Homestays in Zao Onsen

Ryan United States

It was the perfect location with the most amazing owners. They were fantastic from getting us New Years Eve Resturant reservations before we got there to letting us know about Zao. Great experience and beautiful place!!

Rafaël Japan

Taka and Oraphin are extremely professional, but also very warm, nice and available. There was a powerful heater in the bedroom, and the (large) living room is heated with a fireplace. Very calm at night. Can help yourself freely with coffee and tea. All the necessary informations about the village (convenience store, onsen, even the ski resort, etc.) are explained (very clearly) at your arrival by the host(s) (who can speak many different languages fluently, including but not limited to, English and Japanese, Chinese). About the village and the ski resort: there are many traditional onsen in the village, which can be experienced without charge. Overall, the ambiance in the village is very nice, there are many restaurants which are good (among one where the owner can speak French). The ski resort is quite huge, and very natural. We had the chance to see the famous snowy trees on the top of the mountains, for many days (so it's for real!). Very recommended.

Ashley United Kingdom

Taka and Oraphin and their little girl were amazing. Matsuo House is a gorgeous little traditional Japanese house. The area is very peaceful and is a few minutes from a convenience store, and literally 20 seconds from a free Onsen. I spent my evenings eating in the living room with Taka and Oraphin, watching Japanese tv and having wholesome chats. It really did feel like I was at home.

Sheng Kai Vietnam

The owner is friendly and kind

YA PING United States

very nice owner. Close to rope way (excellent location).

Elizabeth United States

This is a great pension run by a lovely family. The husband picked us up at the bus station and drove us to the pension and also took us to the slopes in the morning. They gave us a coupon for renting gear and a map explaining the different onsen options around town. Their English is pretty limited, but they are happy to use Google translate. Also, it was not a big deal, but I think it is important for foreign guests to be aware that ski culture in Japan sort of assumes you are eating dinner at your accommodation. We did not know this and did not book dinner at the hotel. Most restaurants in town were fully booked with reservations (although there is a convenience store with good takeaway food), so try to book dinner at the hotel or make a dinner reservation somewhere well in advance. We were very luck and managed to make a reservation at the Mongolian lamb place Kasheru for the second night and that was amazing. But we saw restaurants turning people away repeatedly because everywhere in town was full. Also, the family will not pick you up by car any later that 6:45 pm (perfectly reasonable) and the public ski shuttles don't run on weekdays, so you need to pre-book a taxi if dinner will end later than that (which it probably will since most restaurants open at 6 pm). And there are not a lot of taxis and no Uber. I wish I had realized all of this up front, but that was our own ignorance and our stay was great regardless. Again, this is just the local ski culture and not the hotel's fault. It's just helpful information for future guests.

Christine United States

A lovely and heartwarming place to stay for a winter getaway. The couple that owns this business made us feel like family. Mao and Qu are so kind and welcoming. They treated us like family. They picked us up from the bus station, drove us to a wonderful dinner location (which they recommended), drove us to the ski resort, and helped with all our luggage. I was so happy to meet them and talk with them. The room is just as warm as the owners. The floors are heated and the beds are very comfortable. I wish I could’ve stayed longer.