Maruka Ryokan

Owners are nice people. Seems family-owned, so very traditional and homely. However, facilities are extremely dated, and there were cobwebs everywhere, which made me highly doubt the cleanliness...

Unique Japanese experience

Relaxed, friendly service. A delicious breakfast. A good traditional experience with wonderful foot bath right outside the front door.

Hosts are gracious and kind. We were picked up at the train station and taken to the monkey park right away. Driver met us to return us to the inn and took us to train station the next day. Inn is very old and needs some maintenance but it is clean and historically beautiful. Very reasonably priced and conveniently located for a walk to dinner. We stayed in July and we had A/C in the room but the open air was nice in the morning and evening.

Very friendly owner and unique experience. Definitely recommending

This is a fantastic stay. The owners are super friendly and helpful. The breakfast was exceptional. The onsen is great. Everyone should try and stay in a ryokan while in Japan. They were very kind in waiting for me to turn up and check in later (10pm). I would recommend 100%.

Super cool older building. They could advertise the public onsen down the road better. Not much english, but its a very very cool place to stay.

Maruka Ryokan is charming and unique place to stay in Yudanaka. Pros: The staff are very extremely kind and helpful, and despite our language barriers, they were able to share essential information. Breakfast is a delight - would highly recommend getting. The common hot bath is wonderful especially since the common areas tend to be quite cold. Our room was very spacious, with a traditional tatami mat area for sleeping and very comfortable blankets, a sitting room with a large window overlooking the garden and nearby temple for morning tea and small snacks that the staff replenish daily, and an attached washroom with sink only. Location is great, only 8-9 minutes of walking distance of the train station and major bus lines. Things to know: Most rooms share communal toilet and shower areas. Common areas are not well insulated from the cold. Rooms warm up quickly with use of electric heaters. This is not a high end onsen hotel; facilities are fairly modest but clean. Bottom line: Would recommend staying here for a unique and homey ryokan experience, if you’re looking for peace and quiet, and if you don’t need a lot of amenities!

Let me start by saying that the hosts are super friendly and supportive. They pick you up from the train station and will drop you at the entrance of the famous monkey park. The place itself was very cold. You can warm your room, but in the hallways you could blow condense fog. When having to use the shared bathroom you really dress up. There’s only one shower and there’s absolutely no pressure so showering wasn’t great. The shower is in the same space as the hot spring and the window is always open. So it was very cold and no water pressure this was not ideal. But when cold you can get in the hot tub which is really hot. Overall I think for what they offer it is too expensive. Nice people for sure and the rooms are large, but that’s about it.

This was our first stay in a Japanese Ryokan. We had read good reviews and the reviews were exactly on point. This is not somewhere to stay if you want western luxury, but it is somewhere to stay if you want a warm, kind welcome and a real taste of traditional japanese. Our room was spacious and had a little sitting area by the window where we were provided tea and snacks every day. I don't understand Japanese heating given the constant supply of hot water in the mountains, but the only heating provided was a small gas heater. It really did warm to room up well, but it was quite chilly when it wasn't on. So be prepared for that in the winter! As with many ryokans there was no bathroom in the room. There was a toilet (one for women one for men)down the corridor and a communal sink for teeth etc. The bathroom is the onsen. Took us a while to figure it out! The communal Onsen has a sign on the door. If you flip it to 'private' then no one will come in. Inside the onsen there is a shower and little stool where you can sit and wash yourself. All the toiletries are nice and provided. Once you are fully clean you can go in the bath which is by the shower. It's a bit shabby in this room, but it's clean and the water is amazing! We had to add some cool water as it was too hot. The couple who run the Ryokan, are clearly proud of their hotel. They wanted to know where we were from (they didn't speak any English and we don't speak Japanese) so Google translate helped! They were so kind!

The experience was very different for this American. Though we live in Okinawa, we have never experienced the bedding, breakfast, bath or hospitality of any place we've stayed. We knew all of this going into it by the way. Bedding is on the ground, but you have some padding under you. The pillow is filled with something (everyone says rice so I'll say rice). It was in the 20s outside when we stayed, yet the blanket and heater kept us comfortable all night. I used part of my blanket to help cushion my pillow. We slept thru the night after a day of travel, and woke up rested. The breakfast was a lot of food and very food. Asian food is not a favorite of mine, but this was great. It kept us satisfied for many hours. The hospitality is second to none. You'd never find such hospitality in a chain hotel. They were very kind and drove us anywhere we needed.

The guest house was beautiful, run by an old couple who does not speak English. The room was very big and the guest house right beside an onsen and near to the train station. The shuttle service to and from the snow monkey park and the train station made it a hassle-free experience! However, the shower head was weak and the guest house seems a little old.

A fabulous old ryokan with the best hosts ever. Everything is traditional Japan. If you're looking for modern, this is the wrong place. It is authenic. On site private onsen was a bonus (and there is no other shower). We got picked up and dropped off from the train station and monkey park as part of the service by the super frei dly staff. Highly recomend.

If you’re just going for 1 night to see the snow monkeys, this is a perfect ryokan. It was a very reasonable price, and included transportation to and from the hotel and to and from the snow monkey park, which saved so much fuss and planning! The actual hotel, well, it’s a bit old and a lot rustic. Shared bathrooms, and the onsen could use a scrub ( maybe you just don’t do that? What do I know). Great value, incredibly sweet hosts.

We came here to experience the Onsen town and the famous monkey park. Our hosts were fantastic and could not have been more helpful. They collected us from the train station and dropped us to and from the monkey park. The friendliness and warmth of the staff of the ryokan made the stay that little bit more special. The building itself is older but feels very authentic as a result and the presence of a private onsen was great at the end of a long day. Would reccomend staying here to anyone looking for a stay with genuinely lovely people in a wonderful setting. Only regret is that we only stayed the one night and didn't avail of the breakfast.

The owners are so nice!!! Sometimes you can forget how much difference it makes to be greeted and welcomed into what is essentially a home instead of a hotel. From the moment you arrive you will be met with the biggest smiles and kindest hearts. I travel ALOT! And have met some great people and owners, and still this one surprised me. We came to the area to go to the monkey forest and to top it all off - they will literally offer to drive you there which was so nice of them! This was my first Ryokan. With all the options you have when booking I highly suggest giving this one a try versus another boring hotel you can book anywhere. It exemplifies quintessential Japanese hospitality!

The traditional styling was great. The garden was lovely. The staff were very friendly and went out of their way to help.

Lovely Ryokan in the Alps run by a lovely family, with their own Onsens.

Great area. Friendly staff. Good food. Ryokan a little run down.

Maruka Ryokan is a charming traditional inn whose owners are incredibly nice and hospitable. Not only did they pick up from the train station and drive us part of the way to the monkey park, they even cleaned our muddy shoes after our hike there. We didn’t ask for any of these services, it’s just the way they treat their guests. The dinner and breakfasts we had here were among the highlights of our trip. It should be noted that the building is 100 years old and shows its age in areas.