tea.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

15 Nov 2025

Clive

Very traditional. Exactly what I expected from past reviews. Friendly owner.

Leisure Self

8/10

Excellent

14 Nov 2025

John-Ross

Uotoshi is remarkable value for money and is also unique.

The owner is very welcoming with great English.

The Ryokan is older and somewhat rundown but it is also a community hub that has sing along classes for local kids (Rudolph the red nose reindeer in Japanese is awesome) and have fun with English nights.

There is a Kyudo (Japanese archery) range behind the Ryokan which has classes taught by the owner as well as area competitions.

Breakfast was varied and very tasty.

I thoroughly enjoyed my time relaxing here.

Leisure Self

4/10

Poor

11 Apr 2025

Verified traveler

Was OK. Consider other Newer places

This property was about a 20 min walk from the station. Place is very traditional but kind of rundown. For the same price you can stay in modern hotels with an onsen by the yudanaka station. The host was kind l even gave me a free ride to the monkey park and station but I think he needs to retire and relax. I cut my stay to one day as there was nothing to do in the general area.

Self

10/10

Exceptional

05 Mar 2025

Alexander

This Ryokan was quaint in the perfect way. It felt traditional without the modern flair. The owner was amazing and drove me to the snow monkey park at no cost. The onsen was perfect and tatami room was gorgeous. Amazing view around the town with the snow.

Leisure Self

10/10

Exceptional

24 Feb 2025

Allen

Authentic host, cozy stay at a great value

Wonderful hospitality, with a historic, step back in time feel. The most kind host who runs the ryokan as the 3rd descendant of the family - it was begun by his grandfather. The property is dated with rough edges but it is a great option at a good price.

The town is a sleepy but the few small restaurants we found were so good and cozy. The public hot baths by the train station were very nice and the neighboring town has a public onsen that can be accessed for a fee (it is one of the 9 the ryokans in that area have as part of their network).

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

26 Apr 2024

Jacob

Uotoshi Ryokan was amazing! The host was super nice, the meals were fantastic, the room was great. The area is perfect, it's a great place to get away from the city for a bit. It's a bit in the past, but in a really nice way!

Our room didn't have a washroom in the room, but it was just outside the room.

Friends_and_family Friends

10/10

Exceptional

26 Apr 2024

Jacob

Uotoshi Ryokan was amazing! The host was super nice, the meals were fantastic, the room was great. The area is perfect, it's a great place to get away from the city for a bit. It's a bit in the past, but in a really nice way!

Our room didn't have a washroom in the room, we didn't mind.

Friends_and_family Friends

8/10

Excellent

24 Apr 2024

Korey

There are no private showers at this property. This may not be an issue for most people, but I read a misleading review which made me book this property thinking there were private showers and that is NOT the case. The shower is a combined 4 person shower and tub you can soak in afterwards. The breakfast was amazing and I highly recommend it if you have the option. Host was knowledgeable about the area and snow monkey park and the property was very close to the train station which was convenient. Futon on the floor was very uncomfortable and felt like you were sleeping directly on the floor. I ended up checking out a day early because I couldn’t hack lol, but overall is probably worth the price.

Leisure Self

10/10

Exceptional

12 Mar 2024

Paul

Such a wonderful place to stay and explore the surrounding areas. The host Miyasaka-san is exceptional and made us very welcome and comfortable. Daily rituals of traditional breakfast and bathing in the onsen, and the opportunity to watch a local archers traditional competition here in the dojo made for a truly magical stay. Highly recommended.

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

30 Dec 2023

Jacob

Truly an amazing experience. It is a traditional ryokan run by lovely people — the owner made us breakfast, offered to drive us to the Snow Monkey Park, and gave us apples and candy for our train ride home. It was the highlight of our trip. It is definitely not for those who need luxury and comfort, but it is cozy, cool, and memorable

Leisure Friends

10/10

Exceptional

01 Nov 2023

Ace

Wonderful affordable spot centrally located for mountain adventures.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

09 Feb 2023

Kelsey

I would recommend Uotoshi Ryokan to anyone visiting Yudanaka. It is a lovely traditional Japanese inn with comfortable rooms and a relaxing hot spring bath. It is very conveniently located near Snow Monkey park, many restaurants, and the Yudanaka train station. The owners are kind and helpful, and even offer to drive you to Snow Monkey Park! We will stay here again if we come back to Yudanaka.

Leisure Partner

6/10

Pleasant

10 Jan 2023

Linda

If you are on a budget, this was a good place to stay with shared bathrooms and sink areas. Shared bathroom has 2 stalls, very small and sink areas have 2 with upstairs and downstairs. I think this place's capacity is 8 parties total. We stayed for 3 nights and chose breakfast. Breakfast was delicious and owners were hospitable. We felt bad that they had to work on New Year's. Most of the surrounding area was closed from New Year's Eve through 01/04/23, but surprisingly Snow Monkey Park was open on New Year's. If you're wanting 3 star hotel amenities, this is not the place for you, but for the price we paid we felt it was reasonable and truly did experience the traditional ryokan experience and the onsen onsite was a plus.

Leisure Family

8/10

Excellent

25 Dec 2022

Ho Tuck Wai

Quiet and friendly ryokan on the other side of the river from the station.

Leisure Friends

10/10

Exceptional

24 Nov 2022

GLEN BOISAN

Authentic Japanese Experience

The Owner was so accommodating he even offered for a free ride to the monkey park but we decided to be driven back to our hotel in Yamanouchi. Our one night experience for a Japanese culture was genuine and fantastic. The Japanese dinner and breakfast was so good.

Friends_and_family Friends