Name: Takimoto
Address: 2279 Hirao, Yamanouchi, Shimotakai-gun, Yamanouchi, Yamanouchi, Yamanouchi, 381-0401, Japan
Rating: 8

Shopping on site

Air conditioning

Elevator/lift

Smoking areas

Smoke-free property

Heating

Gift shop

General

Fridge

Family room

Bathrobe

Rooms

Laundry

Luggage storage

Telephone

Services and amenities

Restaurant

Meals

Free Wi-Fi

Internet

Car rental

Transfer

Bike rental

Hiking

Fishing

Recreation

Free parking

Parking nearby

Parking

Table Tennis

Golf сourse (within 3 km)

Sports

Skiing

Winter sports

Location

At the hotel

Room amenities

Takimoto

Yamanouchi

child-bed

child-bed-fee

external-private-bathroom

private-bathroom

shared-bathroom

10-beds

11-beds

12-beds

13-beds

14-beds

15-beds

16-beds

17-beds

18-beds

19-beds

2-beds

20-beds

21-beds

22-beds

23-beds

24-beds

25-beds

26-beds

27-beds

28-beds

29-beds

3-beds

30-beds

31-beds

32-beds

33-beds

34-beds

35-beds

36-beds

37-beds

38-beds

39-beds

4-beds

40-beds

5-beds

6-beds

7-beds

8-beds

9-beds

king-bed

queen-bed

limited-time

lounge

treatment

no-window

bay-view

bosphorus-view

canal-view

city-view

courtyard-view

garden-view

golf-view

harbour-view

inland-view

lake-view

land-view

mountain-view

ocean-front

ocean-view

oceanside

panoramic-view

park-view

partial-ocean-view

partial-sea-view

partial-view

pool-view

river-view

sea-front

sea-view

street-view

sunrise-view

sunset-view

water-view

with-view

annex

basement

main-building

1-bedroom

2-bedrooms

3-bedrooms

4-bedrooms

5-bedrooms

6-bedrooms

not-guaranteed

wired-internet-access

smoking

sauna

duplex

safe

mini-bar

breakfast-for-1

breakfast-for-2

pets-allowed

wi-fi

kitchen

The room was extremely spacious and kept us warm even at -10° outside thanks to extra heaters and cozy futons provided. Our private outdoor onsen was very warm and could be used even during coldest times (you can easily add cooler water if you feel like it is too hot). Lunch and dinner consisted of many many small plates continuously served and prepared with great care, which we enjoyed a lot (even if you don't enjoy every single dish served, you will have enough food). The couple running the ryokan helped us with small requests and was very attentive. Location in the middle of Shibu Onsen is perfect for visiting the Onsens, and it's easy to find transportation to the Snow Monkey Park and Ski resorts.
Overall, we've had a great experience, and we were very positively surprised, especially given that our stay was booked last-minute and not very expensive.

Very good stay 

My wife and I booked the Ryokan for 2 nights in Dec 2016. The ryokan looked dated. When we first got into the room, we were greeted with a musty smell. There are traces of mould on the cabinet panels. The heating was provided by a small kerosene operated heater. When it's on, it released a pungent kerosene smell into the enclosed room. Since the heater was small, it could not heat up the whole room. So other parts of the room was very cold, exacerbated by the wintry weather outside. To make things worse, the heater will turn off automatically after every 30mins. We went to the staff to get them to turn up the heat. The reply was to keep turning on the heater after every 30mins throughout the night! After our persistent complains and threat that we will check out,they agreed reluctantly to turn on another (rather dated) set of heater sitting at one corner of the room. We went for the bath when they turned on the heater. 

After the bath, we smelled something burning when we returned to the room. We realised that it could be the old heater. We quickly turned that heater off in fear of fire. We switched back to the kerosene heater. Our room was in turned filled with kerosene smell. We figured that we could pass out/die from kerosene fumes in an enclosed space in our sleep. So we turned off the heater and slept through the night in sub zero temperature. So it's either death by asphyxiation or from hyperthermia. We did not die but my wife caught a terrible cold as a result. 

We checked out the next morning and we told the owner that my wife has became sick as a result of the bad heating. He did not even bother to refund us. We were fortunate to book a hotel in Nagano. My wife went to the hospital there due to the bad cold. 

The facility is dated. The rooftop bath is only for soaking. You need to bath at the bath on the 1st floor and then climbed up to the roof to soak. It just did not make sense. We find the bath below standard. 

There's no attached toilet. If you need to take a leak in the middle of the night, you need to go to the common toilet outside of the room through the freezing corridors. 

I note that there are some good reviews on this ryokan. We cannot find anything good about this ryokan. Stay only if you have to. Otherwise I would advise that you stay in Nagano and take a train/bus up to Yudanaka/Kanbayashi carpark if your sole purpose is only to see the snow monkeys. 

PS: The kerosene smell was so bad that when we opened our luggage in the Nagano hotel, the kerosene smell immediately came out of the luggage and stank the room momentarily. 

Visit on Dec 2016

I love this ryokan. Though it's look old but so clean and so beautiful. I got the front side room. The room is huge!!! It's separated for 4 parts; toilet/dressing/living room/tea room(with the large japanese windows). I love this town a lot. You can hear the river sound along thr night. Walking following the old stone ground along the city with warm steam from hot spring. Takimoto has own 4 onsens! Outdoor and indoor. Though it's medium or small side but it's sooo great. Halfboard is delicious both breakfast and dinner. I enjoy and yummy. The location is great at the middle of shibu road. I wear yukata then go in/out for public onsen. Ryokan staffs cannot speak English a lot but body language helps us :-) They have good service.

Peaceful ryokan among the river sound

I highly recommend the Takimoto Ryokan for it's excellent service, great location, and quiet traditional comfort. The Takimoto Ryokan is an oldish traditonal inn owned and run by the Takimoto family. They were amazing hosts who gave as a fantastic experience. The ryokan is in an excellent location in the quiet onsen village of Shibu. On one side of the ryokan is the river and on the other the centuries-old cobblestone street. There are private onsen in the inn and famous old public onsen right outside along the street. 

We came during the slow season in the middle of winter. At first we were the only guests in the inn, it's quiet, dark and old enough to be creepy enough to be fun. Our children had a blast playing hide and seek in the inn and bathing in the family onsen. There are trails and temples nearby to explore as well. The best local attraction is the famous Jigokudani snow monkey park. It's a gorgeous area with snow monkeys bathing in hotsprings and playing in the snow. 

Near the ryokan are several small traditional noodle restaurants. However, the best food, though expensive, is the tradional Kyoto style meal served by the inn. It was amazing! The Takimoto family are the reason this rykan is so good. They took excellent care of us, going above and beyond to make us feel welcome. I highly recommend visiting Shibu Onsen and staying at the Takimoto Ryokan.

If you don't have a car, there is a public bus that runs from the Yamanouchi train station and stops right outside the inn, close to the snow monkey bus parking lot and bridge. Taxis are easy from the train station into Shibu, but less convenient returning.

Takimoto

Main amenities of the hotel

Available rooms

Location

Description of the hotel

What other amenities are there?

Policies

Check-in terms and conditions

Additional information

Payment