Matsumoto Jujo
Industrial-meets-ryokan: exposed concrete, solid black walnut, diatomite walls, and curated mid-century furniture (Finn Juhl, Hans Wegner, Alvar Aalto, Kristian Vedel). Book-heavy, design-forward, quietly activist about regional revitalization. Not a pampering luxury ryokan — more like staying inside a very beautiful magazine.
Check-in happens at the Oyaki & Coffee café, a 3-minute walk from the main buildings — factor this into your arrival plan
Why It Matters
A Michelin-listed, Design Hotels and Marriott Bonvoy-partnered property that transformed a 340-year-old Nagano ryokan using 100% private funding. Every room has a private outdoor onsen. The flagship restaurant 367 is helmed by a chef formerly of noma's Tokyo sister Inua. The whole project is also trying to literally revive a faded hot spring town, which makes it unusual among design hotels.
Matsumoto Jujo is the collective name for a fully private-sector redevelopment of Koyanagi, a ryokan founded in 1686 in Asama Onsen. The project comprises two hotels — Matsumoto Honbako (a raw, book-obsessed hotel with exposed concrete and a 'tense' minimalist aesthetic) and Hotel Koyanagi (a new-build, family-friendly structure finished in diatomaceous earth and natural wood) — plus two restaurants, a bookstore with over 10,000 titles, a bakery, a hard cider brewery, a lifestyle shop, and two off-site cafés. Every single guest room across both hotels has a private open-air onsen bath fed by natural Asama hot spring water. No parking on site, no TVs in Honbako, and you check in at a café three minutes down the hill — all deliberate choices designed to push guests out into the hot spring town.
Where You'll Stay
17 room types available
Honbako Corner Suite
An 85sqm second-floor corner suite with a Japanese-style tearoom-inspired annex that becomes a meditative private space when the sliding doors are closed. Kitchenette included. Garden views. Sleeps up to four with twin beds and futons. No TV.
Twin + futon · 85 sqm
Honbako Designer Twin
Designed for flexibility — two regular beds plus a sofa and two bunk-style study beds for up to four guests. City, mountain and garden views. A proper desk makes it work for a working vacation. Private open-air hot spring bath and separate shower. No TV.
Twin + bunk beds · 45 sqm
Honbako Grand Suite
The largest suite in the entire facility at 145sqm, on the top floor with west-facing windows. On clear evenings the Alps at sunset turn the window into what the hotel calls 'a giant screen.' The open-air bath is the biggest in the complex, with seating for two. Mini kitchen with counter chairs. Minibar stocked with beer, sake and local snacks. No TV.
Twin + futon · 145 sqm
Honbako Junior Suite
At the end of Honbako's corridor, facing garden trees and rooftops. The evening light filtering through creates the 'In'ei Raisan' (In Praise of Shadows) effect the designers were going for. Larger open-air bath than the Terrace or Panorama suites. Japanese-style room can accommodate two futons, sleeping up to four. No TV.
Twin + futon · 65 sqm
Honbako Panorama Suite
A 4th-floor corner suite with sweeping Northern Alps views and a deliberately raw, unfinished interior that amplifies the sense of space. Kitchenette with mini kitchen counter and chairs. Window-side sofa for reading. Open-air bath and fully stocked minibar with beer, sake and local snacks. Sleeps up to four. No TV.
Twin + futon · 95 sqm
Honbako Standard Twin
Matsumoto Honbako's entry-level room, deliberately raw with no interior finishes or paint — a design choice that creates a 'sense of tension.' Opens onto a terrace with a cypress open-air bath. Mountain and city views. Curated bookshelves, two easy chairs. No TV.
Twin · 40 sqm
Honbako Terrace Suite
A 3rd-floor corner suite at 105sqm with a generous outdoor living area perfectly suited for spring and autumn evenings post-bath. Connected indoor living room, mini kitchen with counter seating. Japanese-style room sleeps two extra on futons. One of the most livable suites if you plan to spend proper time in the room. No TV.
Twin + futon · 105 sqm
Honbako Yuzaka Twin
A corner room on the Honbako side facing Yuzaka Street, with windows on two sides and the most natural light of any standard room. The terrace splits into two distinct zones: an open-air cypress bath on one side, and a sofa with reclining chair on the other, looking out over the street below.
Twin · 40 sqmKoyanagi Comfort Double
The coziest room in the lineup, featuring a queen bed and soothing indirect lighting. Finished in a soft white palette with diatomite walls. A chair and table sit by the window, plus a fully stocked mini fridge and a Umetaro Azechi print artwork on the wall. The semi-outdoor open-air hot spring bath is the draw.
Queen · 38 sqmKoyanagi Comfort Twin
Bright and understated at 45sqm. Walls in diatomaceous earth, soft indirect lighting, and a large desk plus washbasin counter crafted from single slabs of solid wood (fir or zebrawood depending on the room). Tatami rooms come with Bruno Mathsson 'Margarita' chairs; wood-floored rooms get Kristian Vedel 'Modus' chairs.
Twin · 45 sqmKoyanagi Garden Small
A compact room with a distinctly moody atmosphere — dark gray and black tones, black walnut flooring, and diatomaceous earth walls that feel like a stylish cocoon. Garden and illuminated courtyard views at night add a quietly theatrical finish.
Twin · 40 sqmKoyanagi Garden Twin
A serene, tatami-floored room for two with generous space and calming views over the inner courtyard and a traditional kura storehouse. The beanbag and original Hans Wegner armchair make it easy to spend hours reading. The bathroom is notably spacious for a standard room category.
Twin · 48 sqmKoyanagi Junior Suite
A 6th-floor corner suite for up to three guests, pairing a tatami main bedroom with Ryukyu tatami flooring and Yoshimura shoji screens against a carpeted second living area. Cedar and zelkova countertops, Alvar Aalto furniture, and shoji screens along the entire south-facing wall. The tucked-away meditation nook behind a tea-room-style doorway is a standout touch.
Twin · 68 sqmKoyanagi Large Garden
Generously sized tatami room with layered views across the courtyard, garden, and town. Two NyChair armchairs by Japanese designer Takeshi Nii anchor the living area. Can add a third bed. Calm, breathable atmosphere with diatomite walls and natural wood.
Twin · 53 sqmKoyanagi One-Room Suite
An intentionally partition-free 6th-floor suite where the living and sleeping areas flow into one open space. Design pieces by Space Copenhagen, Jasper Morrison, and Thomas Pedersen. Solid black walnut and diatomite. A private wooden deck overlooks the mountains. Up to three guests.
Twin · 70 sqmKoyanagi Terrace Suite
The former 'imperial' room on the 7th floor — once reserved for special VIP guests when Koyanagi was a traditional ryokan — reimagined as a 105sqm suite furnished entirely with Finn Juhl originals: Pelican Chairs, Eye Table in the bedroom, Japan Chair in the tatami room. Solid black walnut floors and walls. Private wooden deck with mountain air. Sleeps up to five.
Twin · 105 sqmKoyanagi Universal Room
A fully wheelchair-accessible 76sqm room available in two layouts. Features wide corridors, an oversized washbasin area, straight-line access to the open-air bath with full-sliding doors, and a ceiling-mounted electric lift for dignified assisted bathing. Furnished with lightweight Kristian Vedel Modus chairs.
Twin · 76 sqmThe Property
Eat & Drink
6 venues on property
Restaurant
Spa & Wellness
Treatment Menu
On Property
How you'll actually spend your days.
Fresh bread baked daily on site. Open to hotel guests and day visitors.
A 10,000-volume bookstore on the hotel grounds, open to guests and day-trippers. Curated shelves cover Japanese classics, Western novels, architecture, design photo books, and manga. Books in rooms and corridors are all purchasable. The bookstore operates even after hotel closing hours, though books cannot be taken back to rooms after closing.
A guided walk through the history and culture of Asama Onsen, departing from the hotel area. Covers the hot spring town's streets, architecture, and backstory.
The hotel's philosophy actively encourages guests to walk the Asama Onsen streets in their yukata. The main streets of Yuzaka and Yamanote-dori are right outside. Koyanagi no Yu, Yanagi no Yu, and Biwa no Yu public bathhouses are all within walking distance.
An on-site hard cider brewery using locally grown apples with reduced agricultural chemicals. Guests can visit and taste the property's own cider, also available at the restaurants. Part of the original 'Matsumoto Jujo' campus.
Guests are given original yukata produced in collaboration with Ratta Rattarr (a Karuizawa facility employing people with disabilities), with artworks by disabled artists printed on the fabric. The hotel encourages wearing them through the streets of Asama Onsen and even to dinner.
Amenities & Practical Info
The details that matter for planning.
Koyanagi's Universal Room features full wheelchair accessibility including a ceiling-mounted electric lift for the open-air bath. Movable ramps available at room entrances.
Available in all rooms and areas across both hotels.
Every room and floor of Matsumoto Honbako features bookshelves curated by notable figures in various fields. Books are available for purchase.
Bose speaker in every room across both hotels.
Fully stocked minibar in every room. Suites include beer, sake and local snacks.
Matsumoto Honbako has no televisions. Koyanagi has portable waterproof TV/Blu-ray players that can be used in the bath.
Matsumoto Jujo is a Design Hotels member bookable via Marriott Bonvoy.
Entire property is strictly non-smoking, including room terraces and balconies.
Toothbrushes, razors, and other disposable amenities are available at a hallway amenity bar rather than pre-placed in rooms. Part of the 'STOP Single-Use!' sustainability initiative.
No parking at the main hotel. Guest parking is a 3-minute walk from the Oyaki & Coffee reception café, at Asama Onsen 3-29.
Hotel shuttle circulates between the off-site café reception and the main buildings. Available on request but guests are encouraged to walk.
All rooms in both Matsumoto Honbako and Hotel Koyanagi have a private open-air hot spring bath fed by natural Asama Onsen water.
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