5-Star Hotels in Nagano Prefecture, Japan

I highly recommend this onsen hotel, ranked among the top 30 in all of Japan, to anyone visiting Matsumoto! The room views, hot springs, food, and service are all impeccable. Having stayed at many Japanese onsen hotels, this one truly offers excellent value for money. Service: The hotel is a 20-minute drive from JR Station and provides a shuttle service. When you arrive at Matsumoto Station, you can leave your luggage at the ACE Hotel, part of the same group, freeing you up to explore. ACE then delivers your luggage to Shoho by 4 PM, which is a very thoughtful arrangement. The front desk service is warm and friendly. A gentleman named Ito helped us book a restaurant in Ise for the next day, making several calls until he finally secured a reservation, for which we are very grateful 🙏. Ambiance: The 56-square-meter mountain-view room is spacious and comfortable, with views of a small town nestled beneath snow-capped mountains right outside the window. The sunrise and sunset are absolutely beautiful. The large public baths on both sides offer unique scenic experiences and are both worth trying, especially the snow mountain view bath, which provides expansive vistas. Facilities: The room is very well-maintained and fully equipped. The hotel also has a souvenir shop, and complimentary drinks are available in the afternoon. Dining: The half-board plan includes a multi-course kaiseki dinner and a buffet breakfast. The variety is extensive, the food is delicious, and it's well worth the price. If you opt not to include meals, there's a ramen restaurant in the hotel, catering to various budgets.

The hotel's public areas are lovely, and while breakfast isn't extensive, there's enough to fill you up with good choices. The hot springs area is also great, with complete facilities and amenities. The only downside was the room. When we stayed, there was a constant, strange noise from some equipment – I'm not sure if it was the air conditioning, exhaust fan, or something else. We didn't bother changing rooms to avoid hassle. Also, it was incredibly dry in the room during winter, and even though there was a humidifier, it was very noisy when turned on. 😂 Perhaps a summer visit would be more comfortable.

This hotel is definitely one for the bucket list! The service is excellent, and the food is delicious. They also offer a shuttle service to Karuizawa Station, with a polite driver and soft music playing in the car. My only minor complaint is that the hotel doesn't provide bicycle rentals, but you can easily find rental shops nearby.

We do really love this hotel. It’s on our special occasion and they contacted us prior to arrive if we want to have cake. They also arrange a hand written card which is very cute. The room is spacious with nice decoration, room also have a kitchen and dining area with ding tools. Staff is very helpful and friendly, we planned for a cherry blossom but it’s too soon. She recommends us for a nearby town with full bloom period. I can’t remember her name but she’s great. For next time in Hakuba, we’ll surely stay here again!

Amazing experience as always with the Fufu brand. We stayed at the Hakone one previously and thought it was one of the best hotel experiences we've ever had. Our trip to Karuizawa this time was driven by our intent to try Fufu Kyukaruizawa, and it did not disappoint one bit. From the zen interior to the most attentive and friendly staff to the never-ending dining experiences (yes, even for breakfast it was a multi course menu), we were utterly blown away by our two-night stay. The fireplace in the lobby and in our room was such a pleasant touch even though we stayed during May, our teppanyaki chef personally seeing us out to the lift and bowing until we were out of sight shows how they go above and beyond, and we really appreciated how at each interaction the staff knew and clarified our coming arrangements, ensuring our entire stay was a seamless experience. Fufu remains our favourite Japanese hotel brand. Just wish they had a loyalty program as we are looking to check off all the Fufu hotels in our lifetime.

The hotel facilities were fantastic, I absolutely loved them. However, after dragging my luggage to the train station, I spent a long time looking for the hotel shuttle because the instructions didn't clearly state which exit to use. I had to ask many people before I found out the shuttle was at a different exit. Then, when I finally saw the hotel shuttle driver, he didn't stop and just waved for us to wait further away, which was really confusing. I suggest the hotel clearly specify which exit at the station is convenient for boarding the shuttle. The hotel staff were excellent, very polite and patient, and could assist in English, which was great. The location is on the edge of a forest, and the surroundings are beautiful. The only downside is that if you go out for dinner and don't use the shuttle to the train station, you have to walk quite a distance, which is a bit inconvenient.

Had a great time at this resort hotel! Rooms are spacious and beds are comfortable! Had a great experience with all the ground staff. Breakfast, Lounge access staff were all excellent! Special thanks to Miyata, the lady in short hair with black jacket and trousers. They were lovely and super helpful and friendly.

The room terrace during the autumn foliage season is truly dreamlike, beautiful in different ways both at night and during the day! It's worth coming just for the terrace and garden alone! A special highlight was leaving a note on Trip.com hoping for a room on the second floor. I didn't have high hopes it would be seen, but they actually arranged it! The service attitude is excellent. After arriving at Karuizawa Station, you can call the hotel to pick you up, and they're very quick, arriving in about 5 minutes. The only minor drawback is that there was a noticeable humming sound in the room, whether it was the heater or some other machine running. It was loud enough that I could still hear it even with earplugs in. I tried turning off all the appliances I could find in the room, but it was still there. At the time, I thought maybe I was just too sensitive to noise, but there was no such sound at the other hotel I stayed at the next day.

Le Grand Karuizawa Hotel & Resort is a perfect place for great views, relaxation and luxury retreat. We stayed on the top of the resort where the view of the Asama Mountain is breathtaking. The room is spacious but cozy. The dinners were very good. We stayed two nights (half board), the two fine-dining French dinners with local ingredients we had were superb. The courses served at the dinners didn’t have any repeat. I will definitely come here again for other seasons.

The place looks exactly like the photos, no exaggeration at all. The entire house is enveloped by nature. In the mornings, I meditated and read in the garden with birds singing in the woods – it truly felt like my body was completely at one with nature. The owner mentioned that this particular unit boasts the largest garden among all their room types and was designed to mimic the architecture of the Kogen Church. The upstairs features an open sleeping area with four futons, which could easily accommodate six people. Downstairs also offers a tatami sleeping area. One thing to note is that sound travels easily between floors, as they are all open-plan rooms. The bathroom facilities are absolutely fantastic! With a built-in drying system and a hairdryer, the floor dries instantly after you shower. All the room amenities felt like they were from premium brands. My favorite item, surprisingly, was the trash can, haha! It's exactly the kind of setup Shanghai's waste classification system desperately needs. I'm already 'sold' on it and planning to get one myself, haha! Guests can also cook their own meals here. The owner's breakfast was not only generous but also incredibly delicious. I'll definitely have to try the steak for dinner next time – I'm sure it's excellent. The owner was incredibly kind and patient, helping us arrange taxis and even providing pick-up and drop-off services. We're very grateful. Karuizawa's summer weather is wonderfully comfortable and refreshing. The hotel's location is also fantastic, within walking distance of the Wild Bird Forest. Just a quick note: breakfast and dinner need to be reserved in advance!