Name: Rekishi-no-Yado Kanaguya
Address: 2202 Hirao, Yamanouchi-machi, Shimotakai-gun, Nagano Prefecture, Yamanouchi, Yamanouchi, Yamanouchi, 3810401, Japan
Rating: 8

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Rekishi-no-Yado Kanaguya

Highlight of our Japan trip. Such a special ryoken and loveliest staff. The onsens were fabulous, the rooms were traditional and very clean, food was delicious and varied. We felt very cared for and I couldn’t recommend this experience enough.

This is the best thing we did in Japan. The room was traditional and comfortable with a beautiful view of the town, the town and ryokan’s dozen baths were curative, beautiful, and unique. Take it slow, explore the town, enjoy the incredible food. They were able to accommodate my friend’s gluten intolerance easily and without disruption. The area offers incredible hiking, so taking a day trip is easy. 

I’m shocked by any reviews of this architectural treasure where it’s not being given it’s fair marks.   No, it’s not a 5 star hotel, but it is 5 stars in a unique very Japanese experience teeming with history!!  The rooms are simple but elegant and super clean.   The provided dinner and breakfast are excellent and again — another experience in tradition of this culture.  Don’t skip the history tour of the Ryokan.   It’s very informative and gives you insight to all the unique floors, windows and lighting.   It’s very easy to get lost inside this place!!  It’s like a fun house wrapped in a tree house laid out like a maze and it takes a few (ok — a LOT) of trips around the horn to find your way anywhere.   I felt a personal victory when I finally found my way back to my room!  

So let’s talk about the hot springs, cuz that’s probably why you’re here right?      HOT is an understatement.   The water in these baths is about 120ºF.   That is really hot and if you are like me and find a hot tub at 104º a little too warm, good luck with these!   After 10+ minutes, I managed to get halfway in, but I couldn’t take it very long.   The interior baths of the Ryokan were beautiful, but we preferred the outside rooftop one just because the cold night air helped with the overall tolerability of that hot water.    

Venturing out about the town at night in your robe and wooden shoes is also part of the adventure.  It’s so cute when the village is lit up.   You get a public bath map and a master key from the Inn that lets you access any of those public baths as you walk around.   After seeing the cool baths of the inn, the pubic ones were just OK.   There’s a foot soak spot however that we loved.   It has a cold water faucet you can turn on while in there to make the water temp just perfect for you!!!

I just loved our stop here.   It’s a 1 night/2 max stay if you’re on a travel itinerary around Japan.  

We just finished a  2 nights in this incredible Ryokan. The rooms are huge, beautiful, in a splendid Japanese style.
Food is full of various taste. I enjoyed breakfast and dinner.
The staff is very attentive, always smiling.
And don't forget the to go in the outside onsen.
In summary it was perfect, tanks for this stay

Stayed at the Kanaguya ryokan in the small onsen town of Shibu Onsen from 24-26 December 2018. 

From Osaka we took a Nozumi Shinkansen to Nagoya, then hopped onto the Limited Express Shinona to Nagano, then onto a local train to Yudanaka, before finally taking a mini-van provided by the ryokan which brought us to the ryokan’s doorstep. The whole journey took us more than four hours. 

Kanaguya is the inspiration for the ryokan in the Japanese anime Spirited Away. Once you see it in real life it’s not difficult to see why. The whole building reeks of an old world charm that is immaculately maintained. From the wooden floors to the tatami rooms to the eight different onsens within its premises, it’s an experience like no other. 

Five of the onsens are private, which means it is first-come-first-serve without a need for prior reservations. Just go and try your luck. There is no limit on the time you can spend in them. 

Two of the onsens are open for all guests but with different timings for men and women. The last one of which is always available and divided between men and women. 

Our room on the fourth floor is quite huge. There is an entrance area and a sitting/sleeping area. It is spotless and with a view of the street outside and the snow capped mountains in the distance. The ryokan, unfortunately, is not disabled or wheelchair friendly - there are rather steep stairs throughout the building. Access to the elevator requires a climb up a flight of stairs and there are more stairs to negotiate between the elevator and our room. 

The food, as is the case with almost all ryokans, is amazingly good - both in taste and presentation. Our breakfast and dinner were served in a dining room on the sixth floor. Service was excellent as would be expected in such an establishment. Greetings and smiles were the order of the day. Our beddings were laid out for us when we were at dinner and kept when we were at breakfast. 

If you are here to see the snow monkeys taking a dip in an outdoor onsen, you can either take a bus and walk, or take a 30-minute walk to the Snow Monkey Park. The roads to the Park are all well-paved. 

This is an excellent choice of ryokan if you are looking for some peace, quiet, excellent food and perhaps some couple time in the private onsens. 



Kanaguya is a Ryokan that goes back 250 years, which is famous amongst the Japanese (construction completed in 1936). It’s officially recognized as a ‘Cultural Asset’ and is a labyrinth-like museum and luxury accommodation. Not many westerners know of this place, as you won’t find it on most travel websites, but I assure you it is worth the effort to make a booking (Asian travel sites, or directly on their website).

This is by far the best accommodation in the area, offering various unique, incredibly spacious and engrossingly historic rooms. Wander the many halls and passageways laden with artwork and antiques, and pop you head in at various common areas along the way – that alone is both fascinating and entertaining.

One of the main attractions of Kanaguya is the 8 different Onsen (hot baths) located within the facility, as well as access to the dozen or so Onsen found throughout the village (only available to those staying overnight). The town is quaint, full of Temples, Shrines and funs stops like the Shooting Gallery, Sake Museum/Bar and Craft Brewery/Restaurant, just to name a few attractions. The showstopper however is the nearby Jigokudani Monkey Park, the only place in the world to see the snow monkeys. Shibu Onsen is the closest village to the park. Most tourists take day-trips from elsewhere, by doing so these oblivious hoards are missing out.

The meals are included ta Kanaguya and they’re nothing short of amazing (this renders the overall price fairly reasonable, when all is said and done). Served in the traditional-style dining hall, they are Kaiseki-style and over the top. The many dishes are beautiful, delicious and served in generous proportions far too voluminous for any appetite – reams of Wagyu beef, Abalone, Shrimp, other local delicacies abound. We foodies had to wave the white flag more than once, because we just couldn’t eat another bite. Another part of the charm was wearing Yukata’s (provided in your room) to all meals – breakfast and dinner. This seemed strange at first, but we warmed to the idea once we recognized that it added an additional element of enjoyment, immersing us completely into the cultural experience.

The service was just as impressive, with an incredibly responsive and friendly staff that spoke more English than we initially expected. They even provide a regular shuttle to the main train station in the neighbouring town, which made our departure far more convenient.

The only word of caution I would extend is that Ryokans are for the more adventurous soul. If you get frazzled when your accommodations aren’t Sheraton-like, this might not be the place for you. Japanese futons aren’t that far off from camping (sleeping on a quilted mat, directly on the floor). Most chairs have no legs and the tables are low. There’s no shower in the rooms and the bath is shaped like a walk-in tub – without the door. If you like trying something a little different for a few days, you’ll love Kanaguya; but if you can’t be without your home comforts and are unsteady on your feet, you’ll feel quite differently. As for us (in our mid-50s) – we thank our lucky stars that we had such an intriguing and authentic experience during our Japanese trip!

My family and I had the pleasure of staying one night at Kanaguya this past weekend. Aside from being a “registered tangible cultural property” of Japan, you feel as if you’ve been spirited away at this ryokan that exudes nostalgia of a time long gone. Visitors can soak in a total of 8 baths—five of which are reservable for your signature other or family. The “rotenburo” (outdoor bath) was so beautiful as it reflected the Milky Way late at night. The “Romanburo” (Roman-style bath) perhaps is the highlight of Kanaguyu and is decorated with gorgeous stained glass windows. The room we stayed in was uber retro and I was in awe of the architecture that boasted wood carved door panels and roof. This is truly a lovely, retro ryokan for anyone who would like to experience  an authentic Japanese-style inn in the lovely Shibu Onsen. 

When choosing this Ryokan, I am looking for a traditional one rather the modern one. Ands it definitely fits this category. I expect that the room would be a bit old and dim, but not at all. The maintenance is very good. There are lots of public and free private onsen in the Ryokan. The meal is very good. Staffs are helpful, they drove my car to the parking lot mins away. 

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Charming and captivating experience

Once in a lifetime experience!

Like A Night At The Museum!

Amazing Ryokan - A must do

Historic, charming and excellent service

Hidden Historic Gem You Can’t Afford to Miss!

Historical Ryokan with Touch of Nostalgia 

Japanese Ryokan in historical building with lots of hot spring

This is a very small town and although we’ve seen many foreigners visiting this town and this hotel on Youtube (one of the reasons we decided to stay here), it is very foreigner ‘unfriendly’ to say the least.  It seemed hotel staff only spoke Japanese, so if you don’t speak it, it will be very difficult to enjoy the amenities.  Staff were nice, but not very flexible (strictly by the rules, we supposed) thus not as accommodating as other ryokans we’ve stayed in.  Dinner was very nicely presented and tasty…so many dishes that we couldn’t finish all (& we are big eaters) …felt bad leaving food untouched :(. The 9 Onsen tour was on my Bucket List and we got that done in less than an hour not by choice but because the water was soooooooo hot that we couldn’t even stick our feet in…almost scorched the bottom of my feet from. Very disappointing :(.

Rekishi-no-Yado Kanaguya

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