Naraya Ryokan is a wooden inn of nine rooms on Ogama Street in Nozawa Onsen, Nagano, founded in the first year of the Taisho era and built around a main house about a century old. It calls itself an inn with its own spring and a spring keeper. Before you book, three things matter: the inn has its own hot spring; there is no elevator; and in winter it does not take bookings by phone.
Nozawa is one of Japan’s ski villages; see our guide to skiing in Japan.
Naraya Ryokan at a glance
| Item | Official information |
|---|---|
| Address | 8736 Toyosato, Nozawa Onsen, Shimotakai, Nagano |
| Rooms | 9: Japanese rooms and two Japanese-Western rooms |
| Spring | Its own source, simple sulfur spring, 73.0°C |
| Bath hours | 15:00–23:30 and 5:30–10:00 |
| Check-in / out | From 15:00 (by 17:30 with dinner) / 10:00 |
| Price | From 16,940 yen per adult with breakfast (booking page) |
| Elevator | None |
| Parking | Covered, free, 9 cars, up to 2.27 m high |
From the official site and booking page, read October 12, 2026. The address uses the footer spelling.
The hot spring at Naraya Ryokan
Where does the water come from?
From the inn’s own grounds. The spring keeper, Tadao Ikeda, writes that neighbors came to bathe in the spring there even before the inn opened in the early Taisho years. Naraya-no-yu is a simple sulfur spring at 73.0°C, flowing straight into the baths, with water added in some seasons. It is the only bath in Nozawa among the 34 traditional springs picked by JR East for its “Chi-Onsen” series.
When can I bathe?
There are separate indoor and outdoor baths for men and women, open 15:00 to 23:30 and 5:30 to 10:00. They cannot be reserved for private use. The inn’s only English material is a PDF on bathing manners. The pages do not mention tattoos; see our tattoo and onsen guide.
Rooms at Naraya Ryokan
What are the rooms like?
The nine rooms were renewed in autumn 2020, and all have air conditioning, a TV, a safe, a fridge, a kettle, a washbasin, yukata, towels and free Wi-Fi. Every room is reached by stairs. Only Shiraito and Yamazakura have a bath; Myoko has a shower booth; the others use the hot-spring baths. All have a toilet with a bidet seat. Tsubaki, two 10-mat rooms together, sleeps 3 to 8, and Kaede, a Japanese-Western room, does not take children aged 6 and under. Rooms on the Ogama Street side face the old town; Myoko, a corner room, is recommended for the evening view from its window.
Meals at Naraya Ryokan
Is dinner included?
Dinner is a local kaiseki of about ten dishes by head chef Yuji Nakajima, with rice grown in Nozawa Onsen. The FAQ says dinner is not served in winter, without saying which months, so check your plan. Guests on a room-only plan can add breakfast for 3,300 yen. Tell the inn about allergies before you arrive.
Prices and rules at Naraya Ryokan
How much does a stay cost?
Per adult per night, tax included, the booking page starts at 16,940 yen with breakfast and 18,700 to 25,800 yen with dinner and breakfast. Elementary school children pay 70 percent of the adult rate. The official booking page takes bookings up to December 18; for winter, the inn points to Booking.com and a separate English booking calendar.
Which taxes are added?
A bathing tax of 150 yen per person per night, free under 12 (village page). From June 1, 2026, Nozawa Onsen Village also charges an accommodation tax of 3.5 percent of the room-only rate (5 percent from June 2029), and none if that rate is under 6,000 yen per person. Nagano Prefecture’s tax is included in it. See our onsen bathing tax guide.
What is the cancellation policy?
10 percent from 7 to 4 days before, 30 percent from 3 to 2 days before, 70 percent the day before, and 100 percent on the day or for a no-show. Cards are accepted, but discounted lift tickets sold to guests are cash only. See our hotel cancellation guide.
Getting to Naraya Ryokan in Nozawa Onsen
From JR Iiyama Station, take the Nozawa Onsen Liner bus, about 25 minutes, and walk about 8 minutes from the terminal. There is no pickup. Covered parking is free for 9 cars, up to 2.27 m high. Phone lines are open 8:00 to 20:00 Japan time on +81-269-85-2155; the website has a contact form but no email address.
What foreign guests should know before staying at Naraya Ryokan
- There is no English website; this page is built from the Japanese one.
- For winter, book online; phone bookings are not taken in the busy season.
- Pack for stairs; there is no elevator.
- Check whether your winter plan includes dinner.
- Bring cash if you want the guest lift-ticket discount.
Frequently asked questions
Does Naraya Ryokan have its own hot spring?
Can I book Naraya Ryokan by phone in winter?
Is there an elevator at Naraya Ryokan?
What is the cancellation policy at Naraya Ryokan?
How do I get to Naraya Ryokan?
Bottom line (2026): Naraya Ryokan is a nine-room wooden inn in Nozawa Onsen with its own sulfur spring. There is no elevator and no English website, winter bookings are online only, and the village adds an accommodation tax of 3.5 percent of the room rate.
Sources
Every fact on this page is from Naraya Ryokan’s official pages: home, rooms, hot spring, access and FAQ; the official booking page; and Nozawa Onsen Village’s accommodation tax and bathing tax pages. All were read on October 12, 2026. Prices and rules change; check the official site before you book.
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