Hotels near Lake Chūzenji in Nikko

The hotel environment is really comfortable, full of design, and very integrated with the local environment. The room is larger than other hotels in Japan and very clean. There is a pantry where you can make free coffee/tea. The only drawback is that there is no restaurant, only vending machines are provided, which is more inconvenient if there is no taxi. The parking lot is also very large.

My wife and I booked the Nikko Station Hotel II for April 13 - 15 as a non refundable reservation. This week, the US State Dept issued a Level 4 warning for all US citizens to avoid international travel due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In spite of their normal policy, the Nikko Station Hotel II made an exception due to the COVID-19 pandemic and issued a full refund. We will reschedule our trip to Japan after the pandemic passes and WILL DEFINITELY rebook at the Nikko Station Hotel II, as they have shown excellent customer service in a difficult time!

This is my third trip/adventure to Japan. I would say as a solo traveler this has to be one of the very best places I have ever stayed in when travelling around Japan. I came to Nikko np to explore the vast array of hiking trails, all of which I did, had breathtaking views and a poetic, truly majestic Japanese feel to them. I rented a car from Nasushiobara (Shinkansen) and drove across to Kinugawa. On arrival I was greeted by a host of the hotel staff, welcoming me and helping me with parking and my bags. I checked in with ease and with some broken English and Japanese on my part was led to a beautiful traditional Japanese style room overlooking the river. The service throughout was world class and made me feel both very comfortable, at home, but also special. I stayed 3 nights with half board (breakfast and dinner), both truly amazing and served with grace and politeness. On the first evening’s dinner one of the serving staff took the time to speak with me and allowed me to share some of my recent experiences/photos etc whilst preparing dinner - this was most welcome, especially as I had been travelling alone for over a week. The location of the onsen hotel is about 60 mins drive to some of the most sought after walks in the np. Very easy to access by car and excellent roads. The accommodation itself is a mix between very traditional Japanese resort and original/boutique Ryokan. The private and public onsen’s are fantastic and a well deserved rest-bite after a long days hiking! Having been to some of the most popular ryokan’s in Japan; Iwaso, Claska etc, this came as a very nice surprise and at an affordable rate without any compromise. If in the area, I would highly recommend staying…

This hotel is very close to Kinugawa Station! The room was very spacious, clean and comfortable! There is a mountain across the river outside the balcony window. It is very comfortable to hear the sound of the mountain spring flowing from time to time. Fortunately, there is an eagle neighbor. Every day you can see him flying low in the river to look for food and standing on the tower pillar to gaze! Both dinner and breakfast are Japanese-style meals with great care. The dinner chef will write a poem-like introduction to the dishes. When we went to have dinner, the service staff came into the room to make the bed. It was so clean and comfortable! There are two types of large hot springs, indoor and outdoor. The bathing area is also large and comfortable, so the bathroom in the room cannot be used. The most unforgettable thing about this hotel is the ”starry sky”! After taking a bath, we returned to the room and could see many stars on the balcony, so we turned off all the lights in the room, and the stars were indeed ”all over the sky”! Sit on a recliner and listen to the spring + stargazing + drink hot tea... it's a rare enjoyment in the world to calm down your mind!

If you choose to take a bus from the station to the hotel, brace yourselves for a rather long walk from the bus drop off point to the monorail entrance along a very rough gravel road (trust me, it gets worse if it’s wet and cold and you’re dragging a 15kg luggage). The walk was far from what I’d expect when staying in such a luxury resort. If I could make any suggestion i think the hotel should perhaps pave the gravel road to make it more walk-friendly? Or negotiate with the bus company so that the stop is right outside the monorail entrance and not at the end of a muddy gravel road. But until any of that is made possible I’d highly recommend taking a taxi from station if you don’t have a car. The ‘Monorail’ (which was more like a glorified cable car) was an interesting feature on arrival. I don’t know if it was build due to geographical restriction (that prevented actual roads built right up to the hotel?) or as some sort of gimmick but sorry to say it’s really not efficient during peak hours and after the first ride it really just felt like an elevator that takes forever to arrive. Once we finally arrived the place itself was gorgeous throughout. From the decor to the atmosphere it’s just a relaxing vibe. It’s a place for getaways and the hotel made sure of that with all the attention to details (such as the meal timings, the seating arrangements etc) to make sure at no point you feel crowded or overwhelmed. The service was great and the staff know limited but adequate English. The Onsen was quite a long walk from our room in freezing cold weather, the foyer was fancy with a relaxation area and free drinks, however the actual onset felt slightly on the basic side to me with just one indoor and one outdoor (not a super fancy type) bath but since there weren’t many guests it wasn’t crowded and I was happy. Again the entire onsen area was very neat and clean. Our room was lovely and clean with a nice balcony. Food was lovely as well. Overall once you get past the gravel road and reach the hotel there’s really not much else to fault and I did enjoy my stay very much.

The hotel is more like a museum :). You can admire every room and every thing :) You will see a table lamp at the reception, which has been standing there since 1907, in the lobby you will see photographs of people who stayed at this hotel - Indira Gandhi, Eleanor Roosevelt, Robert Koch, Edward Prince of Wales and many other. The restaurant has very beautiful dishes. And the table for dinner was set using 11 cutlery :) The staff is very attentive and polite. I would especially like to thank Sabita for her help. The room itself is fairly basic (but not modern) the beds are very comfortable and the bathroom has everything you need for a short stay. Rooms are not cleaned daily and towels are not changed unless specifically requested. The location of the hotel is very convenient, a three-minute walk from Nikko Park - UNESCO heritage. Currently, one wing of the hotel is being renovated.

Really nice room with an epic view of the lake and enough space for everything. Meals are wonderful and abundant and a seasonal selection each day Perfect place to stay if you are planning to explore okunikko area or to cycle around the lake, there are also restaurants nearby for lunch. The public bath is very pleasant with an outdoor spring to soak in while enjoying an open sky. Found out there was a shuttle bus back to tobu-nikko station setting off at 11am from the hotel after speaking to a kind staff member, Diane. Do make reservations for the shuttle beforehand at the reception if you plan to take this as well. Rental bikes available at the Nikko natural history museum which is a 10min walk from the hotel

Arrived at Hotel and parked the rental car in the car park for free. Staff were very efficient and check in was very quick. Japan is still very Covid conscious and masks are worn everywhere. We were advised that there were were facilities for making Tea/ coffee in the room and that we should take any provisions required (for free) from the table arranged in the lobby i.e. tea / coffee / toothbrushes..etc. Room was lovely and spacious with a comfortable bed and lovely en-suite- lovely deep bath (shower fixings would be low for taller individuals). They had an evening bar and Onsen (natural hot water spring separate for males and females). They had a restaurant that provided an extensive buffet menu for breakfast - very tasty, and they had a select menu for the evenings and what we tried was very tasty also. The staff in the Hotel and restaurant were most friendly and encouraged me when I attempted some Japanese words. A very lovely start to our holiday in Japan - Thank you for your hospitality, we would happily stay here again

They picked us up from train station. Held our bags while we enjoyed the nikko temples and the abyss. Came back and soaked in the onsen until dinner (wearing our yukata and slippers) which was delicious and a lot of fun (we made our own yuba and grilled our wagyu beef). This was our first night sleeping on futons on tatami mats and next time I’d double up the mat. We had no shower in our room but others had one — we showered in the onsen area. In the morning, back downstairs in our yukata for a beautiful extensive Japanese breakfast. I’d have loved to learn what we were eating! Patient and quiet service. Then they brought us to the train station to continue on. Highly recommend.

The room is spacious and comfortable, the environment is beautifully designed, the service is mediocre, and there may not be enough staff. Unfortunately, the food in the restaurant is expensive and not delicious!