Zaborin

ZABORIN Zen Philosophy: It symbolizes letting go of worldly desires and achieving a state of "being" or stillness. If there is any chance that one would want to indulge in a luxury getaway, stay at Zaborin. Immaculate and unobtrusive service, immersive connection to nature, Michelin starred cuisine; all bundled with genuinely warm and welcoming ryokan hospitality. The ryokan succeeds in its objective: to rest and relax your body, mind and soul. You will feel all the stresses of modern life melting away the moment you arrive. The beds were the best we’ve ever experienced in our travels too. Definitely an experience worth going through at least once in your lifetime. Thank you Zaborin, and all the lovely staff! We will be back for sure! ❤️

My boyfriend and I stayed at Zaborin for two nights and loved every single moment. From the moment we arrived, we were welcomed by an incredible team whose hospitality felt genuinely warm and thoughtful. We were personally introduced to the property and our room by Lei (I hope I’m spelling her name correctly). She was so kind, sweet, and attentive, the kind of service that makes you feel truly cared for rather than simply hosted. Our room was stunning, featuring two private onsens, one indoor and one outdoor. Both the floors and the baths are naturally heated by the hot spring flowing beneath the property, which made everything feel incredibly cozy and luxurious, especially in the winter. The courtyard was breathtaking, completely blanketed in snow. While it wasn’t walkable due to the snow, simply gazing out at the serene, untouched winter landscape felt incredibly peaceful and special. The meals were exceptional: beautifully prepared kaiseki dinners worthy of two Michelin stars. We opted for the wine pairing on our first night and had a little too much fun—it was perfectly curated and elevated the entire dining experience. Every detail, from the food to the service to the tranquil setting, made our stay unforgettable. Zaborin is truly a special place, and we can’t wait to return.

I stayed for three nights over the New Year holidays and was very satisfied with the service from the restaurant staff and sommelier, but other aspects of the hotel were terrible, perhaps due to a lack of proper management. 1. The rooms were completely random, with huge variations in quality. The floor plans and example photos in the guest room section of the official website show only rooms with unobstructed views, but I learned after checking in that eight of the 15 rooms had what appeared to be partitions for privacy reasons, making them completely different from the image on the website. When I complained to the manager that I felt deceived because I was given such a room without any prior notice or explanation, he insisted that there were photos of rooms with partitions in the "hot springs" section of the website, and that it wasn't a case of hiding the rooms, but that he couldn't post photos of all the rooms. He continued to try to shift the subject, and eventually got angry, asking me if I was complaining about a partition just a few centimeters long. (At the very least, it's more than 2 meters.) I don't understand why they didn't include the majority of room types in one of the two listed. And despite significant differences, such as whether or not you can see Mt. Yotei and whether or not there's a partition in the open-air bath, they not only don't separate the rooms into separate types, but they don't even have any warning signs. To begin with, the manager kept glancing sideways at me and sulking, which made me feel very uncomfortable. 2. Almost no communication or explanation of events. When I checked in, I was suddenly informed that dinner would be served at 6 p.m. I had contacted the hotel staff beforehand about something else, but they never asked me about my preferred mealtime. They were able to change the time a little that day, but they sometimes asked about the next mealtime, and sometimes they didn't, so I ended up asking them myself. There were also events on New Year's Eve, such as toshikoshi soba noodles and a champagne party, but no explanation was given, and I only found out about them when I asked the staff myself. 3. The beds weren't made properly. I left my room at 1:30 PM and changed the sign at the entrance from "Do not disturb" to "Please make up my room," but by the time I returned to the hotel in the evening, it hadn't been cleaned. When I checked with the front desk staff, they made the excuse that I had left the "DND" setting. I frequently saw staff cleaning the hallways, so I was surprised they didn't ask them to check again. They eventually said they could do a simple cleaning, so I did, but the bed was made carelessly, and used cups were left outside, which was pretty awful. 4. Hot Spring Temperature Adjustment Both the indoor and outdoor baths require you to ask an attendant to adjust the temperature, which is extremely inconvenient. I tried the outdoor bath right after checking in, but it was a little lukewarm, so I told them my desired temperature and they came right away to adjust it. However, it was unexpectedly hot, so I asked them again the next day and told them the same desired temperature. This time, it went back to lukewarm again. For some reason, the indoor bath, which I hadn't asked them to adjust, also became lukewarm. Also, I was told that the water temperature would change with changes in temperature, but I was never asked if I needed to adjust the bath temperature again, and it didn't seem like any other precautions were being taken, and I couldn't adjust it myself, which was very inconvenient. There were a number of other problems as well, and it didn't seem like it was being managed very well. That's understandable, as I came in and out many times during my four-day stay, but only saw the manager once, so it makes sense. You can't see anything if you're holed up in the office. In any case, I had come to relax over the New Year, but the manager treated me like a freeloader, which made for a bad New Year's feeling.