Independent in Sakata from NZ$150

"The room is good, but there are steps up and down. It's a half-hour taxi ride from the city center, so unless you drive, it's not convenient. The beach in front is filled with garbage. Breakfast and service were good. "

"An amazing stay and worth the travel. We wanted to experience japan off the beaten path and this went above our expectations. Truly a wonderful experience with great food and great staff"

"from the architecture to the amenities, this hotel in the middle of a rice field is just stunning. great onsen, great local food & drink, a cool sake tasting bar----and many libraries to peruse books you can't read (unless you read japanese!) you will need a car to reach it, or a taxi from the station, and you really are in the middle of nowhere. only drawback for foreigners is the super early check out time of 10 am. "

"Old hotel but clean with great service. The breakfast buffet was really nice with so much food! "

"Nice Hotel, Good Food, Nice Staff. Clean Onsen facilities. Well maintained, but quite dated inside. Only big problem was my room smelled really bad of damp. Abit pricey for what it is, but the staff were nice and the food was good. "

"Nice, low-key guesthouse. Great value. Wonderful, kind owner! "

"Beautiful location, outstanding tatami room with good en suite bathroom facilities, and extremely friendly staff. Wifi connection in room was very weak (had to go to hall to connect). Not many English-speaking staff but made do with Google-translate. Would have appreciated food/snack options in bar but bought snacks at well-stocked gift store and small snack outlet on street where they have nice hot spring foot baths next to the river. The garden is beautiful and the private onsen was excellent. Probably easiest to visit by car (plentiful space in their off site parking lot); the train option would be cumbersome. Beautiful rose garden associated with the shrine up the hill; in full bloom at the end of June. Small restaurants nearby."

"Nice stay. "

"All ok except that wifi cannot work on high floor. "