Hotel Sakurai

This hotel is not the cheapest, but it’s in a great location and really good Water. It’s a short stroll down to the town where you can see lots of interesting shops and this spa water bubbling out of the ground. The lifts the facility such as the hot Springs in the hotel are great. so far, the food has been fantastic and the shuttlebus in and out of town to the bus station is great. Thank you.

Breakfast and dinner included. Buffet was good with sashimi, sushi and nabe. Nice sento public bath and outdoor rotenburo and comfortable futon.

the room were amazing in this hotel, you would not even think this is a 3 star hotel if you're there. the onsen facility were clean and quiet. the food provided at breakfast and dinner were high quality too with great deal of variety. it is a small walk away from the main area of town where all the other hotels are located but the trade off is you get a truely authentic experience away from international tourist as this hotel is mainly visited by local Japanese families.

This is one of the best hotels in Kusatsu, Japan. Don’t be scared off because their website is in Japanese only. We stayed in a traditional room which was huge for just the two of us. The onsen facilities here were great. Spacious and clean. Dinner and breakfast buffets are well stocked with many Japanese and western foods to choose from. Staff are mainly Japanese but are helpful enough to try and assist in English if need be. It’s also not far from the JR bus station or the centre of town, both an easy 5 to 10 minute walk.

This is a big hotel, catering for couples, small families and large groups.
On first impressions upon arriving at Hotel Sakurai, I was taken back by the size of the check-in lobby. The hotel operates a system whereby you can stop your car to unload and then the staff assist with your luggage, then you must park your car where you are directed in one of the sites 300 parking spots which are spread around the hotel. They will then drive you back to the entrance in a small bus.

What it appears is this was a Showa era hotel which has been updated and therefore has the opulence of that era without feeling dated.

At the check-in you and your fellow guests are greeted and after checking in you wait to be taken to your room by a member of staff dressed in a kimono.

When we arrived at the room we were pleased with the space and the views, we had two deluxe rooms in the annex tower to cater for the number of guests, seven of us in total.
The rooms were clean and spacious with tea making facilities but no drinks other than water provided. The bathrooms had two modern toilets and a small bathroom with shower and bath. We didn't need the bath or shower as we used the facilities downstairs in the public spa.

We stayed half-board and therefore had access to the dining room which clearly doubles as a theatre as the stage at one end was hard to miss. The room was vast and had a huge array of food served as a self-serve buffet style for dinner, with plenty of variety for everyone including a dedicated children's section. Breakfast was the same.

The public baths are the real attraction here, as this is what Kusatsu is famous for, but do remember to bring your own towel. We were pleased with the facilities available and the ease of accessing them. We actually opted for the paid bath facilities, which means that all extras are provided such as shampoo, body soap, towels, hairbrushes, moisturiser etc. This was definitely worth the ¥1,000 for the seven of us for the entire stay, a real bargain if you ask me. This section of the bathing facilities was very quiet and offered a bit more privacy in which to shower and change, but in terms of the bath itself it was a bit smaller than the free section.

We very much enjoyed watching the Taiko drumming performance and Yumomi show which the hotel put on for it's guests each evening. This was a really nice benefit of staying in such a large hotel.

A couple of items we were not happy with, the main lights in the hotel room were fluorescent, not particularly warm or soft and could not be dimmed. There was only one lamp available too which we positioned in the childrens room so that they could get up to use the toilet in the night if necessary. Another complaint that my wife had was that the variety of food for kids didn't change from meal to meal and there were scant vegetable options for the kids other than cherry tomatoes which neither of mine will touch. I felt there was enough variety of foods in general but it wasn't clear in the two nights we stayed how frequently this was rotated.

The doors to the lift in the annex were very quick to close and did not benefit from infrared sensors to prevent the doors from closing on you as you walk through. This style of lift indicates the age of this part of the building but is not kind to elderly or children as they can't move that quickly.

Overall our stay at Hotel Sakurai was very enjoyable and we were pleased with the space and facilities on offer. The service was pleasant but given the size of the hotel and the number of staff we didn't get an opportunity to become familiar with them, which I would have preferred. The cost for our stay wasn't inexpensive, but in terms of what we received I believe it was worth it.

I would recommend this hotel to anyone who wanted to experience a hotel with good facilities in the centre of town.

Amazing traditional Japanese hotel with the Japanese standard :)
Unfortunately I was being assigned to a slightly smaller room but most of the time we are staying out of room so it's alright. Dinner is the chefs menu and the presentation and taste okay!! Most highlight is the breakfast they offer a buffet breakfast with everything

The shared Onsen is spacious at the men side (used on 4pm and 8am) and the water seems to be very rich in minerals.

They offer good shuttle service to bus station and the tourist spot as well

Highly recommend this hotel.

Wow... is what you think when walking into this onsen hotel. It has the grandeur of space, the luxury of chandeliers, the opulence of Showa era hotel (with out being outdated or poorly maintained like many). There are many public spaces in the hotel with different views and atmospheres, whether it is overlooking the gardens or the stylised spaces. We were a group of 9 (multigenerational) sharing 3 large tatami rooms. Each room had 2-3 separate tatami spaces, plus double sink, double toilet bathroom and an amazing stone pathway into the room.
We had the buffet breakfast and dinner that is served in a huge hall. Buffets can be hit or miss..but at this hotel it was a hit. Infact it had some of the tastiest steak we've eaten.
The onsen has both indoor and outdoor options. The quality of the onsens around this area are pretty amazing. If you take a quick walk into the town you can see it it flowing before it gets pumped to all the different hotel.
Hotel also has a Taiko drumming show and gift store.

Wonderful rooms, good dinner and breakfast buffé, good onsen from several different water sources.

The place is huge but were far from crowded since we went right after Japanese holidays. I guess it would not be as nice when packed.

I stayed here with my mom for one night. We fall in love with this hotel and we will definitely come back the next year.
Great dinner and breakfast.
Great amenities' offer, which made Onsen experience there very easy.

A decent onsen resort. 草津温泉名不虚传。We had hotpot dinner set, which came with a ten-course meal. Very delicious but I was already too full to eat any…

Absolutely one of the best accommodations I've had in Japan (and I've stayed in many locations). The first thing that stands out is the genuine kindness and appreciation of the staff. Many foreigners (I assume?) and mixed-race staff - this is actually a big deal for Japan. The grounds and interiors are stunning, with thought and grace applied everywhere. Rooms are truly beautiful, with tradition esthetics and modern amenities. Private onsen rooms available for tattoo gaikokujin. Dining hall with buffet style eating is open, inviting and the food is very high quality and fresh. If it wasn't for the damn hill leading to it (I'm just being very picky now) the place would be 100% perfect for me. Nothing but love for Hotel Sakurai!

Amazingly kind and friendly people. One of the most heart-warming experience I have ever met in Japan. My wife and I was heading to Narita airport in the morning. But there was a very heavy snow in that day, and our car stucked in the snow in front of Sakurai hotel. We tried to contact the car rental company for help, but since our Japanese is pretty bad we quickly lost in translation. We are a little panic at that time, since the car rental company said they will charge us a lot of money for delayed return, and we would miss our flight and schdules too if we cannot get to the airport on time.

We despretely seek help from the only English-speaking person we had ever met in Kusatsu: a staff name "raki" in Sakurai hotel. He is really a life-safer to us. Even though we were not staying in that hotel, he invited us to sit at the hotel lobby, and kindly offered us informations like the local road rescue, local locations for car supply. After finding the local rescue is full and the nearby local shop did not have snow chain, he helped us making a long call to our car rental and insurance company. What is more heart-warming is that during those hard hours, he reached us multiple times for following up and further help. It is really once-in-a-lifetime kindness I have ever met.

If you are looking for a stay in Kusatsu, definitely consider this one. I believe a hotel that is willing to offer help to strangers will be eager to provide great services to their customers. Surprisingly there are very little English-speaker in Kusatsu. An English-friendly hotel like this is a great source for local information like attractions, restaurants. This could be very helpful when you are that one traveller that can't speak Japanese like us.

Great hotel, spacious Japanese style rooms. Excellent hot spring baths and great variety for the buffet breakfast.

Loved Hotel Sakurai, great onsen hotel very close to the centre of town and all that it has to offer. Staff are super attentive and welcoming. Great facilities and very good food. Would highly recommend!!!

It was one of the best hotel which I have ever stopped. A bit expensive 😬, but I think its worth it, good location, friendly staff, rich and various kind of dinner and breakfast, interesting entertaining program. Especially, I want to highlight those hotel's onsen , it was wonderful!

When we checked in we found out that my uncle might have left a diamond ring in the previous hotel and asked the hotel staff to contact that hotel for us. With his help, we did get the ring back. We were really grateful.

Sakurai hotel🏨
The best ever hotel😍 hot springs♨ the number,1🙇
Foods is great&good👍😋

Extravaganza. Fit for huge groups and still somehow cozy enough for little ones. Most enjoyable during winter.

Very nice outdoor bath, good food at the buffet, and a nice show at night.

Fancy schmancy hot spring hotel. Japanese hospitality at its best.