Hotel Fuki no Mori

たまたま当日の宿泊者が少なかったせいも手伝ってか、かなりゆったりとした時間を過ごせた。設備、清潔さも行き届いておりご当地を生かした木曽の木材に囲まれた空間が焚いていたお香と良く融合されていた。

料理の部分で地のモノをふんだんに使って全体的には良かったが、夕食の締めの炊き込みご飯がパサパサしていて赤だしも少し冷めていたのが残念だった。体格の良い男性には少しボリュームに欠けるかな・・・

This is a gem, albeit best reached by car (we took a rental from Nagoya airport; about three hours drive). Can get there on public transport and a hotel shuttle from Nagiso station but having your own transport is way more convenient. We visited in mid December and there was some snow, but not much. In Jan / Feb a car with snow tires would be sensible. Property feels a bit like an Alpine lodge - lots of wood and natural light, views of mountains etc. It only has 12 rooms so not large. The included breakfast and dinner are excellent (as long as you like Japanese food): stayed three nights and every meal was delicious. Had a Japanese style room, so sitting on the floor and sleeping on futons, set out for you while you have dinner and then packed away while you have breakfast. Very comfortable (we thought) but if not your cup of tea there are some rooms with beds. The room was small but fine for three nights. There could be a bit more storage space but I think many people stay just for one night hence the breakfast / dinner package, with lunch not being an option - however there's an excellent little soba place five minutes drive away (one of the reasons why having a car is very useful). The room being quite small is offset by the spacious guest lounge which has fantastic views and free tea and coffee (fresh ground, not instant), with a wood burning stove. Perfect for relaxing with a book. The highlight is the onsen: the facilities at Fuki no Mori were outstanding. The small onsen is public but there were very few guests / visitors during our stay so it was mostly like a private onsen (there is also an actual private onsen). The indoor section has massive windows looking out into the trees (dusted with snow at the time) and there's an outdoor section as well. Also a hot sauna. Simply can't beat a long soak followed by a cold plunge (that mountain water is cold!) or lying in the outdoor bath on a cold morning with snow on the ground.

All basically excellent. Meals are at fixed time (breakfast is 0800 or 0830, dinner is 1800 or 1830) - eating dinner a little later would be my choice but it's not a complaint. I'd also like to be able to have a drink in the guest lounge before / after dinner, but this isn't allowed. However the staff very kindly warmed up a bottle of sake which we drank in the lobby, the lobby actually being a pretty nice place to sit.

Very nice with great food.

pricey

Beautiful and traditional

Nothing

An excellent traditional ryokan in the mountains, located not far from the authentic village (open-air museum) of Tsumago-juku. If you are hiking the Nakasendo Trail from Magome to Tsumago, our recommendation is to do the route in the opposite direction. Tsumago is much more interesting, with significantly fewer tourists. Regardless of the direction, the hike itself is highly recommended — the trail is very beautiful and not difficult at all. If you plan your hike on a weekend, concerns about bears are unnecessary: there are enough people on the trail to scare them away, but not so many that it feels crowded. If you finish your route in Tsumago and plan to take the hotel shuttle, make sure to be at Parking Lot 1 at the scheduled time. Regardless of whether the hotel replies to your request or not, the shuttle will be there waiting for you. As for the ryokan itself, it deserves only enthusiastic praise. You are greeted by a personal host, given a tour of the property, and treated to an outstanding Japanese dinner. The room is excellent, with a balcony and beautiful sunset views. There is a shared lounge with a fireplace and tea, as well as a wonderful onsen with a sauna, indoor and outdoor baths. At midnight, the onsen switches between women’s and men’s use. High-quality toiletries are provided. The classic Japanese-style room is beautiful and cozy, with very comfortable bedding. We did not even use the private bathroom, thanks to the onsen, which were surprisingly uncrowded. The hotel also has a beautiful garden. We visited in November, and there was always an outdoor fire burning. The smell of wood smoke and nature enhanced the feeling of being far from civilization, with the entire experience focused purely on relaxation. The Japanese-style breakfast was also excellent. In the morning, the shuttle will take you either back to Tsumago or to the train station.

There is a shuttle to the hotel, but the booking process is not very clear. I contacted the hotel via Booking.com and did not receive a reply, then sent a text message with no response as well. Only after calling did they confirm that the shuttle would be available. This was somewhat stressful, especially considering that there is no alternative way to reach the hotel.

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Great and quite location