Kofukan

Stayed at Kofukan in March '24. The room had a great view. The public onsen has an outdoor onsen, that was really nice after a steaming hot onsen. They also have private onsen for booking on an hourly basis. Our booking came with breakfast, they serve breakfast early enough for snowboarders to arrive in time for first lift. You can opt for Japanese or western style breakfast. The front of house is also the driver to bring us to the resorts. Be sure to arrive on time, he will really leave on time during evening pick ups. For the snowboarders/skiiers, they have a drying room in the basement for you to leave your gear overnight. They also have discounted lift passes with a few resorts, so do bring more cash with you cos they only take cash payment for these discounted tickets.

Despite the poor weather during our visit we had a very enjoyable short ski stay at Kofukan. We would highlight especially the friendliness of the staff, the cozy atmosphere with traditional interior, and the amazing onsen which has both indoor and outdoor areas (both gender-separated) ♨️ – as an additional bonus, they run free shuttles to and from the Myoko ski resorts in the morning and the afternoon; you can get discounted ski passes and rental vouchers at the reception (don't forget to bring cash); and they are also happy to give you a ride to and from the train station upon arrival and departure. All in all, Kofukan is an amazing choice for an affordable ski holiday in the region. We do have to mention a few areas for improvement as well. First, even though they asked us at what hour we wanted to have breakfast, regardless of the time we gave them, we would get a call in our room at around 7:30am that our breakfast was ready – and then by the time we would show up at the time we specified, our scrambled eggs would get cold; it would perhaps be better to just tell everyone that breakfast is always at 7:30am – then we could've set our alarm accordingly. And second, like many other reviews already did, we also have to mention that the buildings and the facilities do show signs of wear and tear – while we found the "old-school" style charming, the lack of certain modern comforts (like e.g. a mixer tap in the bathroom) might not be satisfactory for everyone.

Loved how traditional this ryokan was and the hospitality was warm and great. We enjoyed our meals and stay here. Every morning, our Japanese breakfast was different and we also tried their kaiseki dinner for one evening and it was great value. All in, a great place to stay if you want to be away from the crowds/large chain hotels and an authentic Japanese experience. I highly recommend it!

Great location with plenty of parking. Lovely warm welcome on arrival from a very kind and friendly gentleman on the desk. He talked through everything and showed us to our rooms and to where the Onsen was. The room was simple but traditional with a futon and table/chair in the tatami room and a separate seated area but large windows with a view. In here was a sink and a fridge with a selection drinks you could purchase which was a nice touch. Hot water and a tea set are also provided in the room as well as a yukata and coat for use in the hotel. There is a fabulous onsen available with indoor and outdoor baths onsite which was very welcome after a long day travelling. Everywhere was clean tidy. Yes, it's a little old and could maybe do with some work here and there, that but that does not take away from its charm and the hospitality of the staff. Will definately return.

Staff, food, location, hotel environment were all great. Photos on website are accurate. Rooms were warm, comfortable, and clean. We had a room with unsuited and it was perfect for our stay (3 adults).