Nukumorino-yado Komanoyu

The rooms were spacious and comfortable. We very much enjoyed the Eastern Style bedrooms and private onsen that was onsite. The starry night tour was also a highlight, we had clear skies and we were even able to see the rings of Saturn through the provided telescope! The meals were generous which we greatly appreciated after hiking most of the day.

The facilities are a little worn but nothing beyond cosmetic issues (scuffed walls, etc.)

Amazing experience

Nothing

We really enjoyed our stay at Nukumorino-yado Komanoyu. It’s around a 20-minute drive from Kiso-Fukushima, but the ryokan offers a shuttle service and we were picked up directly outside Kiso-Fukushima Station, which made getting there very easy. One of the highlights was our room. We loved the mix of traditional Japanese design with modern comforts, particularly the tatami, beautiful use of wood throughout and the overall layout. It felt spacious, warm and very relaxing. Being able to connect to YouTube on the TV was also a surprisingly nice touch after a long day exploring the Kiso Valley! We slept really well. The dinner was probably the standout experience for us. I’m vegetarian and the ryokan tailored both dinner and breakfast for me, with no meat or fish. This can sometimes be difficult to arrange at traditional ryokans in Japan, so I really appreciated the effort they made. Rather than simply removing dishes, I was given a proper multi-course meal with lots of different flavours and textures. I particularly enjoyed the tofu dishes, tempura, soba and the small local-style dishes. Everything was beautifully presented and it felt like I was still getting the full ryokan dining experience. My husband eats meat, so he was able to enjoy the standard menu alongside my vegetarian version. We also booked one of the private onsens, which was perfect for us as a couple. The mineral water had a distinctive brown colour and the whole experience felt wonderfully relaxing and private. Overall, this was a lovely place to stay while exploring the Kiso Valley. The combination of the beautiful Japanese interiors, private onsen, very comfortable night's sleep, excellent food and the care taken to accommodate a vegetarian diet made it particularly memorable. I’d definitely recommend it, especially to vegetarian travellers who want to experience a traditional ryokan meal.

The shoes that we had to wear outside of our rooms were a small fit and I ended up going barefoot with just my socks down to the dinner hall.

Good dinner and breakfast, shuttle to/from station, large room, Onsen facilities

Some of the staff were inexperienced and lacking in training. The place is well worn and, in places, in need of repair or replacement. Situated in a forested area but no way to easily spend time outside.