I don’t typically make reviews for places on Google, but Pension Snowland is exceptional. I stayed here several months ago and am only making a review now because it just keeps coming up as the best stay at a hotel my wife and I have ever had.

First, a disclaimer: we found this inn through the Kinosaki Onsen tourism website. We stayed here because my wife and I do not like crab, and it was the only place we saw that offered beef meals. This inn was not convenient for getting to Kinosaki as it was over an hour transit. When we realized this after booking, it was too late and we accepted inconvenient transit. Pension Snowland blew us away though and turned what we expected to be an inconvenience into one of the most pleasant places we’ve ever stayed !

Prior to our stay, we booked the hotel with the same meal both nights. The owners took notice of this, and sent me a very kind email asking if we’d like to change one of the nights. The meal sounded good though, and neither of us have a problem with repeated meals, so we declined.

When we showed up to the inn, the owner was very kind. We spoke to her through Google translate, and she let us pick a time for our baths, offered help with our bags, and showed us up to our room.

When we came down for dinner, it was set for a feast. There were so many little dishes on the table for us ! We were the only guests eating the beef, so we ended up in a separate part of the dining room, and it was quiet and warm and incredibly cozy. And the food was absolutely amazing. The Tajima beef was without question the best meat I’ve ever eaten, and the sides were amazing. Paired with a few soups and sauces, everything was delicious. While we were eating she came over and talked to us a little bit, and she even gave us instruction for some of the foods we weren’t quite sure how to eat! There was a couple things neither of us liked and didn’t touch, but we were stuffed regardless.

After dinner, we asked her what the best time to leave for Kinosaki Onsen was, and she helped us with the bus schedule, which was wonderful.

The next morning we had a delicious breakfast and made our way to the Onsens. We came back around 5:30pm, past sunset, and it was raining a little bit. The owner was standing outside waiting for us, and greeted us with a big smile and said “welcome home” to us in English, and it was very sweet!

We were the only guests that evening, and she told us we could take the baths whenever we wanted. Afterwards we came back down for dinner, and this is where she really blew us away. Given all the little dishes we’d had the previous night, she took note of what we didn’t eat, and how much of things we ate, and adjusted our meal accordingly! We had a clam soup replaced, a fish dish neither of us ate much of, and she adjusted the quantities of other things! I didn’t eat mushroom, and so she only gave us one. We had less cabbage and more eggplant, and other small changes, and she provided us with fresh wasabi and good coarse salt. The second meal we ate everything, and she’d done an amazing job of tailoring it to us, and we really couldn’t believe it.

After dinner, we told her we realized we had planned poorly and needed to leave VERY early the next morning to make it to Kyoto on time for a flight, and so we would have to skip the breakfast. Instead though, she insisted on making us breakfast to go anyways! We left at 6am the next morning, and she must’ve been up at 4am for us making breakfast because we she provided us with delicious bento for our train ride to Kyoto.

It was an amazing experience. Delicious food, incredibly thoughtful owner, super cozy place, very nice baths. I will be recommending Pension Snowland to everyone I know coming to this area of Japan.

It was the best hospitality.
The meals both in the evening and in the morning were sumptuous and my body and soul were happy to see them and eat them.
When I checked out, I was told about recommended spots around Kannabe Plateau, so I changed my destination and was impressed by the spectacular views at all of the spots.
Thank you very much

In conclusion, it's the best.
First of all, it's location: it's visible from the ski resort's ferry lift, so once you're done skiing, you don't have to walk much.
We had dinner and breakfast, both of which were luxurious and I think I eat a little more than most people, but there was still enough to fill me up. When it came to shabu-shabu, I was surprised that the amount served was about 4 servings at a typical restaurant, even though it was for 2 people lol.
It was great to be able to relax and drink coffee at breakfast. The other baths and gathering spaces were also nice.
The owner couple was also very kind and we had a great time talking with them!
I will definitely come back again when I visit again.

I've been using it for over ten years. The house is always kept clean, the food is delicious, and you can spend a relaxing time there. The owner's family is very kind and Rem is a handsome dog. We recommend this inn as you can enjoy skiing in the winter⛷️ and firefly hunting in June, so you can enjoy it all year round✨

Amazing experience here ! The room was very nice and spacious and the bath was incredible after a long day of travelling. The dinner and breakfast were so tasty my husband and I couldn’t stop talking about them ! There was so much variety in the dishes, and there were a lot of dishes. Everyone was very kind and understanding of us with our lack of Japanese - we got a lot of help with how to eat the dishes properly ( sorry we didn’t know how ! ) and even the best routes on public transportation ! Thank you very much for a relaxing and comfy stay :)

Thank you for your help this time, coinciding with the year anniversary of my father's death.
I ordered a reasonable course of crab, but this time too, the amount was enough to make my stomach burst. Great seasoning.
I take my hat off to Chef Mama's cooking sense.
Both dinner and breakfast are great!

Every year, during the year-end and New Year holidays, eight people from three generations, including parents and siblings, take care of us.
It's a small pension, but they take great care to make your stay comfortable, and it's so comfortable that you'll want to come back again and again.
I also like the warm and cute appearance and interior of the building.
The meals are always really delicious and you can see that they have put a lot of effort into making them using home-grown ingredients.
This evening's dinner was a crab course and beef shabu-shabu, and it was both delicious and voluminous, making me feel like I was in a luxurious situation.
I am looking forward to my next stay.