Izumiya Zenbe

The ryokan was beautiful and very peaceful. It was raining that day and so we stayed in our room and relaxed. The bus gave easy access to the main sights (the castle) and the main station. The staff was very friendly and accommodating, not to mention patient.

The location, while easy to get to by bus, was far from the center of Matsumoto. The only problem with that was when it came to finding restaurants for dinner. There were only a few nearby and they all happened to be closed that evening. We had originally chosen not to eat at the property because it was quite expensive (normally at ryokans you must tell them ahead of time whether you want to eat there or not), but after we failed to find anything within walking distance, the hotel graciously offered to make us a sushi dinner, which was not as expensive. The property was beautiful and authentic; we were the only foreigners that night. The staff did not speak much English but they had materials printed in English to communicate with us. Most things went fine, but we had some trouble communicating when we tried to find our private onsen bath.

Love the food, the onsen, and the relaxing atmosphere

Honestly, the place has little to add. It is a bit far from the main touristic place, but it is perfect you if want to find some peaceful location.

The Ryokan is beautiful, based in the outskirts of Matsumoto. It’s in a very quiet area and is ideal for couples. The room is fairly large, spotlessly clean and comfortable. We took advantage of the option to rent a private Onsen within the facilities which was perfect. We loved it.

Our room was located relatively close to the kitchen so unfortunately we were woken up by noise already at 7:30. The walls are paper thin so we could hear everything. Another issue is that the Ryokan is far from the city central. If you arrive from Matsumoto station it’s either an hour walk, or taxi ride away (which is about 2000 yen). Buses were available back to the city but we couldn’t find public transportation to take us from the city to the hotel at the end of the day. Staff was very friendly but had limited English.