Hotels near Biwako Otsukan in Otsu

The location is very quiet and calm. For those who want a break from the main cities this place is highly recommended. The hotel picked us up from the nearby station and the communication was very active and accommodating (I emailed them when we were in Kyoto station in advanced and once we reached the local station, their shuttle was already waiting for us 🥹). Biwako Valley is near so it was our only planned big activity in the area aside from walking along the quiet road and trying convenience store food and using the 24 hour laundry place nearby. The food is very healthy and you will experience traditional Japanese service (they prepared colorful Yukatas for us and we wore them for bfast and dinner in their restaurant) . The private onsen was great and you can also use the public bath in the hotel itself. I cannot list everything but our experience here was truly amazing!

Yumotokan was our first stay at an onsen and first trip to Otsu and Lake Biwa. It blew us away at how amazing and wonderful everything was. We took a local train from Kyoto Station to Ogotoonsen Station. The views of the mountains on one side and the lake on the other were stunning and the shuttle service from Ogotoonsen Station to Yumotokan was much appreciated. We reserved two of the Kotone suites with their own private baths attached to our rooms for one night and we were not disappointed. The rooms included breakfast, dinner, and a hour later check-out time with the reservation. The staff were very kind and accommodating, helping us with whatever we needed (so glad we asked for help with the yukata! It became a cute memory for us). The rooms were comfortably spacious with a gracious amount of amenities and the attached private onsen baths were incredibly healing. We utilized them as many times as was healthy. Both the breakfast buffet and course dinner were amazingly delicious and something that'll be on our minds for awhile. Even our check-out was stress free and we were able to buy souvenirs from a little shop they had inside the lobby. I wish I knew what shampoo and treatment they use or where I can purchase it because it left our hair super soft and silky smooth, nothing like what we use at home. Our stay was amazing and we would highly recommend Yumotokan. We'll definitely visit again on our next trip to Japan, hopefully for a couple more nights!

I would have said that we had a wonderful stay: loved the peaceful environment, the food, the morning service…. But then they started the morning with a team of workers going through the temple grounds with deafening leaf blowing machines! Why do they disturb the peace like this? The temple claims to be environmentally conscious, but these machines are noisy, irritating, wasteful and bad for the environment. It made me leave the place in a bed mood.

I like it very much. It is not worse than Yuyuanguan, and the price is good. The chef's cooking skills are very high. The decoration is a bit old-fashioned, and it feels like a Japanese drama. The hot spring robe is better than Yuyuanguan. The dinner is invincible and delicious! Wagyu! Mushroom rice! Sukiyaki! I ate so much! But the breakfast is not very delicious. The pickled cucumber tastes the same as in China. I thought I couldn't eat it far away from Shanghai. In the end, it tasted like the pickled cucumber and pickled radish at home. But it's very photogenic! There are all kinds of colors, but the taste is killed by the xiaolongbao, wontons and pancakes in my hometown Shanghai. The hot spring in Yuyuanguan is very comfortable! There is just an old lady who keeps coming in to clean the hot spring in the morning! I was scared and didn't care about the front and the back. It was so embarrassing!

I am a traveler loving hot springs. This onsen report is the best Japanese style hotel that I ever experience. The hotel was very luxury. The service was great. The breakfast is upscale and wonderful. I would recommend it to any onsen lovers. I will definitely go back in future.

It was great that there were two large public baths for men and two for women, and they were open 24 hours. Thanks to this, the baths weren't crowded at all, even for such a large ryokan. Dinner was served in a grand banquet hall at a designated time, and it was so lavish that the dishes barely fit on the table – everything was delicious! The facilities are quite old, so I did notice noises like the motor and the bathroom fan, but all the staff were very kind, and I had a pleasant stay overall.

Very pleasant stay with generous supply of amenities and convenient location for you to explore Shiga. Just 10 minutes train from Kyoto and 40 minutes from Osaka, which also make this accommodation highly recommendable!

Lake Biwa is right outside the hotel, which is very convenient. There are not many restaurants nearby. The beach by the lake is beautiful. The staff are very friendly. The room facilities are a bit old, but they are well maintained.

Booked this stay to explore the areas around Lake Biwa. Reception was warm and friendly with an English-speaking host who provided us with the information for the stay. We booked the western style room as we preferred an attached bathroom, however the room condition was outdated and needs refurbishment, like peeling surfaces. The Japanese style room looked better when we caught a glimpse during check-out time. Nevertheless, location and amenities were great. Location is near major eateries and commercial centres by a short drive.

Ok. First of all leave your expectations at home expecting hotel level service. Once you've done that if you want a cheap but clean place to stay this is it. This is a seinenkan - a facility for youth and youth-related organizations to conduct independent study and recreational activities, many of which have basic accommodation facilities but higher grade facilities than youth hostels. They are located all over Japan. I stayed in a tatami mat room on a floor with shared toilet facilities. The ground floor has a large communal bath - obviously separate for male and females. They have lights out at 11 p.m. and guests must return by the same time. There is a very modern cafe onsite serving cheap breakfasts (see photos) but the cafe closes by 6 p.m. There is a convenience store 10 minutes walk away so I suggest you buy snacks and beverages en route from JR Ishiyama station. For dinner, there is a family restaurant - good value and okay food - about 6 minutes walk away. The seinenkan is located on a small island by a historic bridge. The views of the river inlet flowing into the main Lake Biwa is relaxing, lots of bird wildlife, and lots of rowers (the seinenkan is a water sports facility too). and the sunrise and sunset views are lovely. The staff are very kind. It cost me ¥5,500 for one night and I will stay there again if I have the opportunity.