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Secret hidden place deep in the mountains 10 minutes to snow monkeys 15 minute walk to mikasa best restaurant katsudon and Raman …30 minute bus to shiga kogen family resort ichinoses…perfect trip ..24 hour free onsen in hostel …the best onsen we saw …temple right best door …cant believe we found this place

For the price paid, i can't complain much. However, upon arriving there where extra charges for shower/onsen usage, towels and parking. We were also told we could upgrade our room to have a private bathroom but realised it was only a private toilet bowl and sink with no heating. Rooms were big and clean enough. Onsen is pretty decent but you do have to climb 1-2 floors to access daily. We were there for snowboarding so location wise it only made sense because we rented a car, which is also at least a 20-30min drive to the nearest ski resort (shiga kogen). I believe its near the monkey onsen town but i couldn't care less about that so i'm not sure. Overall, we went with Nozaru onsen for the affordable 10 day stay. However, this trip has taught me that sometimes paying a bit more for more comfortable accoms, especially if it isn't a short stay, is well worth it. Those looking to drive i would recommended basing yourself nearer to the city nagano, that way there are plenty of resorts within a 1hour drive radius to explore.

Property offers good value though since it isn’t part of the Onsen organization at Shibu Onsen, you will have to pay extra to use the publicly maintained ones. Nozaru hostel offers a private onsen in the building that is gender segregated though the male experience is far superior compared to the female one. Room contains a kerosine/electric heater and kotatsu (heated blanket table) that you can use in the winter. Location is really convenient for people that want to enjoy the Onsen town and also easy access to jigokudani (snow monkeys). Keep in mind since it is considered the countryside, shopping options are extremely limited. You can rent towels and a yukata to walk around between the public onsens if you so choose. To use the public onsens, you will have to pay at the tourist centre

Dirty and ill equipped kitchen, and common spaces, only one bathroom for 4 floors. Staff sees the mostly gaijin clientele as walking ATM's. There are much better places for the money. It is in a great location for checking out the onsen town and catching the bus to Shigakogen. Parking is paid and about 10min walk away.

Really liked the location however it was very cold! No heating through the entire building/ common areas. Rooms only relied on a petrel heater which turned off every 30 minutes. Our neighbours also were yelling at each other and fighting. Which could be heard through the walls all night. Bathroom was only on the first floor.