Ryokan in Karuizawa

Karuizawa, in Nagano, is 80 minutes from Tokyo by Hokuriku Shinkansen, and the resort we review here, HOSHINOYA Karuizawa, is where Hoshino Resorts began: the family's hot-spring inn of 1914 was rebuilt in 2005 as the first Hoshinoya, a gated 'village in a valley' of 77 rooms set along terraced water channels beside the Hoshino area. The official Japanese page lists a free, reservation-only shuttle from Naka-Karuizawa Station, though earlier guests were picked up at Karuizawa Station; a taxi from Karuizawa Station takes about 15 minutes, much longer in summer traffic. Staff drive you to your room in a small EV, rooms have no TV and are warmed by geothermal floor heating, and only guests and staff are allowed inside. The water is Hoshino Onsen, a simple alkaline spring opened in 1915 and described officially as free-flowing. Inside the resort, the guests-only Meditation Bath leads through a dark water passage from a 'room of light' to a 'room of darkness'; outside, guests can use the public Tombo-no-yu spa, which is theirs alone from 9:00 to 10:00.

The one resort we review here suits anyone who wants stillness and design and can pay for it. Japanese guests praise the quiet rooms and calm atmosphere, giving it 4.24 across 83 reviews on one review map, along with the river-side Mizunami rooms, free drinks in the library and terrace lounges, and seasonal kaiseki at the Kasuke restaurant. Price is the sore point: rooms are sold without meals by default, dinner at Kasuke is ¥21,780 per adult, and bloggers' bills run from ¥177,016 for two nights room-only for a family of four to about ¥250,000 for one night for two with meals. Several reviewers call the value poor or the service assembly-line, the Mountain Alley rooms have steep stairs and no lift, and Harunire Terrace and Tombo-no-yu in the public Hoshino area get crowded. Dog rooms are available, one-night stays can be booked only from 30 days ahead, and check-out is at 12:00.