Overview

Ryokan Hanaya brings you into the quiet beauty of Bessho Onsen, a historic hot spring town in Nagano known for old temples, traditional bathhouses, and a gentle mountain atmosphere. Founded in 1917, the ryokan carries the charm of the Taisho era through its wooden buildings, covered corridors, gardens, and carefully preserved architecture.

You stay in a place shaped by history, craftsmanship, and natural hot spring bathing. Many buildings are registered as Tangible Cultural Properties, giving Hanaya a rare sense of character. It is a strong choice when you want a classic ryokan experience with warm hospitality, seasonal dining, and long, peaceful soaks in source-fed onsen water.

Accommodation

Ryokan Hanaya offers a rich choice of traditional Japanese rooms, detached-style rooms, special suites, and western-style suites. Each room has its own character, with warm woodwork, classic Japanese design, and a calm atmosphere that reflects the ryokan’s Taisho-era heritage.

Bukeyashiki Sakura Goten is Hanaya’s most distinctive suite, recreated with elements from an upper-rank samurai residence of the Ueda domain. You can enjoy a spacious Japanese-style layout, historic details, and a private open-air bath.

Special Rooms with Open-Air Onsen Baths give you a more private hot spring stay. These rooms combine Japanese-style living spaces with your own open-air bath, so you can soak at your own pace without leaving your room. Some include a separate dining space and bedroom, making them well suited for a more relaxed ryokan stay.

Hanare Rooms offer a quieter stay in detached-style Japanese rooms. Selected rooms include source-fed indoor hot spring baths, giving you a private onsen-style experience in your own room. These rooms feel intimate, traditional, and close to the garden atmosphere of the ryokan.

Main Building Rooms place you closer to Hanaya’s historic architecture. These rooms feature classic Japanese interiors, old wooden details, and the character of a registered cultural property. They suit you well if you want to feel the ryokan’s history throughout your stay.

THE MAIN Suites offer western-style layouts with living rooms, bedrooms, and bathrooms. These suites give you more space and a refined atmosphere while still keeping you close to Hanaya’s traditional setting. Please note that the baths in THE MAIN western-style rooms are not natural hot spring baths.

Dining

Dining at Ryokan Hanaya centers on handmade Japanese kaiseki, prepared with care and shaped by the seasons. Dinner follows a traditional multi-course style, with dishes arranged to bring out the color, aroma, texture, and natural flavor of each ingredient.

You can enjoy a refined meal that moves gently from small seasonal starters to soup, sashimi, grilled dishes, warm dishes, rice, and dessert, depending on your plan and the time of year. The presentation feels elegant without being overly formal, allowing you to settle into the quiet rhythm of a ryokan evening.

Breakfast is served as an individual Japanese set meal. You can start the morning with a balanced selection of simple, comforting dishes rather than a buffet, giving the day a calm and satisfying beginning.

Onsen and Wellness

You can enjoy three source-fed hot spring baths: the Marble Bath, the Wakakusa Bath, and the Open-Air Bath. All three use 100% source-fed natural hot spring water, with a gentle sulfur scent and soft alkaline quality. The spring is a simple sulfur spring, low-tonicity alkaline high-temperature spring, with a pH around 8.8 to 8.9.

The Marble Bath is an indoor bath with a high domed ceiling and stained glass, giving your soak a distinctive Taisho-era atmosphere. Men use it from 15:00 to 21:45, and women use it from 22:00 to 10:30.

The Wakakusa Bath uses green-toned Izu stone and has wide glass windows looking toward trees. Women use it from 15:00 to 21:45, and men use it from 22:00 to 10:30.

The Open-Air Bath sits beyond a wooden corridor, surrounded by trees. You can use it from 15:00 to 22:00 and 6:00 to 10:30.

There is no reservable private bath inside the ryokan. Instead, selected room types give you your own source-fed indoor bath or open-air hot spring bath.

Guests with Tattoos

Because you can soak in a private onsen inside selected room types, you can enjoy the onsen regardless of tattoos.

For the public bath, if you have tattoos, check with the hotel directly before using the shared bathing areas.

Facilities

Ryokan Hanaya includes a lobby lounge with views of the pond, garden, and covered corridors; a dining room; dining spaces; private dining rooms; banquet rooms; a shop; and a smoking room. The property also has three source-fed hot spring baths: the Marble Bath, Wakakusa Bath, and Open-Air Bath.

You can also spend time in the café area, where siphon coffee is served, or relax in the library with books about Ueda while looking out toward the inner garden. A waterwheel hut stands along the corridor near the Marble Bath, and shaved ice is offered there in summer.

Wi-Fi is available throughout the property except in dining areas. The building is fully non-smoking except for one smoking room near the front desk. Free parking is available on site. There is currently no shuttle service.

Activities

You can walk to several Bessho Onsen highlights from the ryokan. Kitamuki Kannon is about 5 minutes away on foot, Anrakuji Temple is about 13 minutes away, and Jorakuji Temple is about 11 minutes away. The town also has three public bathhouses: Oyu, Ishiyu, and Daishiyu, plus the Nanakuri Footbath.

For a relaxed arrival or day trip, ride the Ueda Dentetsu Bessho Line from Ueda Station to Bessho Onsen Station in about 30 minutes. The route passes countryside scenery and retro local stations, with Bessho Onsen Station just a 5-minute walk from Hanaya.

You can also visit Ueda Castle, linked to the Sanada clan, or travel farther to Matsumoto, Karuizawa, and Nagano by car.

Additional Features

• Founded in 1917
• Registered Tangible Cultural Property ryokan
• Rooms with private source-fed indoor baths available
• Rooms with private open-air hot spring baths available
• Three shared source-fed hot spring baths
• Seasonal handmade kaiseki dinner
• Japanese set breakfast
• Free on-site parking
• Wi-Fi available except in dining areas
• Fully non-smoking except for one smoking room
• 5-minute walk from Bessho Onsen Station
• No shuttle service currently availableShop KAGAJI