Hi KI-NRT, thank you for all the great info in this thread! I registered a flyertalk account just to post here.

I was wondering if you have any suggestions or insights regarding Shoraiso vs. Yamagata the Takinami for a mid-December trip.

RE: Yamagata the Takinami, it looks like you didn't have super high expectations initially, but then you ended up really enjoying it. I see a few 1F rooms still available and the price is the same as the 2F rooms at Shoraiso. We'll be coming from Kyoto, so the trip here would be a bit longer and more expensive, and maybe not as nice as going through Kiso valley to Shoraiso.

RE: Shoraiso, you suggested it as a Nagano area option, but I didn't see a writeup - have you stayed there, and if so, how did you like it? It just re-opened in 2024 so it has fewer reviews than Takinami, although they all seem very effusive. Almost all the Google reviews have a 'Response from Owner' which makes me wonder how much of them are totally unprompted vs. carefully stage managed - which is understandable for a new business, but makes them harder to judge.

If you have any other recs within 2.5-3 hours of HND, we'd be grateful for those as well. We're looking for a high-end, traditional-leaning ryokan renowned for its food and onsen, ideally with private rotenburo. Thanks again.