Overview

Rise above the Chichibu Valley at Ikoinomura Heritage Minoyama, a mountain retreat set at an elevation of around 417 metres. From this peaceful hillside setting, you can look across the Chichibu mountain range, watch mist gather below, and enjoy clear night skies away from the lights of the city.

Every room faces the surrounding mountains, keeping the landscape close throughout your stay. You may wake to a sea of clouds, watch the colours deepen at sunset, or join a guided trip to nearby Minoyama Park for even wider views.

The location works well when you want to combine nature with sightseeing. Nagatoro, Chichibu Shrine, Hodosan, local museums, river activities, and seasonal flower displays are all within driving distance. Back at the hotel, handmade regional food, a panoramic hot spring bath, and comfortable shared spaces help you slow down after a day out.

Accommodation

Choose from Japanese rooms, a Japanese-Western room, an accessible Western room, and several distinctive Special Rooms. Every room is non-smoking and offers a view of the Chichibu mountains.

The Japanese Rooms come in 7.5, 10, and 21-tatami layouts, measuring approximately 30 to 50 square metres. You can spend the evening relaxing on the tatami before sleeping on futon bedding. The larger room gives you more space when you are travelling together.

The 50-square-metre Special Japanese-Western Room combines two beds with a six-tatami area and a sitting space. It also includes a private indoor bathroom, giving you a flexible layout for relaxing and sleeping.

For a memorable view, choose Sakura or Momiji. These 80-square-metre Special Rooms are the largest accommodation at the property and include a broad balcony where you may see stars or a sea of clouds. When two people stay, thick Nishikawa beds are prepared. Larger groups use layered Nishikawa futons.

The 50-square-metre Unkai Room pairs a wide mountain outlook with comfortable beds and upgraded towels and toiletries. Icho and Sugi each measure 40 square metres and feature warm wood interiors with cabin-style beds inspired by the sleeping quarters of a luxury cruiser.

The 35-square-metre accessible Western Room includes two beds, step-free access, a wheelchair-friendly washroom, and an adapted shower room. In-room facilities across the property include free Wi-Fi, a refrigerator, washbasin, washlet toilet, hairdryer, towels, toothbrushes, and basic toiletries. Bathroom arrangements differ between room categories.

Dining

Enjoy the comforting flavours of Chichibu through handmade meals prepared with ingredients from the surrounding area. Local vegetables, mountain plants, Chichibu-grown soybeans, handmade tofu, handmade konjac, and freshly prepared noodles bring the character of the region to your table.

Dinner is based on seasonal Japanese cuisine. The Standard Kaiseki Course may include sashimi, simmered dishes, grilled food, vegetables, rice, and soup. You can also choose an upgraded course or a dinner that adds beef cooked on a ceramic plate and served with Himalayan rock salt. The menu changes with the season and the ingredients available.

Rice is cooked in a traditional stove, adding a warm, homely touch to the meal. The kitchen also prepares udon and soba in the morning, while vegetables from the property’s garden may appear when they are ready to harvest.

Breakfast gives you a satisfying start with freshly cooked rice, miso soup, grilled fish, eggs, and changing side dishes. Rice porridge made with the toasted layer from the stove-cooked rice may also be served.

Meals are normally enjoyed at Restaurant Kakuremino or another shared dining room. The restaurant offers relaxed table seating, allowing you to take your time over dinner while surrounded by the quiet mountain atmosphere.

Onsen and Wellness

Kuma-san no Yu is a large indoor panoramic bath with broad windows facing the Chichibu mountains. There is no open-air bath, but the elevated view lets you enjoy mountain ridges, changing skies, night lights, and occasional clouds below while staying protected from the weather.

The bath uses natural hot spring water transported from Shiki-no-Yu Onsen in Kumagaya. This sodium chloride spring is hypertonic and mildly alkaline. Its salt content helps your body retain warmth after bathing and leaves the skin feeling moisturised.

Seasonal herbs and wild plants gathered from the extensive grounds are also used to create changing medicinal baths. The plants and fragrance differ throughout the year, connecting your bathing experience with the forests and gardens around the property.

The bathhouse includes a jacuzzi, jet baths that operate at intervals, a cold bath, and separate far-infrared saunas for men and women. After your bath, you can rest in the panoramic relaxation corner, use a massage chair, or visit the bird lounge to learn about the wildlife found around Minoyama.

The shared bath opens from 11:00 AM to 11:00 PM and again from 6:00 AM to 8:30 AM. Shampoo, conditioner, body wash, skincare products, hair products, cotton buds, and hairdryers are provided.

Guests with Tattoos

You can use the shared indoor bath and sauna if you have tattoos.

There are no private onsen baths or private reservable bathing rooms, so all natural hot spring bathing takes place in the shared bathhouse.

Facilities

The spacious lobby lounge gives you a comfortable place for coffee, reading, conversation, or a board game. Newspapers and books are available, and large windows keep you connected to the surrounding mountain landscape.

The shop carries Chichibu miso, soy sauce, rice crackers, pickled shakushina greens, traditional Chichibu textiles, small crafts, snacks, and travel keepsakes. A panoramic rest area beside the bathhouse provides another quiet place to enjoy the view.

You can also use table-tennis facilities, karaoke rooms, coin-operated laundry machines, vending machines, meeting rooms, and banquet halls. The largest event spaces accommodate conferences, training sessions, group meals, cultural activities, and celebrations.

Free Wi-Fi is available in the rooms, and a designated smoking area is provided away from the non-smoking accommodation. An RV park offers space for camper vans and larger vehicles.

Activities

One of the most memorable experiences is the guided stargazing and night-view tour. Depending on the date and weather, transport takes you to Minoyama Park, where you can look down over the lights of Chichibu before turning your attention to the stars. During the coldest months, the activity may take place in the hotel garden.

In spring and autumn, a morning sea-of-clouds tour travels to the summit viewpoints of Minoyama Park. Mist can fill the valley below, leaving the surrounding peaks rising above a blanket of white. The sight depends on weather conditions, but the early journey is rewarding even when the clouds do not appear.

Seasonal experiences may also include guided nature walks, firefly viewing from mid-June to early July, bonfire sessions, winter visits to illuminated icicles, and walks through the property’s flower and woodland areas.

Minoyama Park is a short drive away and is known for cherry blossoms, hydrangeas, autumn leaves, mountain plants, and broad viewpoints. In Nagatoro, you can walk across the Iwadatami rock formations, ride a traditional boat along the Arakawa River, or take the Hodosan Ropeway toward the summit.

You can also visit Chichibu Shrine, Hijiri Shrine, the Saitama Museum of Natural History, Chichibu Festival Museum, and Hodosan Shrine. These outings let you combine mountain scenery with the history and traditions of the Chichibu region.

Additional Features

Check-in begins at 3:00 PM, and check-out is by 10:00 AM. All rooms are non-smoking.

A complimentary scheduled shuttle leaves Minano Station at 3:00 PM and returns to the station from the hotel at 10:00 AM. Advance reservations are required.

Complimentary on-site parking provides space for standard cars and large buses. The mountain road leading to the property is winding, so take extra care during poor weather and winter conditions.

With mountain views from every room, homemade Chichibu cuisine, natural hot spring bathing, guided nature experiences, and easy access to Nagatoro, Ikoinomura Heritage Minoyama gives you a relaxing base for seeing a quieter side of Saitama.