Kawamotoya

The style of the hotel intrigues me. It appears to be recently renovated and, to my inexpert eye, seems to be a blend of traditional Japanese Ryokan and standard, Western style hotel. The floors were covered with tatami matting interspersed with high quality wood, and everyone was expected to remove their shoes in the entrance area before entering the lobby. However, my bed was a mattress, not a futon. I liked it. My room had another pleasing feature that I did not expect. It was a big room which contained two big beds, two big windows, and a lot of floor space, and – here’s the surprising part - a small kitchen with sink, hob, oven, fridge/freezer, and a big range of crockery, utensils, and cooking equipment. It also had a small dining table. As much an apartment as a hotel room. I didn’t use the kitchen facilities much because Nozawa Onsen has a diverse range of great dining opportunities within easy walking distance of the hotel (I recommend you discover Food Village Kongou, or eat burritos at Juntos or Sol Green). The hotel staff were great. Relaxed, informal style, but relaxed did not mean unprofessional or lax. They provided me with everything I needed when I needed it, including morning shuttle to the ski lift station, and help filling in the waybills to send my skis and ski boots to Tokyo Airport via the Takuhaibin courier service. Compared to most of my experience of hotel breakfasts, breakfast here was unusual. Instead of an all-you-can-eat highly varied breakfast buffet, I had to get my breakfast from a small snack bar / coffee shop in the lobby. I could order one item, large or small, from the menu as part of my B&B deal; if I ordered a second item, of whatever size, I had to pay extra for it. A waitress took my order and brought to me. Is this good or bad? I guess it depends on your preference. I like big and varied breakfasts and I don’t mind the breakfast buffet scrum, but if you only eat small breakfasts and like table service, you might actually prefer the Kawamotoya breakfast approach.