Karuizawa Pension Sato no Nukumori

The place is old and shabby. The staff not very attentive and helpful. Maybe due to language barrier.

This place was quite a new experience for me. I was looking for somewhere to stay without realizing that it was Silver Week in Japan and also a weekend. Most hotels were either fully booked or extremely expensive, so this was basically the only affordable place I could find. When I arrived, I got a room for three people. There are no beds — you sleep on futons placed directly on the floor, which is fine and part of the traditional Japanese-style experience. However, the room itself was quite old and not very clean. There were quite a lot of cobwebs and some insects inside. There is no private bathroom, and although the room has an air conditioner, it was covered in a lot of dust and I couldn’t really use it. Even though the weather outside was cool, the room felt stuffy without any airflow. Opening the window wasn’t really an option either, as insects would fly in very quickly. I also tried turning on the heater, but after a short while it started producing smoke, so I immediately turned it off. This happened at around 11 PM, which was already outside the staff’s normal working hours. I rang the bell anyway, and I really appreciated that a staff member still came to help. They were very kind and tried to find a solution for me. Eventually, they brought me an old fan. It was also quite dusty, but honestly, it was still much better than having no airflow at all. The bathing area is shared, which I personally didn’t mind. It actually gives you a little bit of an onsen-style experience, and you can use the hot bath from 3 PM until 10 AM, so you can basically enjoy it throughout the night. They also provide plenty of amenities, and the products provided were surprisingly good. The toilet is very small, but that’s something you often find in Japan, so it wasn’t a major issue for me. Overall, the room is small, old, and definitely could be cleaner and better maintained. On the positive side, the staff were very kind and helpful, the shared bath is available almost all night, there are plenty of amenities, free umbrellas to borrow, parking available, and the price is affordable. Considering the price, I think it’s reasonable value if you don’t mind staying in an older, traditional-style accommodation. The biggest improvements I would suggest are better cleaning and maintenance, especially the dust, cobwebs, insects, air conditioner, and heater.

Good location not far from train and bus. Close to pond quiet. Good value

I smell something during stay all the time in my room so can not sleep well.