Kuriya Suizan

Tip top hotel that fits the tip top price. Good, spacious room accompanied with excellent service. This hotel has a focus on food and it delivers with the meals it provides. The only pet peeve I have is the shower could be more premium and spacious when compared to how big the room is tho I understand the focus of the onsen.

A 4,300-Yuan-a-Night “Prison” – The Single Worst Hotel Experience of My Life All I got for 4,300 RMB was a four-word lesson: “Once you pay, you obey.” 1. One-hour check-in queue, one lone staff member We arrived in the afternoon to find several families already stacked in the lobby. Only one Japanese-speaking employee was at the front desk; the rest of the crew stood around watching. No greetings, no apologies, no help for seniors or kids—just robotic bows that looked polite but solved nothing. 2. Zero English, zero empathy No basic English whatsoever. When my cane-carrying father-in-law needed help with luggage, staff simply stared until we hauled it ourselves. We tried pantomiming “less salt” and “please cook it”; the only reply was a flat “no, no” followed by a walk-off. I never knew you could pay to become instantly mute. 3. Dinner felt like an exam: raw fish only, want it cooked? File a request Our kaiseki menu opened with sashimi. My elderly relatives can’t eat raw food, so we politely asked if the kitchen could flash-sear a few slices. Answer: “Unless you submitted a written request 24 h in advance, the chef refuses.” Dishes arrived in random order; one of us was finished before the next course showed up. We begged three times for hot tea. Grandmother finally sighed, “Should’ve bought bentos at 7-Eleven.” 4. Onsen & public areas: tiny, packed, grimy The “hot-spring” tub is barely larger than a household bathtub. The powder room offers two mirror slots—cue hallway queue when more than four women show up. Yukata? “Only medium left, make do.” The so-called rotenburo overlooks the carport, scenery nil, and the water’s surface was decorated with someone else’s hair. 5. DIY check-out—4,300 yuan buys you self-service Morning of departure: not a soul at reception. We wandered around, finally dropped our keys into an unmanned box and left. No “thank you,” no taxi call, no bill confirmation—silence is their farewell gift. Summary This is NOT “traditional Japanese hospitality”; it’s a cold cash-grab where guests are expected to fend for themselves. For 4,300 yuan per night you can stay at a real five-star in Japan, yet here you get cramped rooms, mediocre food, minus-five-star service, and a masterclass in frustration. Don’t trust the brochure photos—any other ryokan in Jozankei would treat you better for the same money. Black-listed forever; consider yourself warned.

Hotel room with private bath was clean, spacious and super comfortable. Dinner was yummy. Overall highly recommend.

Great Hotel ever

Had a wonderful stay at Kuriyasuizan. I booked the room with outdoor bath in my own room, had a great soak at all hours of the day. The meals (dinner and breakfast) was wonderful, and service was great as well! Only drawback was the long walk from the kappaliner bus stop, it was a nightmare dragging 2 luggages up and down a thick snow covered slope, 6 mins walk on Google maps felt like 20 mins. If only there was a shuttle provided by the hotel 🤣

Very good!!! Great Onsen