Ryokans in Zao Onsen

Family friendly (we were family of 6, 8 yo, 14 yo , 18 yo and 3 adults), the hosts/owner was very accommodating, kind and helpful. Room was clean, traditional tatami room, also kept clean every morning. The dinner and breakfast is a must have if you want to experience traditional, delicious, home cooked Japanese meal (locally sourced). Few mins walk from all the 3 public onsens which is very convenient, you get to try them for free too (the ryokan provides the coupons for you). The inhouse public onsen is also a great option, a few steps from the rooms. For those who ski/snowboard, it is also a few minute walk from the Ski resort (ski ticketing/renting area). You can buy lift tickets from the ryokan at a discounted rate as well They also assisted is in shipping (Takuhaibin) our 5 luggage of ski gears to our next destination.

Both onsens were amazing. The staff were very kind. Food was out of this world, all sourced from the area. We had a Cedar tub in our room and it was great for soaking, plus it hae an amazing view.

very nice place , good vibe , kind of staff ,

We had an excellent stay, food and presentations were exquisite. We admired the thought that went into presenting food in dishes that are compatible with the “mood” of the food. Only 5 minutes walk to the lift. Staff were professional, rooms were comfortable and clean. We really enjoyed our stay.

We thoroughly enjoyed our stay. Having stayed at Zao Onsen thirty years ago when I worked in Japan, I wanted to share the Zao Onsen experience with my husband, and chose this hotel on the basis of the photos and reviews on Booking.com. On arrival, it all seemed very familiar. After experiencing the onsen bath, and the location of our room, I'm quite sure I had chosen the same hotel where I stayed back then! Obviously it has been quite recently refurbished, but there are some parts that don't change so much. We opted to have dinner at the hotel, which was excellent. Due to some confusion about exactly where the Z90 bus for Zao Onsen left Yamagata city,we missed the bus we wanted to take, so arrived around 6.45pm. (According to Google Maps, we could catch the Z90 from a stop about 50 yards from our previous hotel, but the reception staff there insisted we had to go to Yamagata station... so we missed the bus by one minute. After an hour and a half wait for the next one, the first stop after Yamagata station was, yes, you guessed it, 50 yards from our previous hotel!) As dinner is set out with fresh ingredients to be cooked at your table, you can't be later than 7pm. There is a shuttle bus from the hotel to Zao bus termius, but we didn't know about it, so walked to the hotel. Unfortunately, the short cut route we had planned was closed due to road works, so it was a much longer, and steeper, walk. The next morning, we got the shuttle bus to the bus terminus to return to Yamagata city. The onsen is really wonderful. Zao has a very special PH balance to the water. The bath at this onsen is superb.

Good location and good food.

They have good location, nice onsen, friendly staff.

Wonderful stay. The breakfast was absolutely amazing, the interior is beautiful, my room was much bigger I thought it would, the massage chairs were an absolute plus. The onsen was smaller than I expected however they are plenty other baths in the town if you want to have the big onsen experience, therefore it is not an issue.

Hotel and room is clean and new and spacious. Friendly staff. Free shuttle van service to and fro. ski slope morning and afternoon. Buffet breakfast and included dinner is superb. Onsen in the hotel and free access to outdoor onsen which is 1min walk away.

Jacky was great during our hotel stay. It was awesome we could chat in Taiwanese. That tea on New Year's Eve was so warm and lovely.